AC Rising Stars of Cinematography Honored at ASC Clubhouse
Mentors, sponsors, industry peers and ASC members and staff gathered to celebrate the emerging talents included in this year's roster.
American Cinematographer feted eight Rising Stars of Cinematography on August 21 at the ASC Clubhouse, where an estimated 150 guests included honorees, ASC members, mentors and sponsors.
Now it its ninth year, the Rising Stars program was created to recognize emerging talent, representing work in areas including shorts, features, documentaries, commercials and music videos. They are Mia Cioffi Henry (Eva Victor’s Sorry, Baby, which premiered at Sundance and was the closing film of the Director’s Fortnight section at Cannes), Shady Hanna (2023 documentary feature Swan Song, directed by Chelsea McMullan), James Rhodes (California Schemin’, actor James McAvoy’s upcoming feature directorial debut), John Rosario (Tracie Laymon-helmed Bob Trevino Likes It, which premiered at 2024 SXSW, where it won the Narrative Feature Grand Jury Award and the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature), Sarah Whelden (Katie Aselton-directed Magic Hour, which premiered at SXSW) and Joshua Zucker-Pluda (Good Time Charlie, a David Black-helmed short that was nominated for the SXSW Grand Jury Award).
Rounding out the class of 2025 honorees were Olan Collardy (Sasha Nathwani’s Last Swim, which won the Crystal Bear for Best Film at Berlinale in 2024) and Tehillah De Castro (Jazmin Garcia’s Trokas Duras, a migrant workers-themed short that earned a 2025 Sundance Jury Award), who were unable to attend the event. The cinematographers were selected by a committee made up of ASC members and magazine staff.
Read American Cinematographer's 2025 Rising Stars of Cinematography List
This was the third year the presentation was held live at the ASC Clubhouse. Guests — among them, ASC Vice President John Simmons, ASC, Board Member Amy Vincent, ASC, and Nancy Schreiber, ASC — mingled while enjoying drinks and hors d’oeuvres outdoors in the Sim Plaza courtyard and indoors at Billy’s Bar and in the main room of the historic building, where the formal presentation was made.
“It's always great to have the next generation of super-talented cinematographers visit the Clubhouse, soak up the Society's history and meet our members and staff,” AC editor-in-chief Stephen Pizzello told the new class of Rising Stars as he opened the presentation. “Hopefully you'll all be coming back for years, eventually with ‘ASC’ after your names.
“Our staff is very good at spotting new talent when we see your films at festivals or screenings, and our members know promising work when they see it,” he said. “ASC members wholeheartedly support those who follow in their footsteps, and they've always been extremely generous in sharing their knowledge with anyone who chooses a career behind the camera.”
Joining him to introduce the honorees was aforementioned ASC Vice President John Simmons, who saluted the “legacy” of great cinematography.
One by one, honorees received enthusiastic applause and were invited to the mic to make brief remarks, which were followed by photos. Each expressed gratitude for the meaningful recognition and to be among talent that they admire and respect. A grateful Zucker-Pluda called selection in Rising Stars a “dream come true” while Whelden enthused that she was “humbled and excited” by this recognition. Said Hanna, “I can’t believe it. Thank you for this amazing honor.”
ASC, Cinelease, Red and Shotdeck were the program’s Premiere Sponsors and participated in the presentation. Chris Rogers of Cinelease, which was founded in 1977, described the evening as “another amazing” ASC event, adding that “our company takes great pride in helping young filmmakers.”
Clark McClanathan noted that the Red camera company is honored to support the ASC and the Rising Stars program. “It’s exciting to support new talent,” he said, adding appreciation for the event “being in a space that celebrates the art of cinematography.”
ShotDeck founder Larry Sher, ASC, gave attendees a warm greeting and urged the new class to “continue to make amazing stuff.” Sher noted that ShotDeck, a fully searchable cinematic image database, was “built and born out of trying to make life easier as filmmakers [and as a] spotlight for your work.”
Additional sponsors included Sony and Ignite Strategic Communications (Feature Sponsors); and KinoFlo, LiteGear, Godox, Tilta and Absen (Spotlight Sponsors).
“It’s always a great thing to watch our Rising Stars alumni ‘rise’ to prominence,” Pizzello told the new class. “Many of the cinematographers we’ve picked are now members of the ASC and other societies around the world, and others have won awards and recognition. Nothing makes us happier than seeing you succeed — and if American Cinematographer’s Rising Stars spotlight helps in any way — well, that’s the whole point.”
