Janusz Kamiński, photo: ZUMA Press / Forum
Steven Spielberg's historical drama, Lincoln, starring Daniel Day-Lewis nominated for the top cinematic awards in the U.S. and U.K., including Best Film and Cinematography. The film's Oscar-winning cinematographer Janusz Kamiński has also been honoured, with a nomination from the American Society of Cinematographers for Outstanding Achievement
The Polish-American cinematographer was also nominated for his work on Steven Spielberg's film War Horse at last year's Academy Awards. He has served as principal cinematographer on the director's films since 1993, taking home the Academy Award in 1993 for Schindler's List and in 1998 for Saving Private Ryan, along with three more nominations over the years.
This year's nominations come after the release of Lincoln, a cinematic perspective on the U.S. president's fight to end slavery, from both a legal standpoint and from a moral position. The American Academy of Motion Picture Sciences nominations were announced on the 10th of January, and the day before, the British Academy Film Awards nominations had been announced in London. Lincoln is considered a front-runner in the USA with 12 Oscar nomination. The film's big rivals in most categories are Tom Hooper's Les Miserables and Ang Lee's Life of Pi.
The nominations for Outstanding Achievement from the American Society of Cinematographers were also announced on Thursday, marking the ASC's fifth nomination for Kamiński.
The American Academy Awards take place in Hollywood on the 24th of February 2013 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The BAFTA awards ceremony took place on the 10th of February at the Royal Opera House in London. The ASC Awards took place on the 10th of February at the Dolby Ballroom at the Hollywood & Highland Center in Los Angeles.
Janusz Kamiński (born 1959) left Poland for the U.S. in 1981. He took a job in Chicago and enrolled at the Film and Fine Arts Department of Columbia College. He moved to Los Angeles in 1987 to take a one-year cinematography course at the American Film Institute. His film career started in late 1980s and early 1990s with work for Roger Corman, the producer of grade-B thrillers. His breakthrough came with Diane's Keaton's 1991 TV film Wildflower.
Kamiński's cinematography attracted the attention of Steven Spielberg, and so started Kamiński's association with the director. Kamiński's Polish background may have been a factor in Spielberg's choice, as plans were developing to shoot Schindler's List in Poland. Ever since his Oscar-winning work on that film, he has continued to collaborate with Spielberg on subsequent cinema projects, while working on projects with other directors, such as Julian Schnabel's The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. He was nominated for the Oscar for Best Cinematography for the film, which received numerous other awards, including photography honours at the Los Angeles Film Critics and New York Film Critics Awards.
Author: Agnieszka Le Nart