The International Cinematographers Guild (ICG, IATSE Local 600) today announced cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto will be honored with the Distinguished FIlmmaker Award at the 26th Annual Emerging Cinematographer Awards (ECA).
Cinematographer M. David Mullen, ASC, will also be awarded with the ASC Mentor Award.
“The filmmakers receiving special awards at this year’s ECAs represent the pinnacle of excellence incinematography, and we’re thrilled to celebrate them,” says ECA Chair Steven Poster, ASC. “We’re excited
for an event that highlights both the work of our emerging filmmakers as well as the career achievements of our special awards recipients.”
One of the most acclaimed cinematographers working today, Prieto has been nominated for four Academy Awards® for his work on “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “The Irishman,” “Silence” and “Brokeback Mountain.” Other notable features photographed by Prieto include “Barbie,” “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Argo” and “8 Mile.” Prieto was nominated for a 2024 MTV Video Music Award for his work
on “Fortnight” by Taylor Swift, who also directed the music video.
Born and raised in Mexico, Prieto helped lead a renaissance of Mexican cinema with “Babel,” “21 Grams” and his breakthrough film “Amores Perros.” Prieto’s next project–his feature film directorial debut–is an adaptation of the novel “Pedro Paramo” by Juan Rulfo, one of the most revered Mexican novels of the 20th century.
Mullen has been recognized for his striking cinematography with two American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Awards and three Emmy Awards for “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” as well as two IFP Independent Spirit Awards nominations for “Twin Falls Idaho” and Northfolk.” He has built the visual world for films and television shows with enduring legacies, including “Jennifer’s Body,” “The Good Wife” and “Westworld.”
Mullen prioritizes skill sharing and mentorship for emerging cinematographers, and co-authored both the 3rd edition of the classic textbook “Cinematography” by Kris Malkiewicz and the 11th edition of “The American Cinematographer Manual.”
In addition to the special awards, ICG announced eight honorees earlier this summer. The eight winning filmmakers, selected from 118 submissions, are:
Dominic Bartolone “Sweet Santa Barbara Brown”
Adam Carboni “INCOMPLETE”
Matthew Halla “The Unreachable Star”
Jessica Hershatter “Pirandello on Broadway”
Allen Ho “Iron Lung”
Nick Mahar “Sands of Fate”
Dylan Trivette “Bearing Witness: A Name & A Voice”
Andrew Trost “Bloom”
The ECA honorees will be celebrated with both an awards event and a luncheon at the ASC Clubhouse on Friday, Aug. 27. Mullen will receive his ASC Mentor Award during the luncheon. Prieto will receive the Distinguished Filmmaker Award during the ECA showcase event on Sunday, Sept. 29, at the Television Academy’s Saban Media Center Wolf Theater in North Hollywood.
Panavision Family of Companies holds the top ECAs sponsorship position as the Premier level sponsor. Other sponsors include Gold level: First Entertainment Credit Union, and FUJIFILM; Silver level: Aputure, Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment, and Panasonic; Bronze level: Canon, Hawk Anamorphic Los Angeles LP, J.L. Fisher, Matthews Studio Equipment, RED Digital Cinema, and TRP Worldwide. Partners are: The American Society of Cinematographers, Deluxe, ICG Magazine, Picture Shop, and Variety.