2025 MPA Awards to Honor "Wicked" Director, Key U.S. Lawmakers, and IPR Center

MPA Recognizes Chu with Creator Award, Sens. Thune and Coons and Rep. Issa with Industry Champion Awards, and IPR Center with Creative Protector Award

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Motion Picture Association today announced it will honor Jon M. Chu, director of "Wicked" and the upcoming "Wicked: For Good," with its 2025 MPA Creator Award.

In its fourth annual Awards program, the MPA will also recognize Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) with 2025 Industry Champion Awards. The association will present its 2025 Creative Protector Award to Ivan Arvelo, director of the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center).

"The MPA works to protect creativity, preserve free expression, and tell the stories of the world's greatest storytellers – and this year's honorees play a starring role in advancing our core mission and bringing the magic of cinema to life," said Charles Rivkin, Chairman and CEO of the MPA. "Our MPA Award recipients represent so many fundamental facets of filmmaking: the creative minds who produce movies, the policymakers who help make production possible, and the experts who defend intellectual property – the very lifeblood of our industry. I could not be prouder to recognize these leaders and their remarkable contributions."

The MPA is recognizing Chu, an award-winning filmmaker and groundbreaking storyteller with deep, broad and growing influence on cultures and societies worldwide. Even before "Wicked" broke box office records and drew critical acclaim last year, Chu had built an inspiring body of work, including the films "Crazy Rich Asians" and "In the Heights." His unique ability to tell rich, authentic stories resonates with audiences everywhere.

"Creators do more than make movies and TV shows. They build communities and bridge divides in ways that entertain, educate, inspire and move audiences wherever they live, work and watch great cinema. I'm honored to be part of the global creative community, and I'm grateful to the MPA for showcasing our many contributions," said Chu.

Thune is receiving a 2025 MPA Industry Champion Award in celebration of his longtime pragmatic leadership on policies that protect freedom for innovation, encourage competitive choice for consumers, and drive growth for the American economy. The film, television, and streaming industry continues evolving to meet audiences when, where, and how they want in no small part because of the smart policies championed by Senator Thune.

"It's an honor to receive the Industry Champion Award from the MPA," Thune said. "During my time in Washington, I have worked to ensure policies are put in place that encourage innovation and competitive choice for customers. I will continue to advocate for policies in the U.S. Senate that support a competitive media landscape and ensure consumers continue to benefit from this evolving industry."

Coons is receiving a 2025 MPA Industry Champion Award in honor of his extraordinary commitment to protecting intellectual property rights. Coons understands the cultural power and economic value of the film and television industry in the U.S. and across the globe, and he has worked to protect copyright from piracy as the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on Intellectual Property.

"It's an honor to receive a 2025 MPA Industry Champion Award for pursuing strong protections of intellectual property rights in the entertainment industry," said Coons. "I'm proud of the progress we've made during my tenure as Chairman of the Senate's Intellectual Property Subcommittee, including my NO FAKES Act to protect artists, entertainers, and musicians from unauthorized AI replicas. I will continue to work with my bipartisan cosponsors to pass NO FAKES and find new ways to safeguard intellectual property rights that promote economic growth and American innovation."

Issa, chairman of the House Judiciary subcommittee on intellectual property, is receiving a 2025 MPA Industry Champion Award for his work to strengthen innovation, safeguard creative industries, and uphold the rights of creators and businesses alike.

"We are duty bound to allow the dreamers and leaders of our great American creative economy to reach the heights of their human potential – just as we must safeguard through effective policy solutions the innovations and inventions that are their gifts to the world," Issa said. "I thank the MPA for its shared commitment and trusted partnership as we defend the sacred rights of those who drive discovery, breakthrough, and what comes next."

Arvelo is receiving the 2025 MPA Creative Protector Award, which honors an individual or organization whose work has been vital to combating digital piracy. The IPR Center, which coordinates the U.S. government's response to counterfeiting and intellectual property crimes, has been a vital partner to the MPA and its anti-piracy coalition, the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE).

"One of the IPR Center's top priorities is combating digital piracy, which poses an existential threat to the creative community and the broader U.S. economy," said Arvelo. "We are proud to stand with the MPA to safeguard intellectual property, and we are grateful to the association for recognizing the important work we do to protect this vital American industry."

All 2025 honorees will attend the MPA Awards Ceremony later this year at the MPA's global headquarters in Washington.

About The Motion Picture Association

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) serves as the leading voice and advocate of the motion picture, home video, and television industries. It works in every corner of the globe to advance the creative industry, protect its members' content across all screens, defend the creative and artistic freedoms of storytellers, and support innovative distribution models that bring an expansion of viewing choices to audiences around the world. Its member studios are Netflix, Paramount Pictures, Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, The Walt Disney Studios, and Warner Bros. Discovery. Charles Rivkin is Chairman and CEO.