The International Press Academy (IPA), one of the most diverse associations of professional entertainment journalists, was founded in 1996 by Mirjana Van Blaricom. Our first Satellite Awards™ presentation was held in 1997.
With a growing membership of working press representing both domestic and international markets, the IPA reaches millions globally via Print, Television, Radio, Cable, New Media and Internet.
In 2011, Fedeora, the federation of European and Mediterranean film critics, joined with the IPA to extend the membership and cross-cultural reach of both organizations. Fedeora was founded at Cannes and includes members from The United Kingdom, Sweden, The Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Serbia, Croatia, Greece, Israel, Spain, The Czech Republic, Switzerland, Russia, Denmark and Turkey, among others.
The IPA is the first press organization to recognize the contributions of the interactive industries alongside those of film and television. The IPA was also the first to create a separate category for Animated and Mixed Media in Motion Pictures. In addition, the IPA was first to change the category “Foreign Films” to “International Films” over a decade ago. It should be noted that other major awards shows have subsequently added those changes.
In 1993, while President of another press association, I was instrumental in originating the Ensemble Award, given for Robert Altman’s “Short Cuts”. The Ensemble Award was eventually permanently adopted by our IPA Satellite Awards and many other Award Shows.
ANNOUNCING THE STUNT PERFORMANCE AWARD
For the 24th Satellite Awards™ we presented our first Stunt Performance Award, which was long overdue. The award was presented to Steve Stafford.
“After the widely acclaimed success of his work on Touchstone’s Six days/Seven Nights, Steve made the decision to become a full time motion picture pilot and aerial coordinator, realizing a long-standing desire to combine his film production knowledge with his love of aviation and extensive film experience”.
For the 27th Satellite Awards™ we presented our Stunt Performance Award to Casey O’Neill.
SATELLITE™ AWARDS
The IPA’s annual Satellite Awards™ presentation honors outstanding contributions in the fields of cinema, television and interactive media. The Special Achievement Awards include: The Mary Pickford Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Entertainment Industry, the Tesla Award in Recognition of Visionary Achievements in Filmmaking Technology, the Auteur Award, The Humanitarian Award, the Ensemble Award, as well as the Best First Feature Award.
One of the primary goals of the Satellite Awards™ show is to celebrate new works from both established and developing independent filmmakers, giving them access to the widest audience. Alongside the traditional studio fare, the IPA highlights films from around the globe, including Australia, China, New Zealand, Great Britain, Eastern Europe, Asia, South America and Africa.
Each year one honoree is chosen to receive the prestigious Mary Pickford Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Entertainment Industry. Previous Mary Pickford Award honorees include: Susan Sarandon, Mike Medavoy, Ellen Burstyn, Stacy Keach, Terence Stamp, Francis Ford Coppola, Maximillian Schell, Alan J. Pakula, Arnon Milchan, Michael York, Rod Steiger, Louis Gossett Jr., Vanessa Williams, Robert Evans, Mitzi Gaynor, Martin Landau, Louise Fletcher, Edward James Olmos, Karl Malden, Rade Serbedzija, Dabney Coleman, Jodie Foster, Gena Rowlands, Tom Skerritt, Kathy Bates, Tilda Swinton and Diane Warren, among others.
The International Press Academy also supports ground-breaking digital innovations in filmed entertainment and VFX achievements with the annual Tesla Award.
Previous recipients of the Tesla Award – in Recognition for Visionary Achievement in Filmmaking Technology include: Industrial Light and Magic, Roger Deakins, Rick Baker, Dennis Muren, Richard Donner, Stan Winston, James Cameron, Jerry Lewis, Douglas Trumbull, Garrett Brown, Robert A. Harris, Robert Rutherford and Jon Edward Miller, Joe Letteri, Kevin Baillie, Walter Murch, John Toll, Robert Legato, Joan Collins, and George Lucas, who was our first Tesla Award recipient. For the 27th Satellite Awards™ we presented our Tesla Award to Ryan Tudhope.
Over the years our Satellite Awards presentations have had numerous celebrity attendees, among them: Edward Norton, Martin Sheen, Radha Mitchell, Lolita Davidovich, Rod Steiger, James Cameron, Bryan Cranston, Wilmer Valderama, Jason Isaacs, James Woods, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Vanessa Williams, Robert Legato, Cameron Manheim, Tracey Ullman, Jerry Lewis, William H. Macy, Michael York, Louis Gossett Jr., Richard Donner, Martin Landau, Gena Rowlands, Rick Baker, Peter Bogdanovich, Mitzi Gaynor, Baz Luhrmann, Arnon Milchan, Robert Evans, Stan Winston, Jennifer Hudson, Maximilian Schell, Karl Malden, Connie Stevens, Roger Corman, Louise Fletcher, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, George Clooney, Dakota Fanning, Ewan McGregor, Sofia Coppola, Ellen Burstyn, Kathy Bates and many more.
We respectfully ask all winners to be present at the awards ceremony in order to receive their statue, however statues are available for purchase by those who were not in attendance.
