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Rick Baker to Receive Honorary Vision Award at Locarno Festival, Honoring Make-Up Work on ‘Thriller’ and ‘An American Werewolf in London’
The Apex Times

THE APEX TIMES

Culture/The Apex Times/Jun 18, 5:44 AM EDT

Rick Baker to Receive Honorary Vision Award at Locarno Festival, Honoring Make-Up Work on ‘Thriller’ and ‘An American Werewolf in London’

The veteran special make-up artist Rick Baker will be honored with the honorary Vision Award at the Locarno Film Festival, with the presentation scheduled for Aug. 12 at the festival’s Piazza Grande.

2 min readEditor-approved Apex article

Rick Baker, the special make-up artist known for work on major film and music projects including Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and the 1981 horror comedy “An American Werewolf in London,” is set to receive Locarno Film Festival’s honorary Vision Award this year, according to Deadline.

The festival will present the award at the Piazza Grande, Locarno’s open-air screening venue, on Aug. 12, Deadline reported. Baker’s recognition marks the festival’s decision to spotlight film craft that translates to large-scale audience experiences, including high-profile visual effects and character transformations.

Deadline’s report ties Baker to multiple landmark genre and mainstream productions. It cites his make-up work on “Thriller,” as well as Hollywood titles such as “The Nutty Professor” and “An American Werewolf in London,” situating his career across both music video special effects and theatrical releases.

The Locarno Film Festival’s choice to honor Baker with its honorary Vision Award is part of its recurring tradition of recognizing industry contributions beyond acting and directing. In Baker’s case, the award highlights professional make-up artistry and creature effects, areas that are also frequently discussed in industry settings for their role in production timelines, labor collaboration, and the costs of practical effects work.

Deadline reported that festival organizers will hand Baker the award during the ceremony at Piazza Grande on Aug. 12. The location underscores that the festival intends the honor to be publicly visible to audiences attending the festival’s main outdoor program, rather than limited to a closed venue.

While the announcement centers on Baker’s career achievements, the recognition also points to the broader visibility of practical make-up and transformation effects in contemporary film culture. Projects like “Thriller” and “An American Werewolf in London” remain reference points for audiences and filmmakers for how make-up can define story tone through physical character design and on-screen movement.

No additional details about the format of Baker’s appearance, whether he will provide remarks, or which specific Locarno programming items will be scheduled around the ceremony were included in the Deadline report. The next step is the festival’s public rollout of the Aug. 12 ceremony schedule and any accompanying programming connected to the honorary award.

Why It Matters

  • The Aug. 12 Piazza Grande presentation places Baker’s industry recognition in a high-attendance, public-facing festival setting.
  • Baker’s honor highlights the role of practical make-up and transformation effects in shaping audience experience for both music and film.
  • The recognition underscores how specialty craft work remains visible in mainstream culture through award programs at major international festivals.
  • The festival’s public scheduling of the ceremony may affect related programming, audience attendance, and on-site coverage for the date.

Sources

Key Facts

  • Rick Baker will receive the honorary Vision Award at this year’s Locarno Film Festival.
  • The award ceremony will be held at Piazza Grande on Aug. 12.
  • Deadline’s report links Baker’s work to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and the films “An American Werewolf in London” and “The Nutty Professor.”
  • Deadline reported the honor as part of Locarno’s broader industry recognition program for major creative contributions.
  • The report did not provide further detail on ceremony proceedings beyond the Aug. 12 presentation location and timing.