The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to Present “The Irving G Thalberg Award” to Killer Films Co-founders and Stony Brook University’s MFA in Film Artistic Director[...]

This Award Is Presented to Creative Producers Whose Body of Work Reflects a Consistently High Quality of Motion Picture Production.

STONY BROOK, NY - June 15, 2026 - The State University of New York (SUNY) at Stony Brook's (Stony Brook University) MFA in Film Artistic Director Christine Vachon and faculty Pamela Koffler, who also co-founded the independent film company Killer Films, will receive the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' (AMPAS) "The Irving G Thalberg Award." This award recognizes creative producers whose body of work reflects a consistently high quality of motion picture production.

Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler are the first underground/art house tradition independent film producers and the first female creative producing team to be honored by AMPAS. A creative producer/producing team operates at the intersection of artistic vision and execution, overseeing projects from concept through delivery. Unlike a traditional producer who primarily manages budgets and schedules, a creative producer focuses on maintaining the creative integrity of a project while also managing production. They act as a bridge between directors, writers, and production teams, ensuring that the story, visual style, and overall creative direction are preserved throughout pre-production, production, and post-production and marketing.

Over the decades, AMPAS has honored some of the most prolific and visionary producers in cinema history with this award, including: Darryl F. Zanuck, David O. Selznick, Walt Disney, Samuel Goldwyn, Cecil B. DeMille, Jack L. Warner, William Wyler, Alfred Hitchcock, Walter Mirisch, Ray Stark, Albert R. Broccoli, Steven Spielberg, Billy Wilder, George Lucas, Clint Eastwood, Saul Zaentz, Norman Jewison, Warren Beatty, Dino De Laurentiis, Francis Ford Coppola, Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson. The Thalberg Award is not given each year.

"The Irving G Thalberg Award" will be presented to Vachon and Koffler on November 15, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.

"Through Killer Films, Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler have transformed American independent cinema, bringing bold, original stories to audiences around the world while mentoring generations of emerging filmmakers at Stony Brook," said Carl W. Lejuez, provost and executive vice president. "The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award is among the Academy's highest honors, and this recognition is richly deserved. As pioneering creative producers and among the first women to receive this distinction, Christine and Pamela have expanded what filmmaking can be and who gets to shape its future. We are extraordinarily fortunate to count them among our faculty."

About Killer Films

Killer Films is a New York City-based independent film production company founded in 1995 by film producers Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler. The company has produced many acclaimed independent films over the past two decades including Far From Heaven (nominated for four Academy Awards), Boys Don't Cry (Academy Award winner), One Hour Photo, Kids, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Happiness, Velvet Goldmine, Safe, I Shot Andy Warhol, Swoon, I'm Not There (Academy Award nominated), Kill Your Darlings, Still Alice (Academy Award winner) and Carol (nominated for six Academy Awards).

Last year, Killer Films accomplishments include a nomination for the "Academy Award for Best Picture" for Past Lives; The Materialists earned $106 million at the box office; Late Fame, directed by Kent Jones starring Willem Dafoe and Greta Lee, premiered at Venice 2025 in the Orizzonti section, and this year's film, The Last Day, directed by Rachel Rose, starring Alicia Vikander and Victoria Pedretti, premiered at the Tribeca Festival June 6. Killer Films also executive produced Todd Haynes' five episode HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce, winner of five Emmys, a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

About the Stony Brook MFA in Film Program

The Stony Brook University MFA in Film is the only graduate program in the SUNY system dedicated to independent filmmaking. Students do not just study films; they make them. The program was built from the ground up in partnership with Killer Films. Vachon, Koffler and other faculty members are composed entirely of working and experienced professional filmmakers. The program looks to mentor students through the real-world ecosystem of independent filmmaking including writing and creating digital content. Students learn to write scripts; develop budgets, cast; navigate legal waters; and market and distribute films.

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About the State University of New York (Stony Brook University)

The State University of New York at Stony Brook is New York's flagship university and No. 1 public university. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. With more than 27,000 students, more than 3,000 faculty members, more than 237,000 alumni, a premier academic healthcare system and 18 NCAA Division I athletic programs, Stony Brook is a research-intensive distinguished center of innovation dedicated to addressing the world's biggest challenges. The university embraces its mission to provide comprehensive undergraduate, graduate and professional education of the highest quality, and is ranked as the #59 overall university and #26 among public universities in the nation by U.S. News & World Report's Best Colleges listing. Fostering a commitment to academic research and intellectual endeavors, Stony Brook's membership in the Association of American Universities (AAU) places it among the top 71 research institutions in North America. The university's distinguished faculty have earned esteemed awards such as the Nobel Prize, Pulitzer Prize, Indianapolis Prize for animal conservation, Abel Prize, Fields Medal, Breakthrough prizes in mathematics and physics, and MacArthur Fellows Genius Grants. Stony Brook has the responsibility of co-managing Brookhaven National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy - one of only eight universities with a role in running a national laboratory. In 2023, Stony Brook was named the anchor institution for The New York Climate Exchange on Governors Island in New York City. Providing economic growth for neighboring communities and the wider geographic region, the university totals an impressive $8.93 billion in increased economic output on Long Island. Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/stonybrooku/ and X @stonybrooku.