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Home / Blow

Ellen Kuras to become first woman to receive ASC Lifetime Achievement Award

The American Society of Cinematographers Wednesday announced its 36th annual award honorees, including Ellen Kuras, the first woman to receive the organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Kuras, an Academy Award nominee best known for her work on 2004’s “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and 2001’s “Blow,” will join Peter Levy, John Lindley and Dan Sasaki at the ASC Clubhouse in Hollywood when the accolades are presented on March 20.

Levy will be presented with the Career Achievement in Television Award; Lindley will get the President’s Award; and Sasaki, an engineer at Panavision, will receive the inaugural Curtis Clark Technical Achievement Award, given to an individual who has made significant technological contributions to the art and craft of cinematography.

“We’re thrilled to be honoring our colleagues who have all made a significant impact on not only our art form, but our community as well,” ASC President Stephen Lighthill said in a statement. “Each of these recipients has made a unique contribution to cinema as leaders, storytellers and artists.”

Kuras is a three-time winner of the award for Best Dramatic Cinematography at Sundance, and has also earned Emmy and Independent Spirit Awards noms for her cinematography while collaborating with directors such as Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, Sam Mendes, Michel Gondry, Jonathan Demme, Rebecca Miller and Jim Jarmusch.

Also a director, Kuras was nominated for an Oscar and Spirit Award and won the Primetime Emmy for the 2008 documentary feature “The Betrayal — Nerakhoon.”

“Ellen is undeniably a trailblazer,” said Lighthill. “She has consistently brought a daring and compelling creative talent to her work as a director and cinematographer. She is known to be a passionate collaborator, strong leader and generous soul. The ASC is thrilled to be recognizing Ellen with this well-deserved award for the path she has taken and the high caliber of her artistic contributions.”

Levy won an Emmy and ASC Award nomination for HBO’s “The Life and Death of Peter Sellers” in 2005 and another Emmy in 2008 for his work on Showtime’s “Californication.”

Lindley previously won an ASC award for his work on the series “Manhattan” in 2015. His long list of credits also includes the 1989 baseball classic “Field of Dreams,” for which he was director of photography.

Sasaki, senior vice president of optical engineering and lens strategy for Panavision, is noted for his work in the development of an array of advanced lens systems.

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