Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, AMC will be honored with the Distinguished Filmmaker Award at the International Cinematographers Guild’s (ICG) 26th Annual Emerging Cinematographer Awards (ECA).
Cinematographer M. David Mullen, ASC, will also be presented with the ASC Mentor Award.
“The filmmakers receiving special awards at this year’s ECAs represent the pinnacle of excellence in cinematography, and we’re thrilled to celebrate them,” said ECA chair Steven Poster, ASC. “We’re excited for an event that highlights both the work of our emerging filmmakers as well as the career achievements of our special awards recipients.”
Prieto has been nominated for four Academy Awards® for his work on “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “The Irishman,” “Silence” and “Brokeback Mountain.” Other notable features photographed by Prieto include “Barbie,” “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Argo” and “8 Mile.” Prieto was nominated for a 2024 MTV Video Music Award for his work on “Fortnight” by Taylor Swift, a music video which he also directed.
Born and raised in Mexico, Prieto helped lead a renaissance of Mexican cinema with “Babel,” “21 Grams” and his breakthrough film, “Amores Perros.” Prieto’s next project–his feature film directorial debut–is an adaptation of the novel “Pedro Paramo” by Juan Rulfo, one of the most revered Mexican novels of the 20th century.
Mullen has been recognized for his striking cinematography with two American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Awards and three Emmy Awards for “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” as well as two IFP Independent Spirit Awards nominations for “Twin Falls Idaho” and Northfolk.” He has built the visual world for films and television shows with enduring legacies, including “Jennifer’s Body,” “The Good Wife” and “Westworld.”
Mullen prioritizes skill sharing and mentorship for emerging cinematographers, and co-authored both the 3rd edition of the classic textbook “Cinematography” by Kris Malkiewicz and the 11th edition of “The American Cinematographer Manual.”
In addition to the special awards, ICG announced eight ECA honorees earlier this summer on the strength of the short films they lensed. The eight winning filmmakers, selected from 118 submissions, are:
–Dominic Bartolone, “Sweet Santa Barbara Brown”
–Adam Carboni, “INCOMPLETE”
–Matthew Halla, “The Unreachable Star”
–Jessica Hershatter, “Pirandello on Broadway”
–Allen Ho, “Iron Lung”
–Nick Mahar, “Sands of Fate”
–Dylan Trivette, “Bearing Witness: A Name & A Voice”
–Andrew Trost, “Bloom”
The ECA honorees will be celebrated with both an awards event and a luncheon–the latter will be held at the ASC Clubhouse on Friday, September 27. Mullen will receive his ASC Mentor Award during the luncheon. Prieto will receive the Distinguished Filmmaker Award during the ECA showcase event on Sunday, September 29, at the Television Academy’s Saban Media Center Wolf Theater in North Hollywood.
