SUMMER 2022
“Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August.”
–Jenny Han
Summer is officially here, and the heat is on! The global box office powered by TOPGUN:MAVERICK (Note: This is the approved U.S. Navy spelling with all caps and no spaces) has roared back to life and film festivals and events are back in post-pandemic celebration. The 9th Annual LMGI Awards final balloting begins July 15 with winners announced at our awards show gala on August 27—live and in person!
Please watch for the ballot link in your email and save the August 27 date!
In our cover story, “The Need for Speed—The Locations of TOPGUN:MAVERICK,” Shaun O’Banion gives us an in-depth look at what it took for SLM Mike Fantasia and his team to bring this long-awaited juggernaut to the screen. In “Éire and Ice,” Rachel Llewellyn shows how SLM Naomi Liston faced wind, mud, snow, ice and pandemic lockdown—to create the Viking world of The Northman in some of Northern Ireland’s most beautiful and brutal landscapes. In “And the Nominees Are…” the LMGI Awards Committee showcases the nominees for the LMGI “Class of 2022”—which this year were selected by you!
Our column “In the News” reports on the LMGI’s first post-COVID blowout event at the historic Beverly Estate, the 2022 LMGI Board election results, and the 30th year anniversary screening of the late John Singleton’s Poetic Justice that featured SLM Kokayi Ampah onstage for the after-chat. And in our “Martini Shot,” Tano Tropia gives us a unique view of the Getty Museum.
We look forward to seeing you all in person—or on Zoom—at the awards show in August!
Until next time,
Stevie Nelson, Diane Friedman, Paul Messana