The cinematography of “Belfast,” “Dune,” “The Power of the Dog,” “The Tragedy of Macbeth” and “Nightmare Alley” has been chosen as the best film work of 2021 by the American Society of Cinematographers, which announced its nominations on Tuesday.
With her work on “The Power of the Dog,” Ari Wegner becomes only the second woman to be nominated for feature-film cinematography in the 36-year history of the ASC Awards. The first was Rachel Morrison, who was nominated in 2018 for “Mudbound.”
In addition to Wegner, this year’s other nominees are Haris Zamberloukos for “Belfast,” Greig Fraser for “Dune,” Bruno Delbonnel for “The Tragedy of Macbeth” and Dan Laustsen for “Nightmare Alley.” It marked the first ASC nominations for Zamberloukos, the second for Fraser and Laustsen and the fifth for Delbonnel.
The most surprising omission from the slate of nominees is probably six-time nominee Janusz Kaminski for Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story.”
While Wegner is only the second ASC nominee in the feature category, several women have been nominated in the ASC’s Spotlight section, which goes to international films and ones that received limited or film-festival releases.
This year’s Spotlight nominees are “Titane,” “Pig” and “Jockey.”
Television nominees include “Titans,” which received two nominations, as well as “Foundation,” “Lupin,” “Mare of Easttown,” “Snowpiercer,” “Mayans M.C.” and “Hacks.”
Typically, an ASC film nomination is a very reliable predictor of Oscar success. The ASC has nominated at least four of the eventual Oscar nominees for cinematography every year since 2006, and the two slates have matched all five nominees five times in that stretch. Over the past decade, 85% of ASC film nominees went on to receive Oscar nominations.
In the 34-year history of the ASC Awards, only two films have won the cinematography Oscar without first being nominated by the ASC: 1989’s “Glory” and 2006’s “Pan’s Labyrinth.”
The nominees:
Feature Film
- Bruno Delbonnel, ASC, AFC for THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH
- Greig Fraser, ASC, ACS for DUNE
- Dan Laustsen, ASC, DFF for NIGHTMARE ALLEY
- Ari Wegner, ACS for THE POWER OF THE DOG
- Haris Zambarloukos, BSC, GSC for BELFAST
-category sponsored by KESLOW CAMERA
Spotlight
- Ruben Impens, SBC for TITANE
- Pat Scola for PIG
- Adolpho Veloso, ABC for JOCKEY
-category sponsored by PANAVISION
Documentary
- Jessica Beshir for FAYA DAYI
- Isabel Bethencourt and Parker Hill for CUSP
- Daniel Schönauer for THE HIDDEN LIFE OF TREES
-category sponsored SONY
Motion Picture, Limited Series, or Pilot Made for Television
- Steve Annis for FOUNDATION – Pilot Episode: The Emperor’s Peace
- Tim Ives, ASC for HALSTON – Episode: The Party’s Over
- James Laxton, ASC for THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD – Episode: Chapter 9: Indiana Winter
- Christophe Nuyens, SBC for LUPIN – Pilot Episode: Chapter 1
- Ben Richardson, ASC for MARE OF EASTTOWN – Episode: Illusions
-category sponsored by ARRI
Episode of a One-Hour Television Series – Non-Commercial
- Stuart Biddlecombe for THE HANDMAID’S TALE – Episode: The Wilderness
- David Garbett for SWEET TOOTH – Episode: Big Man
- David Greene, ASC, CSC for CHAPLEWAITE – Episode: The Promised
- Jon Joffin, ASC for TITANS – Episode: Souls
- Boris Mojsovski, ASC, CSC for TITANS – Episode: Home
- Kate Reid, BSC for THE NEVERS – Episode: Hanged
-category sponsored by PANAVISION
Episode of a One-Hour Television Series – Commercial
- Thomas Burstyn, CSC, NZSC for SNOWPIERCER – Episode: Our Answer for Everything
- Tommy Maddox-Upshaw, ASC for SNOWFALL – Episode: Weight
- Ronald Paul Richard for RIVERDALE – Episode: Chapter Eighty-Nine: Reservoir Dogs
- Brendan Steacy, CSC for CLARICE – Episode: Silence is Purgatory
- David Stockton, ASC for MAYANS M.C. – Episode: The Orneriness of Kings
- Gavin Struthers, ASC, BSC for SUPERMAN & LOIS – Episode: Heritage
-category sponsored by RED DIGITAL CINEMA
Episode of a Half-Hour Television Series
- Marshall Adams, ASC for SERVANT – Episode: 2:00
- Michael Berlucchi for MYTHIC QUEST – Episode: Backstory!
- Adam Bricker for HACKS – Episode: There is No Line
- Paula Huidobro for PHYSICAL – Episode: Let’s Get Together
- Jaime Reynoso, AMC for THE KOMINSKY METHOD – Episode: And it’s Getting More and More Absurd
-category sponsored by PICTURE SHOP