All other recipients are 1st time winners including Jarin Blasche who tops the Spotlight category with "The Lighthouse," Fejmi Daut and Samir Ljuma whose work on "Honeyland" takes the inaugural Documentary Award
The best cinematography in a theatrical motion picture honor went to Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC for “1917” at Saturday (1/25) night’s 34th American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Outstanding Achievement Awards.
Meanwhile on the strength of "The Lighthouse," Jarin Blaschke took the Spotlight Award, an ASC Awards category introduced in 2014 which recognizes cinematography in features that may not receive wide theatrical release.
Breaking new ASC Awards ground were Fejmi Daut and Samir Ljuma who won the ASC’s inaugural Documentary Award for “Honeyland.”
In the TV categories, winners included Colin Watkinson, ASC, BSC for “The Handmaid’s Tale;” John Conroy, ISC for “The Terror: Infamy;” and C. Kim Miles, CSC, MySC for “Project Blue Book.” TCM’s Ben Mankiewicz hosted the awards gala, which was held at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland.
Here’s a full rundown of ASC Award winners:
Theatrical Release Category
Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC – “1917”
Spotlight Award Category
Jarin Blaschke – “The Lighthouse”
Documentary Category
Fejmi Daut and Samir Ljuma – “Honeyland”
Episode of a Series for Non-Commercial Television
Colin Watkinson, ASC, BSC – “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Night
Episode of a Series for Commercial Television
C. Kim Miles, CSC, MySC – “Project Blue Book,” The Flatwoods Monster
Motion Picture, Miniseries, or Pilot Made for Television
John Conroy, ISC – “The Terror: Infamy,” A Sparrow in a Swallow’s Nest
High five and first timers
With the exception of Deakins, all of the awards were handed out to first-time winners. Deakins now has five ASC Awards on his mantle. He collected the top honor last year for “Blade Runner 2049” and previously for “Skyfall,” “The Man Who Wasn’t There,” and “The Shawshank Redemption.”
Honorary awards were also presented, including:
–The ASC Board of Governors Award was given to Werner Herzog by Paul Holdengräber, interviewer-curator-writer and executive director of the Onassis Foundation. The award recognizes Herzog’s significant and indelible contributions to cinema. It is the only ASC Award not given to a cinematographer and is reserved for filmmakers who have been champions of the visual art form.
–The ASC Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Frederick Elmes, ASC by writer-director Lisa Cholodenko. The duo collaborated on the Emmy-winning “Olive Kittridge.”
–The ASC Career Achievement in Television Award was handed out to Donald A. Morgan, ASC by actor Tim Allen. The two work together on the award-winning “Last Man Standing,” and previously collaborated on “Home Improvement.”
–The International Award was bestowed upon Bruno Delbonnel, ASC, AFC by writer-director Joel Coen. The duo has joined forces on several films, including the Oscar-nominated “Inside Llewyn Davis” and “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.”
–This year’s President’s Award went to Don McCuaig, ASC. It was given to him by longtime friend and actor-stuntman Mickey Gilbert.
–The ASC Bud Stone Award of Distinction was given to Kim Snyder, president and CEO of Panavision. This award is presented to an ASC associate member who has demonstrated extraordinary service to the society and/or has made a significant contribution to the motion-picture industry.
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More