Jon M. Chu to Receive Art Directors Guild Cinematic Imagery Award
The Art Directors Guild is awarding filmmaker Jon M. Chu with the 2026 Cinematic Imagery Award, the guild announced on Tuesday. Chu’s recognition comes on the heels of the guild’s nominations announcement last week, where Wicked: For Good and Wicked: One Wonderful Night received nods for excellence in production design. The Cinematic Imagery Award is…
The Art Directors Guild is awarding filmmaker Jon M. Chu with the 2026 Cinematic Imagery Award, the guild announced on Tuesday.
Chu’s recognition comes on the heels of the guild’s nominations announcement last week, where Wicked: For Good and Wicked: One Wonderful Night received nods for excellence in production design.
The Cinematic Imagery Award is “given to a filmmaker whose body of work has significantly enriched the visual experience of storytelling and elevated the visibility of the art department,” says the organization. Previous recipients include Jason Reitman, Baz Luhrmann, Jane Campion, Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese and George Lucas.
“Between imagination and the screen, there is an entire world built by artists,” says Chu. “OnWickedandWicked: For Good, I witnessed firsthand how production designers, art directors, set decorators and extraordinary crews created Oz not just as a setting but as a living, breathing emotional landscape. I share this honor with the countless craftspeople who poured their hearts into those worlds, and I am deeply grateful to the Art Directors Guild and its members for this recognition.”
Art Directors Guild president Dina Lipton adds, “Jon M. Chu’s work exemplifies the power of cinematic imagery to move audiences and deepen storytelling. His bold visual language and unwavering commitment to collaboration have helped shine a spotlight on the essential role of the art department, and we are thrilled to recognize his remarkable contributions with the 2026 Cinematic Imagery Award.”
Chu most recently directed Wicked: For Good, the sequel to Wicked which garnered a best picture Oscar nomination and became the highest-grossing Broadway musical adaptation in box office history. His other credits include In the Heights, Crazy Rich Asians, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Now You See Me 2 and Justin Bieber’s Never Say Never. Last year, Chu won the Critics Choice Best Director award for Wicked, and he was also awarded with the Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award from the American Cinema Editors.
His upcoming projects include the Britney Spears biopic based on her memoir The Woman in Me, as well as Dr. Seuss’ Oh, The Places You’ll Go!
The ADG Awards will take place on Feb. 28 at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown.
