Kathleen Kennedy received an honorary award from the Motion Picture Sound Editors at the Golden Reel Awards in Los Angeles. During her acceptance, she praised the role of sound in filmmaking and shared insights on her departure from Lucasfilm. She also discussed upcoming projects like the new Mandalorian movie.
Kathleen Kennedy, longtime president of Lucasfilm, accepted the Filmmaker Award at the Motion Picture Sound Editors' 72nd Annual Golden Reel Awards on Sunday at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles. The honor recognizes her career contributions to films including "Jurassic Park," "Back to the Future," and "Schindler’s List."
In her speech, Kennedy highlighted sound's integral role in storytelling. "Sound helps root the story. It helps represent where characters are, not only geographically, but emotionally," she said, accepting the award from sound designer Ben Burtt, known for his work on Star Wars projects. She credited early collaborations, such as Steven Spielberg's "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," where sound brought the character to life. "It wasn’t until we heard those heavy, shuffling footsteps and the raspy, melodic breathing that E.T. became real," Kennedy recalled. The voice was provided by Pat Welsh, whom Burtt discovered at a photography store.
Backstage, Kennedy addressed her January handover of Lucasfilm leadership to Dave Filoni, now president and chief creative officer, and Lynwen Brennan, co-president. "It didn’t just happen six months ago. I spent 10 years talking Dave into gradually stepping into live action," she explained, describing the transition as seamless after a decade of mentoring.
Regarding the May release of "The Mandalorian & Grogu," which she greenlit and is producing, Kennedy noted that Grogu, also known as Baby Yoda, remains non-verbal. "He never speaks a word," she said, emphasizing his emotional connection with audiences on the big screen.
Kennedy also touched on artificial intelligence in filmmaking, preferring the term "augmented reality." "Many of us in the industry absolutely are committed to human beings and a human point of view," she stated, viewing AI tools as potential aids rather than replacements.
She reflected on navigating Star Wars fandom amid social media's rise. "That really has created a kind of explosion," Kennedy said, underscoring fans' importance to the franchise. Her remaining Lucasfilm projects include the Ryan Gosling-starring "Star Fighter."
Kennedy's career spans over 70 films with 120 Oscar nominations and 25 wins, earning her eight personal nominations and honors like a BAFTA fellowship.
