The Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography is one of the annual awards given out by Film Independent, a non-profit organization dedicated to independent film and independent filmmakers. It was first given in 1985, with Japanese cinematographer Toyomichi Kurita being the first recipient of the award for his work in Trouble in Mind.
Winners and nominees 1980s YearFilmRecipient(s)1985Barry Jenkins expected to join tiny group of double directing champs at Spirit Awards - GoldDerby Trouble in Mind Toyomichi Kurita After Hours Michael Ballhaus Blood Simple Barry Sonnenfeld Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart Michael Chin 1986 Platoon Robert Richardson Blue Velvet Frederick Elmes Down by Law Robby Müller Salvador Robert Richardson True Stories Edward Lachman 1987 Matewan Haskell Wexler Barfly Robby Müller The Dead Fred Murphy Slam Dance Amir Mokri Tough Guys Don't Dance John Bailey 1988 The Unbearable Lightness of Being Sven Nykvist The Moderns Toyomichi Kurita Patti Rocks Gregory M. Cummins Stand and Deliver Tom Richmond Talk Radio Robert Richardson 1989 Drugstore Cowboy Robert Yeoman Earth Girls Are Easy Oliver Stapleton Mystery Train Robby Müller Powwow Highway Toyomichi Kurita Talking to Strangers Rob Tregenza
1990s YearFilmRecipient(s)1990 Wild at Heart Frederick Elmes House Party Peter Deming King of New York Bojan Bazelli Life Is Cheap... But Toilet Paper Is Expensive Amir Mokri The Plot Against Harry Robert M. Young 1991 Kafka Walt Lloyd Homicide Roger Deakins My Own Private Idaho Eric Alan Edwards and John J. Campbell Pastime Tom Richmond Rambling Rose Johnny E. Jensen 1992 Night on Earth Frederick Elmes All the Vermeers in New York Jon Jost Laws of Gravity Jean de Segonzac Light Sleeper Edward Lachman Swoon Ellen Kuras 1993 Menace II Society Lisa Rinzler American Heart James R. Bagdonas Chain of Desire Nancy Schreiber Equinox Elliot Davis Ruby in Paradise Alex Vlacos 1994 Barcelona John Thomas The Beans of Egypt, Maine Stevan Larner Eat Drink Man Woman Jong Lin I Like It Like That Alexander Gruszynski Suture Greg Gardiner 1995 Leaving Las Vegas Declan Quinn Little Odessa Tom Richmond Nadja Jim Denault The Underneath Elliot Davis The Usual Suspects Newton Thomas Sigel 1996 Fargo Roger Deakins Bound Bill Pope Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day Rob Sweeney Dead Man Robby Müller The Funeral Ken Kelsch1997 Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love Declan Quinn The Bible and Gun Club Alex Vendler Habit Frank G. DeMarco Hard Eight Robert Elswit Sunday Michael Barrow and John Foster 1998 Velvet Goldmine Maryse Alberti Affliction Paul Sarossy Belly Malik Hassan Sayeed High Art Tami Reiker Pi Matthew Libatique 1999 Three Seasons Lisa Rinzler The City Harlan Bosmajian Judy Berlin Jeffrey Seckendorf Julien Donkey-Boy Anthony Dod Mantle Twin Falls Idaho M. David Mullen
2000s YearFilmRecipient(s)2000 Requiem for a Dream Matthew Libatique Before Night Falls Xavier Pérez Grobet and Guillermo Rosas George Washington Tim Orr Hamlet John de Borman Shadow of the Vampire Lou Bogue2001 Mulholland Drive Peter Deming The American Astronaut W. Mott Hupfel III The Deep End Giles Nuttgens Hedwig and the Angry Inch Frank G. DeMarco Memento Wally Pfister 2002 Far from Heaven Edward Lachman Gerry Harris Savides Interview with the Assassin Richard Rutkowski Narc Alex Nepomniaschy Personal Velocity: Three Portraits Ellen Kuras 2003 In America Declan Quinn Elephant Harris Savides Northfork M. David Mullen Shattered Glass Mandy Walker Streets of Legend Derek Cianfrance 2004 The Motorcycle Diaries Éric Gautier Dandelion Tim Orr Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story David Greene Saints and Soldiers Ryan Little We Don't Live Here Anymore Maryse Alberti 2005 Good Night, and Good Luck Robert Elswit Capote Adam Kimmel Keane John Foster Last Days Harris Savides The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada Chris Menges 2006 Pan's Labyrinth Guillermo Navarro Brothers of the Head Anthony Dod Mantle Four Eyed Monsters Arin Crumley Man Push Cart Michael Simmonds Wild Tigers I Have Known Aaron Platt 2007 The Diving Bell and the Butterfly Janusz Kamiński Lust, Caution Rodrigo Prieto The Savages W. Mott Hupfel III Vanaja Milton Kam Youth Without Youth Mihai Mălaimare Jr. 2008 The Wrestler Maryse Alberti Ballast Lol Crawley Chop Shop Michael Simmonds Medicine for Melancholy James Laxton Milk Harris Savides 2009 A Serious Man Roger Deakins Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans Peter Zeitlinger Cold Souls Andrij Parekh Sin nombre Adriano Goldman Treeless Mountain Anne Misawa
2010s YearFilmRecipient(s)2010 Black Swan Matthew Libatique Never Let Me Go Adam Kimmel Tiny Furniture Jody Lee Lipes Winter's Bone Michael McDonough Greenberg Harris Savides 2011 The Artist Guillaume Schiffman Bellflower Joel Hodge The Off Hours Benjamin Kasulke Midnight in Paris Darius Khondji The Dynamiter Jeffrey Waldron 2012 Beasts of the Southern Wild Ben Richardson Valley of Saints Yoni Brook Here Lol Crawley End of Watch Roman Vasyanov Moonrise Kingdom Robert Yeoman 2013 12 Years a Slave Sean Bobbitt Spring Breakers Benoît Debie Inside Llewyn Davis Bruno Delbonnel All Is Lost Frank G. DeMarco Computer Chess Matthias Grunsky 2014 Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) Emmanuel Lubezki The Immigrant Darius Khondji It Felt Like Love Sean Porter A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night Lyle Vincent Selma Bradford Young 2015 Carol Edward Lachman Beasts of No Nation Cary Joji Fukunaga It Follows Mike Gioulakis Meadowland Reed Morano Songs My Brothers Taught Me Joshua James Richards 2016 Moonlight James Laxton Free in Deed Ava Berkofsky The Childhood of a Leader Lol Crawley The Eyes of My Mother Zach Kuperstein American Honey Robbie Ryan 2017 Call Me by Your Name Sayombhu Mukdeeprom The Killing of a Sacred Deer Thimios Bakatakis Columbus Elisha Christian Beach Rats Hélène Louvart The Rider Joshua James Richards 2018 Suspiria Sayombhu Mukdeeprom Madeline's Madeline Ashley Connor Mandy Benjamin Loeb We the Animals Zak Mulligan Wildlife Diego Garcia 2019 The Lighthouse Jarin Blaschke Hustlers Todd Banhazl Honey Boy Natasha Braier The Third Wife Chananun Chotrungroj Midsommar Pawel Pogorzelski
2020s YearFilmRecipient(s) 2020 Nomadland Joshua James Richards She Dies Tomorrow Jay Keitel Bull Shabier Kirchner The Assistant Michael Latham Never Rarely Sometimes Always Hélène Louvart 2021 Passing Eduard Grau Blue Bayou Ante Cheng and Matthew Chuang The Humans Lol Crawley A Chiara Tim Curtin Zola Ari Wegner 2022 Tár Florian Hoffmeister Murina Hélène Louvart Aftersun Gregory Oke Pearl Eliot Rockett Neptune Frost Anisia Uzeyman 2023 The Holdovers Eigil Bryld All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt Jomo Fray Chronicles of a Wandering Saint Pablo Lozano Monica Katelin Arizmendi We Grown Now Pat Scola2024 Nickel Boys Jomo Fray The Fire Inside Rina Yang Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell Ðinh Duy Hưng Janet Planet Maria von Hausswolff La cocina Juan Pablo Ramírez2025Spirit Awards 2026 Nominations: Full List – Variety Train Dreams Adolpho VelosoBlue Sun PalaceNorm LiDust BunnyNicole Hirsch WhitakerPeter Hujar's DayAlex AsheWarfareDavid J. Thompson
See also BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography Academy Award for Best Cinematography Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Cinematography American Society of Cinematographers Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases
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