ACE Awards John Carpenter Top Editing Honor

John Carpenter will receive the American Cinema Editors Golden Eddie for Filmmaker of the Year. The organization announced the selection on Tuesday. The award is the highest honor given by the editors' guild to a director.

The ceremony is the 77th annual ACE Eddie Awards. It will take place on Feb. 6. Patton Oswalt will host the event. Nominations for the editing categories will be revealed on Jan. 14.

Carpenter first found a wide audience with Halloween in 1978. He helped define the modern horror genre with films such as The Thing and Escape from New York. He also composes music. His recent albums include Lost Themes and Cathedral, which arrived earlier this year.

Sabrina Plisco, president of ACE, cited Carpenter's understanding of rhythm and tension in her announcement. She stated that he makes movies that get under the skin and stay there. Plisco emphasized that he trusts his editors to find the right pace. She called this collaboration the reason for the specific honor.

The Filmmaker of the Year title joins a list that includes Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, and Christopher Nolan. Carpenter will be recognized for his body of work as a filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, and composer.

Two editors will also receive Career Achievement awards. Bonnie Koehler has worked for more than 40 years. She edited 15 feature films and nine primetime series. Her credits include One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and The Empire Strikes Back. She also worked on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Christopher Nelson has served as a producer, director, and editor on more than 70 projects. He won a Primetime Emmy for the finale of Lost. He received further nominations for Six Feet Under and Mad Men. His recent projects include Bates Motel and Godfather of Harlem. Plisco noted that both editors have given generously to the editing community.