Janusz Kamiński to receive $0 award at Camerimage festival
The two-time Oscar winner will be honored for his visual work on films like Schindler's List during the November event in Poland.
By Chloe Wilson ·
Cinematographer Janusz Kamiński will receive the THR Visionary in Cinematography Award on Nov. 7. The ceremony takes place at the ToruńCamerimage Film Festival in Poland. The festival runs from Nov. 7 to Nov. 14.
The award recognizes Kamiński's contribution to the art of cinematography. It cites his visionary approach to shaping the visual language of modern filmmaking. Kamiński is a Polish filmmaker and one of the most influential figures in contemporary cinema.
His long collaboration with director Steven Spielberg defines much of his legacy. Kamiński has shot 20 films with Spielberg, including the latest release, Disclosure Day. This partnership has rewritten the visual grammar of Hollywood films.
Two of their projects earned Kamiński the Academy Award for Best Cinematography. Schindler's List (1994) used stark black-and-white imagery. Saving Private Ryan (1998) featured chaotic handheld battle scenes. Both films appear on the American Society of Cinematographers' list of the best-photographed films of the 20th century.
Kamiński adjusts his visual style to match each story. Minority Report (2002) features cold blues and metallic noir shadows. Munich (2005) evokes the aesthetics of 1970s thrillers. In Julian Schnabel's The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007), he used a restricted point of view to depict the lead character's locked-in syndrome.
Kamiński arrived in the United States as a political refugee from Poland. He spoke no English upon arrival. He trained at Columbia College in Chicago and the American Film Institute. He worked as a gaffer on low-budget Roger Corman productions and TV movies before Steven Spielberg cast him. Spielberg first hired him for the TV movie The Class of 61, then for Schindler's List.
Kamiński has also worked with Judd Apatow on Funny People and Cameron Crowe on Jerry Maguire. He has received seven nominations for Best Cinematography from the Academy. Six of those nominations came from his work with Spielberg. The ToruńCamerimage festival is the largest event devoted to the art of cinematography.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
