IMAGO, the International Federation of Cinematographers, has unveiled the nominees for its 3rd annual International Awards for Cinematography. The awards ceremony is scheduled for March 14 in Brussels, following presentations in previous years held in Helsinki and Belgrade.
Up for the feature film category honor are Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC for 1917, Anton Mertens SBC for The Spy, and Valdis Celmins, LGC for Blizzard of Souls.
Nods for outstanding cinematography in TV drama are Xiaosu Han and Andreas Thalhammer, AAC for an episode of Liebermann; Denson Baker; James Friend, ASC, BSC for the “Bad News” installment of Patrick Melrose; and Denson Baker, ACS for the “Comfort & Joy” episode of Victoria.
Documentary category nominees are Virginie Surdej, SBC for By the Name of Tania; Roy van Egmond, NSC for Sidik and the Leopard; Nicholas de Pencier for Antropocene–The Human Epoch; and Fejmi Daut, MSC and Samir Ljuma, MSC for Honeyland.
These IMAGO International Awards were created to recognize the visual artistry and creativity of cinematographers from around the globe, all pursuing excellence in visual interpretation and storytelling. The awards provid an opportunity for all IMAGO member countries to participate and to respect and admire the work of all cinematographers under one uniting umbrella. IMAGO now has 49 International Societies, with almost 4,000 professional cinematographers as members, from all corners of the world.
Here’s a category-by-category rundown of nominees as well as student shortlists, and select recipients of special awards.
THE NOMINEES
IMAGO INTERNATIONAL AWARDS FOR CINEMATOGRAPHY
The IMAGO International Award for Best Cinematography in FEATURE FILMS
1917
Roger Deakins BSC ASC
The Spy / Spionen
Anton Mertens SBC
Blizzard of Souls / Dvēseļu Putenis
Valdis Celmins LGC
The IMAGO International Award for Best Cinematography in TV DRAMA
Liebermann / Vienna Blood
Xiaosu Han / Andreas Thalhammer AAC
Patrick Melrose ‘Bad News’
James Friend ASC BSC
Victoria – “Comfort & Joy”
Denson Baker ACS
The IMAGO International Award for Best Cinematography in DOCUMENTARY
By the Name of Tania
Virginie Surdej SBC
Sidik and the Leopard (Sidik en de Panter)
Roy van Egmond NSC
Anthropocene – The Human Epoch
Nicholas de Pencier CSC
Honeyland / Medena Zemja
Fejmi Daut MSC and Samir Ljuma, MSC
The IMAGO International Award for Best STUDENT CINEMATOGRAPHY–THE SHORTLIST
Winner will be announced on February 21
CRU
School: Zürcher Hochschule der Künst
Cinematographer: Ramon Königshausen
Switzerland – SCS
Favourites / Favoriten
School: Filmakademie Wien / Institut für Film und Fernsehen / University of Music and Performing Arts
Cinematographer: Johannes Hoss
Austria – AAC
Sisters
School: Nederlands Film Academie
Cinematographer: Casper van Oort
Nederlands – NSC
She-Pack
School: The Norwegian Filmschool
Cinematographer: Margret Vala Gudmundsdottir
Norway – FNF
The IMAGO International Award for Best Young Emerging Cinematographer–THE SHORTLIST
Winner will be announced on February 21
The Bull
Cinematographer: Gleb Filatov
Russia – RGC
LIMBO
Cinematographer: Holger Jungnickel
Germany – BVK
Where the Birds Go
Cinematographer: Christiaan van Leeuwen
Nederlands – NSC
Skin Walker
Cinematographer: Amandine Klee
Belgium – SBC
County Lines
Cinematographer: Sverre Sørdal
Norway – FNF
SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
The IMAGO Special Recognition Award
Jean-Pierre Beauviala
Truly a man for the ages, a respected and inspirational man, no longer with us, whose achievements will live on for decades to come. Among his accomplishments was founding the Aaton company in 1971 with Jacques Lecoeur and Francois Weulersse, among others. The company developed the Aaton 7 camera, from which evolved the Aaton 16mm camera and then athe Aaton LTR, the Aaton XTR and the Aaton XTR Prod. In ‘87 came the introduction of the Aaton 35 camera from which evolved the Aaton 35-III. Other technical achievements incluced the release of the A-Minima, a tiny Super 16 camera, in ‘99 and the Penelope 35mm camera in 2008.
The IMAGO International Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cinematography
Chris Menges BSC ASC
Menges BSC ASC is a master cinematographer, a generous mentor and a person of the highest integrity, which is why he will receive IMAGO’s 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award. His honors include winning two Best Cinematography Oscars–for The Kiling Fields in 1985 and The Mission in 1987–and earning nominations for two others, Michael Collins in 1997, and The Reader (shared with Roger Deakins) in 2009.
The IMAGO International Award for Extraordinary Technical Achievement
Johan Hellsten for the Easyrig
The Easyrig provides a good basis for improvement of back health. The results show that this aid can give long term benefits in the form of improved back health, work effectiveness and picture quality.
The IMAGO International Honorary Member Award
Astrid Heubrandtner AAC
Since 2009 she has been the president of the AAC, representing Austria at IMAGO where she was a guiding member of the Master Class Committee from 2007 until 2019 organizing five IMAGO “Inspiration” international Cinematographers Forums, alongside her Committee colleagues.
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More