The Humanitarian Award was presented to two-time Academy Award®-winning Director of Photography Haskell Wexler by Billy Crystal. Wexler, who was judged one of the ten most influential cinematographers in movie history by an International Cinematographers Guild survey of its members, has won Oscars® for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf? and Bound for Glory, in addition to Oscar® nominations for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (with Bill Butler,1976), Blaze and Matewan, along with many other awards for these films.
In addition to his masterful cinematography, Wexler has directed and/or shot many documentaries that display his progressive political views. He was the subject of the 2004 documentary, ” Tell Them Who You Are” shot by his son, Mark Wexler. He is one of only six cinematographers to have a star on the famed Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Wexler’s many honors include the Living Legends Award from the Beverly Hills Film Festival (2009), the Governor’s Award by the Society of Camera Operators (2007), a Career Achievement Award from the International Documentary Association (2006), a Lifetime Achievement Award from Camerimage ((1996), in addition to a Lifetime Achievement Award by The American Society of Cinematographers (1993).