This year’s FEST will host John McTiernan

McTiernan went on to make over 200 television commercials before making his feature film debut by directing the fantasy horror movieNomads (1985). He followed that up with Predator (1987), a sci-fi action film featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger that spawned a franchise.

With everyone watching his next move, he took the opportunity to blow them all away with his next feature, Die Hard, starring Bruce Willis. A critical and commercial success, it received first-rate reviews around the world, and was one of the most successful pictures of the year. Following yet another commercial success, The Hunt for Red October, McTiernan then turned his talents to making a movie that dealt with his deeply held environmental concerns.

He teamed with Connery in a Latin American rain forest setting for Medicine Man. Although his heart was in the right place, the film was not a success at the box office, and McTiernan wasn't able to regain his lost ground until 1995 when he released the third Die Hard film, Die Hard: With a Vengeance. He completed the 20th century with two more blockbusters, The 13th Warrior and The Thomas Crown Affair.

In 1997, McTiernan received the Franklin J. Schaffner Award for Achievement in Directing from the American Film Institute.