Slumdog Scores at ASC Awards

Best Picture Nominee Slumdog Millionaire was victorious at this year’s 23rd Annual American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Outstanding Achievement Awards. Anthony Dod Mantle (The Last King of Scotland, 28 Days Later), the film’s cinematographer, won the feature film competition. Other feature film nominees included Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC, for Revolutionary Road and The Reader; Chris Menges, ASC, BSC, also for The Reader; Claudio Miranda for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; and Wally Pfister, ASC, for The Dark Knight.

Pfister presented the ASC Board of Governors Award to visionary moviemaker Christopher Nolan, whom Pfister has collaborated with on five movies. The award was given in recognition of Nolan’s amazing contributions to the art of moviemaking. Nolan and Pfister pushed the limits of the medium by choosing to shoot the opening six minutes and several action sequences of The Dark Knight in 65mm. “Chris was determined to create a compelling cinematic experience,” Pfister notes.

Other legendary cinematographers honored were Jack Green (Unforgiven), ASC, who was given the ASC Lifetime Achievement Award by Clint Eastwood, and Donald McAlpine (Moulin Rouge), ASC, ACS, who was awarded the ASC International Achievement Award by director Paul Mazursky.

The ASC also presented the Bud Stone Heritage Award to Florida State University’s Nathan Levine-Heaney, who took the top prize in the graduate category, and University of North Carolina’s Aaron Dunson, who won in the undergraduate competition. This student award is rededicated annually to the memory of an industry professional who greatly contributed to the art and craft of cinematography.

“Bud Stone was an eternal ally and friend to cinematographers both young and old,” says Cyril Drabinsky, president and CEO of Deluxe Entertainment Services Group. “He had an unwavering appreciation for the role that cinematographers play in the collaborative art of visual storytelling. He also made incomparable contributions to supporting cinematographers and raising their public profile.”

For a complete list of ASC award winners, visit www.theasc.com.