Emmanuel Lubezki (born Emmanuel Lubezki Morgenstern 1964, in Mexico City) is an award-winning Mexican cinematographer, known for his groundbreaking techniques and characteristic style. His nickname is "Chivo". [1][2]

Career

Lubezki began his career in Mexican film and television productions in the late 1980s. His first American production was the 1993 independent film Twenty Bucks, which followed the journey of a single twenty-dollar bill.

He has worked with fellow Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón in five motion pictures: Sólo con tu Pareja (1991), A Little Princess (1995), Great Expectations (1998), Y Tu Mamá También (2001), and Children of Men (2006). Lubezki and Cuarón have been friends since they were teenagers and attended the same film school [1] at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. [3]

Lubezki has also worked with a variety of major directors, including Mike Nichols (The Birdcage, 1996), Tim Burton (Sleepy Hollow, 1999), Michael Mann (Ali, 2001), Terrence Malick (The New World, 2005), and Martin Scorsese (Shine a light, 2007). As of 2007, he has been nominated for four Academy Awards.

Lubezki's most recent collaboration with Cuarón, Children of Men (2006), has received universal acclaim. [4] The film utilized a number of new technology and distinctive techniques. The "roadside ambush" scene was shot in one extended take utilizing a special camera rig invented by Doggicam systems, developed from the company's Power Slide system. [2] For the scene, a vehicle was modified to enable seats to tilt and lower actors out of the way of the camera. The windshield of the car was designed to tilt out of the way to allow camera movement in and out through the front windscreen. A crew of four, including Lubezki, rode on the roof. Children of Men also features a seven and a half minute battle sequence composed of roughly five seamless edits, a rarely used technique first utilized in Alfred Hitchcock's Rope.

In 2007, Lubezki shot Shine a Light, Martin Scorsese's documentary about The Rolling Stones. An untitled sixth collaboration with Cuarón is currently in pre-production with a projected release date in 2008. It has been announced that he will work with the Coen Brothers on their 2008 project Burn After Reading.[3]

Filmography (partial)

As Cinematographer:

• Burn After Reading (2008)
• Shine a Light (2007)
• Children of Men (2006)
• The New World (2005)
• Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
• The Assassination of Richard Nixon (2004)
• The Cat in the Hat (2003)
• De Mesmer, con amor o Te para dos, International Title: From Mesmer, With Love or Tea for Two (2002)
• Ali (2001)
• Y tu mamá también (2001)
• Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her (2000)
• Sleepy Hollow (1999)
• Meet Joe Black (1998)
• Great Expectations (1998)
• The Birdcage (1996)
• A Walk in the Clouds (1995)
• A Little Princess (1995)
• Ambar a.k.a. Amber (1994)
• Reality Bites (1994)
• The Harvest (1993)
• Fallen Angels (Two Episodes, 1993)
• Miroslava (1993)
• Twenty Bucks (1993)
• Como aqua para chocolate a.k.a. Like Water for Chocolate (1992)
• Sólo con tu pareja (1991)
• Bandidos a.k.a Bandits (1991) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099103/fullcredits#cast)

Awards and nominations

• Academy Awards:
  • Nominated - A Little Princess (1995)
  • Nominated - Sleepy Hollow (1999)
  • Nominated - The New World (2005)
  • Nominated - Children of Men (2006)

• American Society of Cinematographers:
  • Nominated - Sleepy Hollow (1999)
  • Won - Children of Men (2006)

• Ariel Awards (Mexico):
  • Nominated - Sólo con tu Pareja (1991)
  • Won - Como agua para chocolate (1992)
  • Won - Miroslava (1993)
  • Won - Ã�mbar (1994)

• BAFTA Awards (UK):
  • Won - Children of Men (2006)

• Boston Society of Film Critics Awards:
  • Won - Sleepy Hollow (1999)

• CableACE Awards:
  • Won - Fallen Angels (episode: "Murder Obliquely") (1994)

• Chicago Film Critics Association Awards:
  • Nominated - Sleepy Hollow (1999)
  • Nominated - The New World (2005)
  • Won - Children of Men (2006)

• Chlotrudis Awards (US):
  • Nominated - Y tu mamá también (2003)

• Havana Film Festival (Cuba):
  • Won - Miroslava (1993)

• Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards:
  • Nominated - Sleepy Hollow (1999)
  • Won - Children of Men (2006)

• Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards:
  • Won - Children of Men (2006)

• MTV Movie Awards (Latin America):
  • Nominated - Ali (2001)

• Mar del Plata Film Festival (Argentina)):
  • Won - The New World (2005)

• Mystfest (Italy):
  • Won - The Harvest (1993)

• National Society of Film Critics (US):
  • Won - Children of Men (2006)

• Online Film Critics Society Awards:
  • Won - Sleepy Hollow (1999)
  • Nominated - The New World (2005)
  • Won - Children of Men (2006)

• Santa Fe Film Critics Circle Awards:
  • Won - Sleepy Hollow (1999)

• Satellite Awards:
  • Won - Sleepy Hollow (1999)
  • Nominated - Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (film) (2004)

• Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival (Spain):
  • Won - Ã�mbar (1993)

• Tokyo International Film Festival (Japan):
  • Won - Como agua para chocolate (1992)

• Venice Film Festival:
  • Won - Children of Men (2006)

• Australian Cinematographers Society
  • Won - International Award for Cinematography Children of Men (2006)

References

External links

• Emmanuel Lubezki at the Internet Movie Database.
• Internet Encyclopedia of Cinematographers