FOCUS AWARDS

We are proud to announce our 2009 Focus Award Honorees:

Janice Arthur, pioneering Steadicam operator, cinematographer, instructor and mentor.

Chicago Honoree

Janice Arthur is a pioneer in the world of production. As one of only a handful of female Steadicam operators in the world, Janice has worked numerous feature films (including Soul Food, The Untouchables, and Groundhog Day) and television series (ER, Chicago Hope), as well hundreds of commercials, concerts and music videos.

Janice provides workshops and instruction on the Steadicam in the Chicagoland area.

Donna La Pietra, award-winning filmmaker, community organizer and civic booster

Donna La Pietra, Chicago Honoree

Over her 30-year career in television, Donna has won several Emmy Awards and numerous citations recognizing
achievements on a wide range of subjects including: the destruction of natural habitats and rain forests around the
world, the discovery of the effects of Agent Orange on Viet Nam veterans, the plight of Amer-asian children, the visit
of Pope John Paul to Chicago and the death of Mayor Richard J. Daley.

In 1988, she served as Executive Producer for Siskel and Ebert, the movie review program. Prior to that she held the
position of Executive Producer of news at WBBM-TV/CBS in Chicago. She is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where
she attended Carnegie-Mellon University and began her career in news broadcasting atWWSW Radio. She came to Chicago in 1974 to begin working at WBBM-TV.

Nora Dunn, comedienne, actress and director

Nora Dunn, National Honoree

Nora Dunn got her start working at the famous Second City comedy troupe, where she was eventually spotted by “Saturday Night Live” casting directors, and she joined the SNL cast, (among them Joan Cusack, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Michael Hall, Jon Lovitz, Dennis Miller, Randy Quaid, Terry Sweeney, Danitra Vance, A. Whitney Brown and Al Franken).  She was on the show from 1985-1990.

Dunn grew up on the west side of Chicago, graduated from the Art institute of Chicago and studied at the Jean Sheldon Acting Workshop in San Francisco. She continues to work in TV (Samantha Who, Pushing Daisies, Boston Legal, Entourage) and film (Pineapple Express, Bruce Almighty).  She moved back to Chicago in 2007, and directed Augusta at the American Theater Company here in February of 2008.