American Cinema Editors (ACE)

Overview

American Cinema Editors (ACE) is an honorary society founded in 1950 that recognizes excellence in film and television editing. Membership is by invitation only and is one of the highest peer-recognized honors available to a working editor. Members use the "ACE" designation after their names in screen credits, a mark visible on virtually every major Hollywood production. ACE is not a labor union. It focuses on craft recognition, education, and mentorship, while the Motion Picture Editors Guild (IATSE Local 700) handles labor representation, wage scales, and working conditions for editors on union productions.

ACE membership spans feature film editing, television episodic editing, documentary editing, and commercial editing. The organization has approximately 700 active members. The "ACE" credit suffix is among the most universally recognized craft distinctions in the industry, signaling that an editor's peers have voted to admit them based on their body of work.

Membership Requirements and Costs

ACE membership is by invitation only. Candidates for Active Membership must be sponsored by 2 Active or Life ACE members who have been in good standing for at least 3 years. At least one sponsor should have worked directly with the applicant. Each sponsor writes a letter of at least 100 words and submits a signed Sponsor Verification Form. The induction process takes approximately 4 months.

Candidates must have a minimum of 72 months (6 years) of substantiated editing credits on projects with U.S. distribution, either as theatrical releases or via national broadcast. Credits must appear in main or main end titles. The organization also considers candidates who have earned special merit, distinction, or outstanding contributions to the craft through education, leadership, and mentorship.

Financial requirements:

• Application fee: $50 (non-refundable)
• Initiation fee: $1,500 (one-time, payable in 1, 3, or 6 monthly installments)
• Annual dues: $450

Affiliate Membership is available for editors with some industry experience who do not yet meet the 72-month requirement. Affiliate members pay the same $50 application fee, $1,500 initiation fee, and $450 annual dues. This category provides access to ACE events and community before qualification for full membership.

International Partner Membership is available for established editors living and working outside the U.S. who belong to a recognized editing organization in their own country. The application fee is $25 USD. Initiation fees and annual dues are adjusted based on Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) for the applicant's country of residence. International Partners may upgrade to full Active membership after 2 years in good standing, at the Board's discretion.

Eddie Award nominees and winners are eligible to apply for Active Membership through a streamlined process.

Eddie Awards

ACE presents the Eddie Awards annually, recognizing outstanding achievement in editing across theatrical features, episodic television, documentaries, reality programming, and student work. The 76th Annual ACE Eddie Awards will be held on February 27, 2026, at UCLA's Royce Hall in Los Angeles.

Key dates for the 76th Eddie Awards:

• Submissions open: October 1, 2025
• Early bird submission deadline ($250 per entry): December 1, 2025
• Regular submission fee ($350 per entry): after December 1, 2025
• Submission deadline: December 18, 2025, 5pm PT
• Nominations announced: January 27, 2026
• Blue Ribbon Screenings: February 2 to 13, 2026
• Awards ceremony: February 27, 2026

Eligibility periods for the 76th Eddie Awards:

• Feature Films: January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025
• Television: November 2, 2024 to December 31, 2025

The 76th edition introduces a new category: Best Edited Short Film (narrative, documentary, or animation, 40 minutes or under). Short films qualify through festival selection, theatrical/streaming release, or online release on an established channel with 100,000+ subscribers during the 2025 calendar year.

Only credited upfront editors are eligible for nomination. Assistant editors and back-end editors are not eligible. Submissions are processed through an online system, and screeners are viewed via the ACE Eddie Awards Screening Room platform rather than physical media.

The Eddie Awards span categories including drama, comedy, thriller, musical, and documentary for features, plus episodic categories for television. The awards are voted on by ACE members and represent peer recognition from the editing community. Eddie nominations and wins are widely regarded as a predictor for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing, with significant overlap between Eddie nominees and Oscar nominees in most years.

Educational Programs and Community

ACE operates EditFest Global, a series of events and online content providing access to working professional editors for the broader editing community. Members receive complimentary EditFest Global subscriptions, access to past magazine issues, invitations to exclusive ACE meetings and holiday parties, and voting rights for Eddie Awards ballots and Board of Directors elections.

The organization's masterclasses and workshops provide educational value for editors at all career stages. These events offer networking opportunities with established editors and are accessible to non-members through EditFest Global registration.

What Filmmakers Should Know

For directors and producers evaluating editors for hire, the "ACE" designation signals peer-recognized distinction. An editor with "ACE" after their name has been voted into membership by working editors who reviewed their body of work. This is distinct from union membership, which certifies that an editor is qualified to work on union productions but does not evaluate creative excellence. Understanding this distinction helps producers assess credentials: union membership is a requirement for employment on union shows, while ACE membership is a career honor.

For editors pursuing ACE membership, the path requires building a 6-year body of credited work, maintaining professional relationships with current ACE members, and demonstrating contributions to the craft beyond individual editing credits. The organization evaluates candidates on their full professional record, including mentorship, education, and leadership within the editing community. Editors who receive Eddie Award nominations gain access to a streamlined application path.

For international editors, the International Partner membership category provides a route to ACE affiliation without relocating to the U.S. The PPP-adjusted fee structure makes membership accessible based on local economic conditions, and the upgrade path to full Active membership is available after 2 years.

Notable Members

ACE has approximately 700 active members, including some of the most decorated editors in film and television history. Notable current and former ACE members include:

Feature film editors:

• Thelma Schoonmaker ACE - Martin Scorsese's longtime editor (Raging Bull, Goodfellas, The Departed, Killers of the Flower Moon), 3-time Oscar winner
• Michael Kahn ACE - Steven Spielberg's longtime editor (Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, Munich), 3-time Oscar winner
• Lee Smith ACE - Christopher Nolan's editor (The Dark Knight, Dunkirk, Oppenheimer), Oscar winner for Dunkirk
• Andrew Weisblum ACE - Wes Anderson's editor (The Grand Budapest Hotel, The French Dispatch)
• Jennifer Lame ACE - editor of Tenet, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Aftersun
• Paul Rogers ACE - Oscar winner for Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
• Nick Houy ACE - editor of Lady Bird, Little Women, Barbie

Television editors:

• Skip Macdonald ACE - Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul
• Kelley Dixon ACE - Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead

Leadership:

• The ACE Board of Directors governs the organization, with elected officers from the membership. The president and board set policy for Eddie Awards, membership, and educational programs.

How Initiation and Eligibility Actually Works in Practice

ACE membership is by invitation only, which makes it fundamentally different from union membership. You cannot apply to join ACE the way you would join IATSE Local 700. The process works as follows:

1. Build a qualifying body of work: You need a minimum of 72 months (6 years) of substantiated editing credits on projects with US distribution, either as theatrical releases or via national broadcast. Credits must appear in main or main end titles.

1. Find two ACE sponsors: Candidates for Active Membership must be sponsored by 2 Active or Life ACE members who have been in good standing for at least 3 years. At least one sponsor should have worked directly with the applicant. This is where the invitation-only nature becomes practical: if you do not have working relationships with current ACE members, you cannot apply.

1. Sponsors submit letters and verification forms: Each sponsor writes a letter of at least 100 words and submits a signed Sponsor Verification Form. The induction process takes approximately 4 months from submission to decision.

1. Board review: The ACE Board of Directors reviews all applications and votes on admission. The organization also considers candidates who have earned special merit, distinction, or outstanding contributions to the craft through education, leadership, and mentorship.

1. Eddie Award nominees and winners: If you receive an Eddie Award nomination, you become eligible to apply for Active Membership through a streamlined process. This is the most direct path to ACE membership for editors who may not have existing relationships with current members.

Affiliate Membership: For editors with some industry experience who do not yet meet the 72-month requirement, Affiliate Membership provides access to ACE events and community before qualification for full membership.

International Partner Membership: For established editors living and working outside the US who belong to a recognized editing organization in their own country. PPP-adjusted fees make membership accessible based on local economic conditions. Upgrade to full Active membership is available after 2 years in good standing.

Benefits Breakdown

ACE membership provides the following benefits:

• "ACE" credit designation: Members can use "ACE" after their names in screen credits. This designation is among the most universally recognized craft distinctions in the industry, signaling peer-recognized excellence.
• Eddie Awards voting rights: Active members vote on Eddie Awards ballots, directly participating in peer recognition for editing excellence.
• Board of Directors voting rights: Active members vote in Board of Directors elections, participating in governance of the organization.
• EditFest Global access: Members receive complimentary EditFest Global subscriptions, providing access to events and content featuring working professional editors.
• Past magazine issues: Access to ACE's archive of magazine issues covering craft, technique, and industry trends.
• Exclusive ACE meetings and events: Invitations to ACE meetings, holiday parties, and other member-only events providing networking opportunities with established editors.
• Screener access: Members receive screening invitations and screener access for awards consideration, providing early access to films being campaigned for editing awards.
• Professional community: Membership in a 700-person community of the most accomplished editors in the industry, providing networking, mentorship, and career advancement opportunities.

ACE does not provide health insurance, pension, wage protection, or any labor benefits. Those benefits are provided through IATSE Local 700 membership. ACE is an honorary society, not a labor union. Many ACE members also hold Local 700 membership, which provides collective bargaining, rate protection, and health benefits.

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See Also

For the union that covers editing employment on union productions, including wage scales and working conditions, see Motion Picture Editors Guild (IATSE Local 700) in this directory. For the Academy Award for Film Editing, see the Academy Awards entry. Use the Post Production Timeline Calculator to plan your editing schedule and delivery deadlines.