31st ASC Awards Winners

Last night the ASC announced their award winners and to my surprise the film I believe has wonderful cinematography was honored with top award.  Yes, Greig Fraser cinematographer of Lion won honor from his peers and definitively increases its chances to win the category at the Academy Awards.

The Spotlight Award goes to Gorka Gómez Andreu for his work in magnificent Skhvisi sakhli (House of Others) by Russudan Glurjidze.

Denzel Washington honor generated quite a lot social media buzz; but, is Dakota Johnson the one social media went amok for -she presented the Spotlight Award- and stole the night limelight.  To be fair, no doubt that Johnson noise allowed more people to be aware that there is a cinematographer society and has annual awards (!).

To check winners in all categories go official site here.  Winners are in *BLUE.

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1/11/17
A few minutes ago the American Society of Cinematographers announced their nominees for the current edition of their awards that honor Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography.

“Each of the nominated films offers a unique vision on the part of the director of photography,” said Kees van Oostrum, ASC President. “These movies also represent a less formulaic or traditional photographic style, and some of their stories highlight socially conscious subject matter that drives a strong surge in photographic realism.”

Introduced by Society vice-president Bill Bennett, ASC, former ASC president Richard Crudo presented the nominations in these two categories before a luncheon held on January 11 at the ASC Clubhouse in Hollywood.

As announced before the Lifetime Achievement Award goes to Edward Lachman, the Board of Governors Award to Denzel Washington, the Career Achievement in Television Award to Ron Garcia, the International Award to Phillipe Rousselot and the Presidents Award to Nancy Schreiber.

The ASC Vilmos Zsigmond Heritage Awards are for Undergraduate is Emmett Sutherland for Closer and for Graduate is Andrew Jeric for Prisoner. The ASC Haskell Wexler Student Documentary Award winner is Colin F. Shepherd for Into the Microscope.

Nominees add momentum to award season front-runners La La Land and Moonlight but also give a necessary push to Lion and Arrival; yes Silence is also nominated but film for whatever reasons has been shutout from the current awards season and not imagine this nomination could change the trend.

Theatrical Release 
*Greig Fraser for Lion
James Laxton for Moonlight
Rodrigo Prieto for Silence
Linus Sandgren for La La Land
Bradford Young for Arrival

Let's recall that the Spotlight Award recognizes outstanding achievement in cinematography in a feature film that was exhibited at a film festival, internationally or in limited theatrical release.

Spotlight Award
Lol Crawley for Childhood of a Leader
*Gorka Gómez Andreu for House of Others
Ernesto Pardo for Tempestad
Juliette van Dormael for Mon Ange (My Angel)

As a reference Childhood of a Leader was at 2015 Venice Film Festival where director Brady Corbet won the Luigi De Laurentiis Award. Russudan Glurijdze's House of Others won the East of West Award at 2016 Karlovy Vary and was Georgia's submission to 2016 Academy Awards Foreign-Language category.

Tempestad by Tatiana Huezo is a documentary that won the Golden Frog at 2016 Camerimage plus the Tim Hetherington Award at 2016 Sheffield International Documentary Festival;  also won three Fenix Film Awards.

Mon Ange by Harry Cleven was also honored at 2016 Camerimage where Juliette van Dormael won Best Cinematography Debut award.

To check nominees in other media categories go official site here.The awards ceremony will be on February 4 at Hollywood & Highland's Ray Dolby Ballroom.