Oscar's Best Cinematography 2025

The only nominee in this category I've seen to date is Emilia Perez and, ironically, I didn't consider the cinematography to be a standout element of the film.

Maria - was alright nothing to write home about it felt like a prestige TV show that did some gimmick stuff.
Emilia Perez - was ugly as hell this might be it's worst nomination for the film in my opinion.
Dune Part 2 - Denis films are always amazing to look at, I don't think it's going to win because the Brutalist controversy but if it does..that would be fine.
The Brutalist - This should have been a cake walk for it, I can see the arguments against it now
Nosferatu - Based on the five noms this should be the winner. Eggers film might never win BP it's one of the best looking period pieces we've seen in a while.

Other films that were snubbed

The Last Showgirl - like the Brutalist they did so much with so little.
Flow - it's a shame animated films don't get recognized for cinematography but this film was incredibly shot
Nickel Boys - yeah I don't get the snub for this, it's a better looking film than a best picture.

Only seen a single nominee in this category

I wouldn't mind seeing The Brutalist win this.

Ed Lachman did win the American Society of Cinematographers Award for Maria this past weekend, but it will have a tougher time winning the Oscar. For one thing, the ASC is not a very useful predictor. Only 48% of the films that have won there went on to win the Oscar. They did match last year with Hoyte van Hoytema and Oppenheimer taking both, but they mismatched the year before that.

Maria is Ed Lachman's fourth Oscar nomination. His first two came for the Todd Haynes movies Far from Heaven and Carol, which lost to Road to Perdition (Connie Hall) and The Revenant (Emmanuel Lubezki), and last year he was nominated for Pablo Larraín's El Condo, which of course lost to Oppenheimer. His career stretches back to the 1970s and includes The Lords of Flatbush (1974), Lightning Over Water (1980), Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), True Stories (1986), Mississippi Masala (1991), The Virgin Suicides (1999), The Limey (1999), Erin Brockovich (2000), A Prairie Home Companion (2006), and Larraín's Jackie and Spencer. Definitely a stellar career, but I doubt his Oscarless streak ends this year.

Best Cinematography is the only Academy Award Maria is up for. No film has won the cinematography award while being its sole nominee. I would not expect that to change this year.




Lachman is a pro's pro, but two of this year's crop are enjoying their first nominations. French-born Paul Guilhaume has only been working since 2013, starting in short films and music videos. Emilia Pérez has brought him to the attention of the entire industry. The bloom is definitely off the rose, after the somewhat baffling thirteen nominations Emilia Pérez received. Between the general backlash and the strength of his competition, I don't give him much of a shot. For Guilhaume's sake, hope he finds some more coherent pieces down the road that get just as much attention.




Lol Crawley is the other first-timer, and while The Brutalist may also fall well short of the inherent promise of its ten Oscar nominations, it has a better shot of actually winning. The supposed A.I. controversy has long since blown over, and it had nothing to do with the cinematography anyway. The epic, dynamic look of the film echoing both the architecture and the drama will certainly get The Brutalist plenty of Oscar votes in this category. I first noticed Crawley's work on the micro-budgeted drama Ballast (2008) and the deliciously dark comedy Four Lions (2010). He made a relatively small budget in Hollywood terms look like a biggun' with The Brutalist. Will that transfer into Oscar gold?




Jarin Blaschke does have one previous nom, for another Robert Eggers joint: The Lighthouse (2020). Roger Deakins and 1917 won that year. Blaschke also shot The Witch (2015) and The Northman (2022) with Eggers and Knock at the Cabin for M. Night Shyamalan. The Academy doesn't often go for Horror here, but Nosferatu may well join the ranks of Pan's Labyrinth as too beautifully awful to forget, even for the generally squeamish Oscar voters.




Dune: Part Two's Grieg Frasier is the only previous winner among the nominees, and that was earned for the first installment of Denis Villeneuve's Dune (2021). He was also nominated for Garth Davis' Lion (2016), the year Linus Sandgren won for La La Land. Frasier's impressive career also includes Andrew Domink's Killing Them Softly (2012), Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty (2012), Bennett Miller's Foxcatcher (2014), Gareth Edwards' Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), and Matt Reeves' The Batman (2022). If he wins he will be only the 26th D.P. to win multiple Oscars.

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"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra

Lol Crawley is an Oscar winner for shooting The Brutalist.