This prestigious award will be presented to Greg MacGillivray at the 2022 Historic Hotels Awards of Excellence Ceremony and Gala at the Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa in Point Clear, Alabama on November 17, 2022

Historic Hotels of America® is pleased to announce that Greg MacGillivray, Chairman of MacGillivray Freeman Films, American Film Director, and enthusiastic ocean conservationist, has been named the Recipient of the 2022 Historic Hotels of America Historian of the Year Award. This Award is presented to an individual for making a unique contribution in the research, and presentation of history and whose work has encouraged a wide, if not provocative, discussion and greater understanding of the history and the diverse heritages and cultures of our nation and the world. Historic Hotels of America is the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation for recognizing and celebrating the finest Historic Hotels in the United States of America.

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Greg MacGillivray, Chairman of MacGillivray Freeman Films, American Film Director, and enthusiastic ocean conservationist, has been named the Recipient of the 2022 Historic Hotels of America Historian of the Year Award. Credit: Greg MacGillivray.

The 2022 Historic Hotels of America Historian of the Year Award will be presented to Greg MacGillivray at the 2022 Historic Hotels Annual Conference at the Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa in Point Clear, Alabama in front of an audience of owners, general managers, and other senior decision makers representing many of the finest historic hotels from across the United States of America and from around the world. The Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa, Autograph Collection (1847) has been known as The Queen of Southern Resorts for 175 years and is set on 550 acres next to Mobile Bay.

The Historic Hotels of America Historian of the Year Award recognizes the extensive achievements of Greg MacGillivray as an American film director, cinematographer, and preeminent storyteller. Throughout his career, his work has increased the recognition, insights, and introspection about the world: its natural wonders, history, and diverse cultures of humans and non-humans alike. Notably, MacGillivray pioneered the 70mm IMAX film format. As an entrepreneur and exemplary storyteller, he has led MacGillivray Freeman Films, the most successful documentary production company in history.

Greg MacGillivray has been producing and directing for more than 50 years. He started making films when he was 13 years old. In 1966, MacGillivray partnered with Jim Freeman to form MacGillivray Freeman Films and, today, he has more than sixty films to his credit, including over 40 IMAX productions. MacGillivray says part of his drive to do the work comes from the fact that he loves the chess game of making a film, where each move affects every element of what comes next.

Since the 1976 production of his first IMAX film, To Fly!, MacGillivray has produced some of the most enduring films in the giant-screen genre. He has shot more 70mm film than anyone in cinema history and is the first documentary filmmaker to reach the $1 billion benchmark in worldwide ticket sales. MacGillivray has received two Academy Award nominations for Best Documentary Short Subject: first in 1995 for The Living Sea, and then in 2000 for Dolphins. In 2002, the Giant Screen Theater Association honored Greg MacGillivray as one of the five most important contributors to the success of the industry. That same year, he accepted the Bradford Washburn Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Museum of Science in Boston, for his contribution to science education.

An enthusiastic ocean conservationist, Greg MacGillivray and his wife, Barbara, founded the MacGillivray Freeman Films Educational Foundation, a non-profit public charity dedicated to educating and inspiring the public through giant-screen films and science education programming about the need to take action to protect the world’s ocean. He also serves on the Board of Directors for The Great Park in Orange County and Sylvia Earle’s Mission Blue, as well as the Laguna Playhouse and Laguna Art Museum.

“As a documentary filmmaker looking to present historically accurate and inspiring moments in my films, it is a true and deep honor to receive this recognition from Historic Hotels of America,” said Greg MacGillivray.

“Through his films, Greg MacGillivray has made a significant contribution to the recognition, insights, and introspection about our world, its diverse heritages, and cultures,” said Lawrence Horwitz, Executive Vice President - Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide. “His work as cinematographer, filmmaker, and preeminent storyteller through giant-screen films shown from Hollywood to the Smithsonian to across the world over five decades has touched billions of lives and encouraged a greater understanding of our planet. We are honored to recognize Greg MacGillivray as the 2022 Historic Hotels of America Historian of the Year.”

Tickets for The 2022 Historic Hotels Awards of Excellence Ceremony and Gala are available. The 2022 Historic Hotels Awards of Excellence Ceremony and Gala will take place at the Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa in Point Clear, Alabama on Thursday, November 17, 2022, at 7 pm. Ceremony and Gala Tickets are $500. To register for the ceremony and gala, click here.

About Historic Hotels of America®

Historic Hotels of America is the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation for recognizing and celebrating the finest Historic Hotels. Historic Hotels of America has more than three hundred historic hotels. These historic hotels have all faithfully maintained their authenticity, sense of place, and architectural integrity in the United States of America, including forty-four states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Historic Hotels of America is comprised of mostly independently owned and operated historic hotels. More than thirty of the world’s finest hospitality brands, chains, and collections are represented in Historic Hotels of America. To be nominated and selected for membership into this prestigious program, a hotel must be at least 50 years old; has been designated by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior as a National Historic Landmark or listed in or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places; and recognized as having historic significance. For more information, please visit HistoricHotels.org/US.

About Historic Hotels Worldwide®

Washington DC based Historic Hotels Worldwide® is a prestigious collection of historic treasures, including more than 350 legendary historic hotels including many former castles, chateaus, palaces, academies, haciendas, villas, monasteries, and other historic lodging spanning ten centuries. Historic Hotels Worldwide recognizes authentic cultural treasures that demonstrate exemplary historic preservation and their inspired architecture, cultural traditions, and authentic cuisine. To be nominated and selected for induction into Historic Hotels Worldwide, historical lodging properties must be at least 75 years old; utilize historic accommodations; serve as the former home or be located on the grounds of the former home of famous persons or significant location for an event in history; be located in or within walking distance to a historic district, historically significant landmark, place of historic event, or a historic city center; be recognized by a local preservation organization or national trust; and display historic memorabilia, artwork, photography, and other examples of its historic significance. For more information, please visit HistoricHotelsWorldwide.com.

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