Christian Berger, AAC, Alar Kivilo, ASC, CSC and Eagle Egilsson claimed top honors in the three competitive categories at the 24th annual American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Outstanding Achievement Awards celebration last night at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.
Berger won the feature film category for The White Ribbon, besting a field of nominees which also consisted of Barry Ackroyd, BSC for The Hurt Locker, Dion Beebe, ASC, ACS for Nine, Mauro Fiore, ASC for Avatar and Robert Richardson, ASC for Inglourious Basterds.
The ASC Award nominees mirror those for the upcoming cinematography Oscar®, except for one DP. Beebe is not up for the Academy Award® next Sunday. Instead Bruno Delbonnel has an Oscar® nom on the strength of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
TV honors
Taking the ASC Award in the episodic television category was Egilsson for the “Venice Kings” episode of the TNT series Dark Blue.
Kivilo was the recipient of the television movie/miniseries award for the HBO telefilm Taking Chance, which marked the directorial debut of producer Ross Katz. (On the basis of Taking Chance, Katz earned inclusion into SHOOT‘s 2009 New Directors Showcase.)
Special awards
The ASC Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed upon Caleb Deschanel, ASC, by his daughters, actresses Zooey and Emily Deschanel.
Caleb Deschanel’s artistry spans short and long form. He earned Best Cinematography Oscar® nominations for The Right Stuff in 1984, The Natural in ’85, Fly Away Home in ’97, The Patriot in ’01, and The Passion of the Christ in ’05. His body of work also includes such memorable films as The Black Stallion, Being There, The Spiderwick Chronicles and My Sister’s Keeper. Deschanel has also earned an array of credits as a director of motion pictures, TV programs and commercials.
On the latter front, Deschanel co-founded spot production house Dark Light Pictures in ’93 with executive producer Vincent Arcaro. Deschanel continues as a director/cameraman on the commercialmaking roster of the Hollywood-based Dark Light.
Meanwhile the ASC International Award was presented to Chris Menges, ASC, BSC by actor Tim Roth. And the Career Achievement in Television Award was presented to John C. Flinn III, ASC by Michael O’Shea, ASC. All three honorees made it clear that their best work is yet to come.
Tom Stern, ASC presented the Board of Governors Award to Morgan Freeman in recognition of the actor’s body of work and contributions to the art of filmmaking. Stern was behind the camera when Freeman earned an Oscar® for his performance in Million Dollar Baby and last year during the production of Invictus. Freeman collected his sixth Oscar nomination this year for his portrayal of Nelson Mandela.
The ASC Presidents Award was given to Sol Negrin, ASC by his son Michael Negrin, ASC, in recognition of his accomplishments as a cinematographer, and for his ongoing commitment to preparing the next generation for the future.
ASC also recognized the next generation of cinematographers with the presentation of the ASC Richard Moore Student Heritage Award to graduate student Benji Bakshi of the American Film Institute, and undergrad Garrett Shannon from Loyola Marymount University.
The ASC was founded during the dawn on the industry in 1919 for the purpose of advancing the evolving art and craft of filmmaking. There are more than 300 members today from countries around the world. ASC also has some 150 associate members from allied sectors of the motion picture and television industries.
“Overnight Success” Has Been More Than A Decade In The Making For Meghann Fahy and Eve Hewson
Meghann Fahy and Eve Hewson, two of the stars of Netflix's whodunit "The Perfect Couple," have news for you if you want to call them breakouts: They've been working in this business for more than a decade.
Fahy made her TV debut in 2009 in an episode of "Gossip Girl." Hewson's first big film role was in 2011's "This Must Be the Place." They do concede, however, that it's recent TV roles — "The White Lotus" for Fahy and "Bad Sisters" for Hewson — that have led to new frontiers of opportunity.
Susanne Bier, who directed "The Perfect Couple," says both Fahy and Hewson are "going to be big stars."
"They certainly have proper, profound star quality, Both of them in very different ways," Bier says. "Both are incredibly creative, incredibly smart, and also have a impressive insight as to who they are. You can be a great actor or actress and not necessarily really know who you are yourself. And they do."
Hewson, 33, whose dad is U2 front man Bono, may have grown up in a famous family but she's now in demand in her own right. She will next be seen in a second season of "Bad Sisters, " out in November. She's in Noah Baumbach's next film, alongside Adam Sandler, George Clooney and Riley Keough. She's also been cast in Steven Spielberg's next production and is set to star opposite Murray Bartlett in a racing series for Hulu.
Fahy, 34, is in production on a limited series with Julianne Moore and Milly Alcock called "Sirens," written by Molly Smith Metzler ("Maid") for Netflix. She also has two films in the can with Josh O'Connor ("The Crown," "Challengers") and Brandon Sklenar ("It Ends With Us").
The two actors spoke candidly about this phase of their careers. This interview has been condensed for clarity and... Read More