77th ACE ceremony honors John Carpenter and 2 veteran editors

The American Cinema Editors (ACE) has named John Carpenter the recipient of the Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year award. The organization will present the honor at the 77th annual ACE Eddie Awards ceremony scheduled for Feb. 6. The event recognizes the best film editing work in both cinema and television. Comedian and actor Patton Oswalt is set to return as the host for the proceedings.

Carpenter first reached a wide audience in 1978 with the release of "Halloween." That film helped shape the modern horror genre. His subsequent directing credits include "The Fog," "The Thing," "Vampires," "Escape from New York" and "They Live." Carpenter has also worked as a composer, releasing the album "Lost Themes" in 2014 and the record "Cathedral" earlier this year.

ACE president Sabrina Plisco announced the selection and praised the filmmaker's approach to storytelling. "John Carpenter makes movies that get under your skin and stay there," Plisco said. She noted that few directors understand rhythm, tension and restraint as effectively as Carpenter. Plisco added that he has consistently trusted his editors to help him find those elements. "That collaboration is exactly what this honor celebrates," she said.

Carpenter joins a roster of past winners that includes Jon M. Chu, John Waters, Spike Lee, Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Nolan, Lauren Shuler Donner, Guillermo del Toro, Steven Spielberg, Vince Gilligan, J.J. Abrams, Nancy Meyers, Martin Scorsese, George Lucas and the Sundance Institute. The ceremony also recognizes two veteran editors with Career Achievement awards: Bonnie Koehler and Christopher Nelson.

Koehler has worked in the industry for more than 40 years. Her resume includes editing 15 feature films, nine primetime television series and eight movies of the week. Notable credits for Koehler include "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," "The Empire Strikes Back," "Return of the Jedi," "Poltergeist," "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and "L.A. Law." Plisco described "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" as television's longest-running primetime drama, a show for which Koehler received an ACE Eddie nomination.

Nelson has served as a producer, director and film editor on more than 70 television series, movies and pilots. He won a Primetime Emmy for best editing for the series finale of "Lost." He earned further Emmy nominations for work on "Six Feet Under," "China Beach," "Mad Men" and the pilot for "The Greatest American Hero." His recent projects include "Bates Motel," "Waco" and "Godfather of Harlem." Plisco stated that Nelson cut one of the most watched and debated hours in television history with the "Lost" finale and that his work on "Six Feet Under" and "Mad Men" helped define prestige television.

Nominations for the 77th annual ACE Eddie Awards will be announced on Jan. 14. The ceremony itself is set for Feb. 6. Plisco said both Koehler and Nelson have given generously to the editing community.