HOLLYWOOD – The International Cinematographers Guild (ICG), IATSE Local 600, today announced that cinematographer Darran Tiernan, ISC, will be recognized with the Distinguished Filmmaker Award, presented by Sony, at the 28th Annual Emerging Cinematographer Awards (ECA).
Cinematographer Steven Poster, ASC, who served as the ECA chair for the past 19 years, will accept the Mentor Award.
“Darran Tiernan’s innovative visual style and Steven Poster’s tireless advocacy for young filmmakers embody the spirit of excellence and leadership we strive to celebrate at the Emerging Cinematographer Awards,” say Eduardo Fierro, SVC, and Amy Vincent, ASC, co-chairs of the ECA committee. “It’s a privilege to recognize them both at this year’s awards ceremony.”
Tiernan and Poster will be honored during the ECA showcase awards reception on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. The event will be held at the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Theater. Tiernan’s visual storytelling has shaped some of television’s most distinctive productions, including the Prime Video series Spider-Noir. The series required Tiernan to shoot in black-and-white and color simultaneously, and his ambitious approach to that technical challenge earned him an Emmy® nomination in the category Outstanding Cinematography For A Series (One Hour). Tiernan has dedicated himself to working on US-based productions and supporting local camera crews. His previous credits include the series The Penguin, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, Barry, and Perry Mason, as well as the feature The Hunt for director Craig Zobel.
A former president of both the ICG and the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), Poster has always dedicated himself to advocating for the next generation of camera crews through extensive global mentorship. Poster shot the iconic and visually inventive cult classics Donnie Darko and Southland Tales for director Richard Kelly. He received an ASC Award nomination for Best Cinematography for his work on director Ridley Scott’s Someone to Watch Over Me. Standout credits from his career include Rocky V, Amityville: The Awakening, and the award-winning music video for Madonna’s “Like A Prayer,” amongst many others.
In addition to the special awards, ICG announced seven honorees earlier this summer.
The seven winning filmmakers, selected from over 100 submissions, are:
Connor Van Bodell, The Resistance
Blaine Dunkley, Week One
Amy Faust, Photography
Barbie Leung, What Do We Call This?
Jordan Oglesby, The Interview
Jannis Schelenz, The Way We Carry Water
Haley Watson, Songs of Black Folk
SONY is the exclusive Premier sponsor of the event. Additional sponsors include Canon U.S.A., and Otto Nemenz as Silver sponsors; J.L. Fisher Inc., NANLUX/NANLITE, RED Digital Cinema, Sigma Corporation, Sylmar Studios, ROSCO, and TRP Worldwide as Bronze sponsors. Event Partners include The American Society of Cinematographers, Cine Gear Expo, Creative Handbook, Deluxe, DF Studio, The Hollywood Reporter, Fourth Dimension Events, Mill Valley Film Festival, Picture Shop, Production Hub, Society of Camera Operators, The Wrap, and Variety.
ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL CINEMATOGRAPHERS GUILD (ICG) IATSE LOCAL 600:
The International Cinematographers Guild represents over 9,000 members who work on feature films, television, streaming, commercials, news broadcast, documentaries and industrials as directors of photography, visual effects supervisors, camera operators, camera assistants, loaders, utilities, still photographers, digital imaging technicians, video controllers and publicists. The first camera union was established in New York in 1926, followed by unions in Los Angeles and Chicago, but it wasn’t until 1996 that Local 600 was born as a national guild. In addition to its work organizing, bargaining and enforcing contracts, advocating for legislation that serves working families, training and mentorship, ICG’s ongoing events include the Emerging Cinematographer Awards and the ICG Publicists Awards.