The Location Managers Guild International (LMGI) released the nominations for its 12th annual awards on Monday, confirming that the ceremony will take place on 23 August at the Eli and Edythe Broad Stage in Santa Monica, California. The announcement marks the first major waypoint of the 2025 awards season for the craft guilds.
Organisers reported a record volume of submissions, prompting the ballot to expand to as many as six finalists in several divisions, which span contemporary and period features, series, limited series/anthologies, commercials and film commissions.
In the feature-film field, Sean Baker’s Brooklyn-set independent drama “Anora,” Joseph Kosinski’s storm-chasing blockbuster “Twisters,” and Christopher McQuarrie’s franchise finale “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” lead the contemporary category, while historical contenders such as Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II” and Greg Berlanti’s “Fly Me to the Moon” headline the period slate.
Television nominees are equally global: HBO’s Alberta-shot “The Last of Us” Season 2, Apple TV+’s London-filmed “Slow Horses” Season 4 and Paramount+ western “1923” Season 2 all secured spots, reflecting the geographic breadth of modern production.
“The LMGI Awards welcomed a record number of submissions from around the world, each uniquely demonstrating how locations enrich the art of filmmaking,” the guild said in its statement, underscoring the growing visibility of the craft.
Founded in 2003 and rebranded in 2016 to reflect its expanding international membership, the LMGI is not a labour union but a professional association that advocates for location professionals and presents honorary prizes such as Lifetime Achievement and Trailblazer awards. Voting by guild members opens on 13 July and closes 21 July, with winners revealed at the August gala.
Industry observers point to the economic impact highlighted by this year’s nominees. Oklahoma’s Film & Music Office published a detailed tourism map after “Twisters” filmed across more than a dozen towns; director Jeanette Stanton called the sequel “an exception to the rule” for lightning striking twice in the same state.
Conversely, Baker’s “Anora” drew attention to the under-filmed Brighton Beach district of Brooklyn. “It’s culturally rich and visually very exciting,” the director told Condé Nast Traveler while explaining why the production insisted on shooting in neighbourhood landmarks such as Tatiana Restaurant and the Coney Island boardwalk.
With voting still ahead and a diverse field in place, the 2025 contest sets up a global showcase of how creative location work underpins cinematic storytelling.