Janet Lewin Receives VIEW Visionary Award

The head of ILM was honored during the VIEW Conference in Turin, Italy.

SVP, general manager and head of ILM Janet Lewin was recognized with the VIEW Visionary Award at this year’s VIEW Conference in Turin, Italy. Past recipients of this annual award have included ILM luminary Dennis Muren and Lucasfilm executive design director Doug Chiang. 

“32 years ago, I walked through the doors of Industrial Light & Magic as a temporary employee in the purchasing department,” Lewin would reflect at the conference. “Little did I know that a summer job would become a lifelong career, fueled by the same passion and sense of wonder that drives me today.”

Lewin noted that “My hope is that we continue to elevate visual effects as a creative force, and that the wider industry increasingly recognizes the people behind our craft as creative partners and fellow storytellers across all these mediums. Visual effects teams help shape how stories are conceived and experienced. The tools will continue to change, but creativity, collaboration, curiosity, and great storytelling will always be at the foundation of what we do.”

The head of ILM would also add a particular thanks to those in the supporting ranks of visual effects, “whose contributions aren’t always visible,” as Lewin explained. “The producers who turn ambitious ideas into achievable plans. The managers, coordinators, and assistants who keep thousands of moving pieces connected. The operations teams who create the conditions for great work to happen. And the business affairs, finance, talent, recruiting, technology, legal, and countless other teams who bring extraordinary people together and help them succeed.”

Lewin joined a number of panel discussions while at the conference, including ones about the future of cinema, leadership in visual effects, and women in animation and visual effects. ILM animation supervisor Hal Hickel also gave a presentation on creature and character animation, while both he and Lewin joined author Ian Failes for signings of the book, Industrial Light & Magic: 50 Years of Innovation.

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