Location Managers Guild Honours Its 2026 Winners in Santa Monica
The Location Managers Guild International handed out its 13th annual LMGI Awards on Saturday, 22 August 2026, at the Eli and Edythe Broad Stage in Santa Monica, recognising the professionals who find, secure and manage the real-world settings where films and television shows are shot. Retired NBC4 weathercaster Fritz Coleman hosted the ceremony. Nominations had been revealed on 23 June. Deadline
In the feature film categories, One Battle After Another took Outstanding Locations in a Contemporary Feature Film, with the award going to Michael Glaser, Michael Wesley and Rich Heichel. The period feature prize went to Marty Supreme, awarded to Matthew Kania and Ross Brodar. Deadline
On the television side, Apple TV+'s Pluribus won Outstanding Locations in a Contemporary Television Series. Amazon Prime Video's Fallout Season 2 took the period television series award, presented to Mandi Dillin and David Park. Netflix's Black Rabbit won for Outstanding Locations in a TV Anthology, Movie or Limited Series, with the award going to Paul Eskenazi and Joel McGlumphy. Deadline
The Humboldt-Del Norte Film Commission won Outstanding Film Commission/Office for its work on One Battle After Another — the same title that won the contemporary feature category — with the award going to Cassandra Hesseltine. In the commercial category, the Toyota Trucks spot "They Don't Read Reviews" won Outstanding Locations in a Commercial, awarded to Alexandra Gibson and Christina Conway. Deadline
Four honorary awards rounded out the evening. Vince Gilligan, creator of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, received the Eva Monley Award, which the guild gives to individuals who have advanced the craft of location work. The Environmental Media Association received the Humanitarian Award. Mike Fantasia, whose location management credits span decades of studio productions, received the Lifetime Achievement Award. The Association of Film Commissioners International received the Trailblazer Award. Deadline
For audiences, location work is the part of a production that decides whether a wasteland actually looks like a wasteland or a 1950s street actually looks like the 1950s. These are the people who close the roads, negotiate with city councils, and turn a stretch of Northern California coastline into whatever a script needs it to be — and the LMGI Awards are the one night the trade publicly says so.
Last year's 12th annual ceremony saw A Complete Unknown and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning take the motion picture honours. LMGI
