“Georgia’s success story is a shared one. What has happened here is more than economic development, it’s culture and community.” IMAGE Award Honoree, Mary Ann Hughes
The who’s who of film and entertainment professionals came out to honor individuals and an institution that has kept Georgia in the spotlight for almost two decades. The Atlanta Film Society’s IMAGE Film Awards presented by Georgia Entertainment in partnership with Assembly Atlanta and Universal Production Services was held last night at the Jewel Box.
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2025 HONOREES AND PRESENTERS
- Lee Thomas of the Georgia Film Office presented an award to Mary Ann Hughes, VP Film and Television Production Planning at Disney ABC Television Group.
- Tom Luse presented to Ray McKinnon, Oscar-winning filmmaker and actor.
- Former Governor Nathan Deal presented an award to the Georgia Film Academy. Accepting the award was Scott Votaw, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Georgia Film Academy, University System of Georgia.
Named as a reference to the organization’s original name, the IMAGE Film Awards Gala pays tribute to Atlanta Film Society’s (ATLFS) history as Independent Media Artists of Georgia Etc (IMAGE). In the time since the event was established in 2001, both Georgia’s film community & industry have gone through tremendous transformation.
“The presenters and honorees were a reflection of the transformation and the hope that powers Georgia’s film industry. The shared commitment to excellence and collective vision for continued success will continue to attract top filmmakers and creators worldwide to the Peach State ” said Jezlan Moyet, President of Georgia Entertainment and this year’s Gala Chair.
The trophy awarded to IMAGE Film Award recipients is inspired by the world’s first practical film projector, the Phantoscope. It debuted to the world in Atlanta in 1895 as the first purpose-built cinema as part of the Cotton State Exposition (in Piedmont Park, the same site of IMAGE’s first Atlanta Film Festival over 80 years later in 1977). The Phantoscope, built by underdogs Jenkins & Armat, beat the titan of industry, Thomas Edison, to make the first viable motion picture projector.
Pictures credit: Jennifer Reynolds & Crizz Quinn
