Mátyás Erdély Welcomed as New ASC Member
The Hungarian cinematographer is known for his camerawork in the features Son of Saul, The Nest and The Iron Claw.
Based in Budapest, Hungary, Mátyás Erdély, ASC, HCA completed studies at his country’s famed University of Theatre and Film Arts in 2000, and in 2005 earned his master’s degree at the American Film Institute Conservatory in Los Angeles.
He started to shoot commercials while still in film school for high-profile agencies and clients between narrative projects, which he believes is a fantastic way to maximize his creative energy. His narrative work has been screened at numerous film festivals around the world, including Cannes, Venice, Berlin and Sundance, and won several prizes.
Erdély is a regular at Cannes, with six features screening in different sections of the festival over the past few years, including, Delta (a Hungarian-German co-production that was in the Main Competition and won the FIPRESCI Award in 2008), Tender Son: The Frankenstein Project (which screened in Main Competition in 2010), and the Mexican film Miss Bala (which premiered in the Un Certain Regard section in 2012 and was then distributed by Fox International Pictures).
Erdély is perhaps best known for his camerawork in Son of Saul, directed by László Nemes, which won the Grand Prix at Cannes in 2015, the BAFTA for Best Film Not in the English Language, the Independent Spirit Award, the Golden Globe and the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year. The film received much critical praise for its visual approach, winning the ASC Spotlight Award, a Bronze Frog at the Camerimage Film Festival, and the Golden Camera Award at the International Cinematographers' Film Festival Manaki Brothers).
His next project with Nemes, Sunset, which premiered at the Venice International Film Festival and won the FIPRESCI Award, had its North American premiere at the Toronto Film Festival and screened at Camerimage.
His TV work includes the four-part British miniseries Southcliffe, directed by Sean Durkin, which won a BAFTA TV Award for Best Lead Actor, as well earning three additional nominations.
Erdély also shot two features with Durkin: The Nest, starring Jude Law and Carrie Coon, which premiered at Sundance and was distributed theatrically by IFC Films in 2020, and The Iron Claw, starring Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White and Holt McCallany, which premiered in 2023 and was distributed worldwide in 2024.
The cinematographer has shot commercials for clients including Nokia, Ford, Vodafone and Ubisoft, and music videos for artists including Arctic Monkeys, Frank Ocean and The Weeknd.
Erdély became a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2016 and a founding member of the Hungarian Cinematographers Association in 2020. He currently serves on the HCA’s board of governors.
