40th ASC Awards Nominees Dinner: A “Celebration Of Who We Are As Cinematographers”
The Panavision-sponsored event was held Friday evening at the ASC Clubhouse.
An estimated 200 people, including nominees, honorees and guests, attended the 40th ASC Awards Nominees Dinner, sponsored by Panavision — a party and dinner held beneath a decorative tent on the ASC Clubhouse lawn.
It was a “celebration of who we are as cinematographers — who we are to each other and our collective passion for our work,” in the words of ASC Awards Committee Chair Charles Minsky, who led the presentation with Society President Mandy Walker.
“To all of our nominees: Your peers have determined that your artistic achievements represent the year's best cinematography," said Walker. "This is an extraordinary accomplishment.”
Panavision CEO Kim Snyder also saluted the honorees and read a quote that has been attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt: “The past is history. The future is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.” She added, “To the award recipients and the nominees: Thank you for the amazing history of your work. We look forward to the mystery of what is to come from you, and we celebrate the gift of today with you, because today is about honoring you.”
Each nominee in attendance accepted their nominee plaque and made brief remarks, which were filled with reflection, heartfelt thanks and the deep sense of community shared within the ASC.
“My father won the first one, 40 years ago,” said an “overwhelmed” Jeff Cronenweth, ASC, who is nominated for his work on Ariana Grande’s music video “Supernatural.” His father, Jordan Cronenweth, ASC, won the inaugural 1986 ASC Theatrical Feature Film Award for Peggy Sue Got Married.
Spotlight Award nominee Karl-Walter Lindenlaub, ASC, BVK shared the significance of filming of his nominated Amrum, as it brought him back to his native Germany.
Many nominees also saluted their crews, including Adam Bricker, ASC, who said, “I’m up here representing the hundreds of people that work on Hacks.”
“What an amazing event that keeps getting better and better," said Dana Gonzalez, ASC, nominated for Alien: Earth. "This is really special."
Feature nominees in attendance shared remarks that underscored the sense of community at the ASC.
Sinners cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw, ASC saluted friends including Rachel Morrison, ASC, and Walker, who were in attendance. The AFI grad also remembered her first introduction to the ASC through past ASC president and AFI Conservatory Cinematography Discipline Head Stephen Lighthill.
Adolpho Veloso, ABC, AIP, a first-time feature nominee for Train Dreams, remembered the inspiration he drew from taking the ASC Master Class, and said he was thrilled to be “seeing people I admire so much.”
Accepting the nominee plaque for his work on One Battle After Another, Michael Bauman (also nominated for Monster: The Ed Gein Story, in the category for Limited or Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television) also talked about community and acknowledged director Paul Thomas Anderson “for writing this, for trusting me on this journey” and “the mighty Warner Bros., for doing Sinners, One Battle and Weapons, and all these films that are getting people back to theaters.”
Attendees included Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Robert Yeoman, ASC; President’s Award recipient Cynthia Pusheck, ASC; Award of Distinction recipient and editor-in-chief of American Cinematographer, Stephen Pizzello; and Vanessa Bendetti of Curtis Clark Technology Award recipient Kodak. Also on hand were past awards honorees including Nancy Schreiber, ASC; and past ASC presidents Lighthill and Michael Goi.
As the presentation came to a conclusion, Yeoman took the podium, receiving applause as he simply exclaimed, “Let’s get this party started!”
Livestream the 40th ASC Awards tonight at 7 p.m. pst. To watch, register here, and keep the page open to access the stream once it's live.
Photos by Danny Moloshok.
