Ellyn Needham, wife of the late Hal Needham, will participate in the inaugural presentation
The magic of movie stunts will be celebrated by the Houston Film Critics Society (HFCS) with the debut of a new award for Best Stunt Achievement, presented to the stunt coordination team of a qualifying 2019 film. The first honoree of this newly established, annual tribute will be announced at the organization’s 13 th Annual Movie Awards ceremony on January 2, 2020.
“This is the perfect year to introduce our award for stunt coordination,” says HFCS President Doug Harris, “and we are thrilled to be among the first film critics associations to formally recognize this essential and perhaps most challenging element of the craft of movie-making.”
When considering the addition of this award category, HFCS members acknowledged the astonishing stunt work in several 2019 films including Avengers: Endgame, Ford v Ferrari, Gemini Man and John Wick: Chapter 3—Parabellum, and recalled the foundation of such
accomplishments in the groundbreaking work of industry pioneers Buster Keaton and Yakima Canutt, both born in 1895. The group further noted that one of the year’s most talked about films, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, centers around the adventurous life and work of a
fictional stunt man.
In association with this inaugural recognition, the HFCS has planned a tribute to Hal Needham, widely considered to be in the top echelon of Hollywood stuntmen. Ellyn Needham, widow of the legendary performer, will be on hand as the HFCS’s special guest.
The salute will spotlight Needham’s legendary work as a stunt man in movies and television, as well as his direction of stunt-filled films Smokey and the Bandit, Hooper and The Cannonball Run, among others. In 1986, Needham and William L. Fredrick received a Scientific and Engineering Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the design and development of the Shotmaker Elite camera car and crane. In 2012, he received an honorary Oscar from the Academy for what the organization described as “extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement.”
The new Best Stunt Coordination Team will be the 18 th category honored by Houston Film Critics Society this year. In addition to its customary lineup, the organization recognizes the best movie poster design as well as the year’s worst film and presents the Texas Independent Film Award (TIFA) along with its companion, the TIFA Visionary Award.
The 13 th Annual HFCS ceremony will be held Thursday, January 2, 2020, at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and is underwritten by the Keystone Family Companies with additional support by Balcones Distillers. Information on event tickets, local accommodations and underwriting opportunities is available from HFCS President Harris.
About the Houston Film Critics Society
The 40 members of the HFCS are working film journalists on television, radio, online and in traditional print. Together, they reach millions of people each week across the United States with their critiques and commentaries on film. The organization, which actively promotes the advancement and appreciation of film in the Houston community, also offers annual scholarships to student film makers and journalism students with an interest in film critique. For additional information and a list of members, visit
www.houstonfilmcritics.com.
(This post was taken from a release sent to me by the Houston Film Critics Society)
