In Memoriam — Henner Hofmann, ASC, AMC (1950-2026)
The cinematographer, whose works included The Legend of the Mask and Juego limpio, was instrumental in founding the Mexican Society of Cinematographers and devoted his career to shaping generations of filmmakers.
Henner Hofmann, ASC, AMC — a champion for Mexican filmmaking opportunities and education — died January 30, 2026 in Cuernavaca, Mexico at the age of 75.
Hofmann was born in 1950 in Mexico City, into a family rooted in the arts. His mother, Kitzia, of French origin, was a stained-glass artist and sculptor whose work included major architectural commissions. His father, Herbert, was also a sculptor who studied at the Bauhaus and created a well-known sculpture for the façade of the Nacional Financiera (National Finance Building) in Mexico City. Growing up in a home filled with books, art and spirited discussion, Hofmann was steeped in visual culture, which shaped his lifelong connection to image-making and cinema.
One of his formative filmmaking experiences involved traveling throughout Mexico and filming documentary material of indigenous communities in the 1970s. Along with fellow filmmakers Alfonso Muñoz, Gonzalo Martínez Ortega, Nacho López, Óscar Menéndez and Juan Rulfo, Hofmann founded the Archives of Ethnic Communities. This led to his first film as cinematographer, Bajo el Mismo Sol (Under the Same Sun) in 1979.
After meeting Society member Harry Wolf and drawing upon Wolf's experience establishing a cinematographers’ association in Hong Kong, Hofmann brought together leading cinematographers — including Gabriel Figueroa, Jorge Stahl and Pepe Ortiz Ramos — as well as younger colleagues, to establish the Mexican Society of Cinematographers (AMC) in 1994.
Hofmann built a prolific career as a cinematographer with more than 25 feature and television credits spanning the late 1970s through the 2010s. His work includes films such as The Legend of the Mask (1991) and Juego limpio (1995), both of which earned him Mexico’s Ariel Award for Best Cinematography, as well as international projects like Ground Control (1998), Flight of Fancy (2000), and Vampires: Los Muertos (2002).
Through his work at the Centro Universitario de Estudios Cinematográficos (CUEC, National Autonomous University of Mexico Film School) and later at the Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica (CCC, Film Training Center), he actively encouraged women pursuing careers behind the camera. As a teacher and later as director of the CCC, he emphasized inclusion, hands-on experience and mentorship, shaping generations of filmmakers in the process.
Hofmann was a member of the Technicians and Cinematographic Production Guild, the Mexican Academy of Arts and Cinematographic Science, and the Screenwriters Guild of Mexico. In the United States, he was a member of the International Cinematographers Guild (IATSE Local 600) and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Hofmann became a member of the ASC in 2004, proposed by Society members Steven Poster, Gabriel Beristain and Michael O’Shea. In 2017, he received the ASC’s first-ever Certificate of Recognition for his contributions to education in cinematography.
In 2025, Hofmann was honored with a lifetime-achievement ceremony at Churubusco Studios in Mexico City, attended by many of his former students and his peers from the ASC and AMC. During that ceremony, a special tribute video was played for the veteran cinematographer.
Watch the video below:
“The world is cinematic, and it feels like I’m looking through a camera,” Hofmann says in the video. “You begin life seeing with an 18mm lens, and now I’m already at a 250mm. I’m very proud and satisfied with my work in cinematography and my academic work. If there was a circle of things like a cake cut into slices of what you like and what you want to do most — it’s the movies.”
Hofmann is survived by his wife Maria, son Sebastián and daughter Natalia.
