TONIGHT! The George A. Romero Pioneer Award Ceremony

Third Annual George A. Romero Pioneer Award Ceremony

Hosted by Matt Blazi and Eric Kent, hosts of The GARF Network show 24/7

Featuring Suzanne Romero as the Pioneer Award Presenter

Date: December 18, 2021

Time: 7:00PM EST

Help us honor Richard J. Ricci’s contributions by attending GARF’s virtual event!

The Pioneer Award is given to those who have made a substantial contribution to the horror genre or to cinema as a whole一people whose work has made a profound impact.

The recipient of the 2021 Pioneer Award is Richard J. Ricci, known to his friends on the Romero team as “The Rev.”

Mr. Ricci’s contributions were formidable: In 1962, he and George A. Romero began shooting material for an experimental film entitled Expostulations; later, as he was shipping out with the Navy, he astonished George and his partner Russ Streiner by paying the rent for a Pittsburgh storefront, giving Latent Image its first physical headquarters. Expostulations was never completed, and was believed lost一purportedly destroyed in a flood which filled the basement where the elements were stored.

One segment of George A. Romero’s lost film has surfaced with the invaluable assistance of Mr. Ricci, who composed a poem to accompany the recently rediscovered footage which is currently being restored for presentation as Romero’s Elegy.

The world lost Richard Ricci in July 2020. Accepting the award on his behalf is his brother Edmund, to whom the statuette will be presented. The Award itself一a 1/3-scale bronze bust of George A. Romero一was sculpted by GARF Artistic Director Christian Stavrakis.

Join this exclusive and free virtual event honoring Richard Ricci on 12/18!

Our first Pioneer Award was given in 2019 to Bill “Chilly Billy” Cardille, the TV and radio personality; the second was awarded in 2020 to Night of the Living Dead star Duane Jones. Join us in continuing to honor transformative leaders in the industry!