Animation Director Carlos Saldanha to Receive CinemaCon International Filmmaker of the Year Award

CARLOS SALDANHA TO RECEIVE CINEMACON^® INTERNATIONAL FILMMAKER OF THE YEAR AWARD

WASHINGTON D.C.  (January 28, 2014) – Acclaimed animation director, Carlos Saldanha, will be honored with a special "International Filmmaker of the Year" Award, as part of CinemaCon's International Day, it was announced today by Mitch Neuhauser, Managing Director of CinemaCon. CinemaCon, the official convention of The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO), will be held March 24 – 27, 2014 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Saldanha will receive his special honor during International Day festivities, to take place on Monday, March 24, 2014.

Saldanha is currently completing production on "Rio 2" which sees the return of all of our favorite "Rio" characters including those voiced by Anne Hathaway, Jesse Eisenberg, Jemaine Clement, Leslie Mann, George Lopez, will.i.am and Jamie Foxx along with new friends being voiced by Andy Garcia, GRAMMY ^® winner Bruno Mars, Tony^® winner Kristin Chenoweth and Oscar^®/Emmy^®/Tony^®/ GRAMMY ^® winner Rita Moreno. The Twentieth Century Fox film is slated for release April 11, 2014.

"Since his theatrical debut in 2002 with 'Ice Age', Carlos Saldanha has captivated and entertained moviegoers worldwide, young and old, with some of the most stunning, imaginative and vibrant animated visuals ever to grace our theatre screens, while all along having these very same moviegoers laughing in their seats with some of the most delightful animated characters and stories of our time," noted Neuhauser. "From 'Ice Age' to 'Rio' and now 'Rio 2', Saldanha continues to create films for the entire family to enjoy and we could not be more excited to honor him as CinemaCon's 2014 International Filmmaker of the Year."

Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saldanha, who has a background in computer science, left for New York City in 1991 to follow his passion for animation. While enrolled in the Master of Fine Arts program at New York's School of Visual Arts, Saldanha completed two animated shorts, "The Adventures of Korky, the Corkscrew" and "Time for Love." After graduating from the program with honors, Saldanha joined Chris Wedge and the team of artists at Blue Sky Studios.  Following his roles as both supervising animator and director of animation on television commercials and film, Saldanha teamed with Wedge to co-direct Blue Sky's first animated features "Ice Age" and "Robots." After "Ice Age" received an Oscar^® nomination, Saldanha went on to direct the animated short film "Gone Nutty," also nominated for an Oscar^®. Additionally, Saldanha directed "Ice Age: The Meltdown," and directed "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" with co-director Mike Thurmeier. In 2011, Saldanha directed the global blockbuster "Rio", which grossed over $486 million.

About CinemaCon

CinemaCon will attract upwards of 5,000 motion picture professionals from all facets of the industry -from exhibition and distribution, to the equipment and concession areas – all on hand to celebrate the moviegoing experience and the cinema industry. From exclusive Hollywood product presentations highlighting a slate of upcoming films, to must-see premiere feature screenings, to the biggest stars, producers and directors, CinemaCon will help jumpstart the excitement and buzz that surrounds the summer season at the box office. 

CinemaCon is delighted to have both the International Cinema Technology Association (ICTA) and National Association of Concessionaires (NAC) as its tradeshow partners. CinemaCon is also delighted to have as its official presenting sponsor, The Coca-Cola Company, one of the industry's greatest and highly regarded and respected partners in the world of the movies.

About NATO

The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) is the largest exhibition trade organization in the world, representing more than 31,450 movie screens in all 50 states, and additional cinemas in 78 countries worldwide. NATO's membership includes the largest cinema chains in the world and hundreds of independent theatre owners, too.