February 2025

Joan Churchill, ASC: Trusting the Process

Few documentary filmmakers have had as profound an impact on the genre as Joan Churchill, ASC, whose body of work includes Gimme Shelter, Punishment Park, An American Family, Soldier Girls and Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer. The first cinematographer invited to join the ASC with credits exclusively in the documentary domain, she will receive the Society’s inaugural Lifetime Documentary Award during the ASC’s annual gala on Feb. 23. Click for complete details on the 39th Annual ASC Awards and watch our livestream of the event. Churchill’s honors include the BAFTA Flaherty Feature Documentary Award, of which she was the first female recipient, and the inaugural IDA Award for Outstanding Cinematography. She has served on the AMPAS...more