Animal Logic CEO and Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole Producer, Zareh Nalbandian recently accepted one of the Australian Film Institute’s (AFI’s) top honors at its annual AFI Awards gala in Melbourne.
The Byron Kennedy Award is presented by Kennedy Miller Mitchell in association with the AFI and is awarded for outstanding creative enterprise within the film and television industries. The award is given to an individual whose work embodies the qualities of the late Byron Kennedy: innovation, vision and the relentless pursuit of excellence. Past recipients include Roger Savage, Jane Campion and John Polson.
A spokesperson for the Australian Film Institute said ‘we chose Animal Logic for its aesthetic and technical excellence in computer graphic imaging. Under the stewardship of Zareh Nalbandian, this visual effects house has risen with the digital revolution to become one of the world’s leading companies’.
In accepting the Award, Nalbandian thanked the AFI for offering this important award that acknowledges and encourages filmmakers who strive for excellence. Nalbandian said it was especially great for Animal Logic to be acknowledged for its work over the past 20 years by its peers in the Australian film industry.
He went on to thank all the great filmmakers Animal Logic has collaborated with over years for the opportunities they have created, and the incredibly talented, creative and dedicated teams at Animal Logic past and present.