Emmanuel Lubezki

Emmanuel Lubezki Morgenstern, A.S.C., A.M.C. (Spanish pronunciation: [emaˈnwel luˈβeski]; born June 21, 1964) is a Mexican cinematographer. He sometimes goes by the nickname Chivo, which means "goat" in Spanish. Lubezki has worked with many acclaimed directors, including Mike Nichols, Michael Mann, Joel and Ethan Coen, and frequent collaborators Terrence Malick, Alfonso Cuarón, and Alejandro González Iñárritu.

Lubezki is known for groundbreaking uses of natural lighting and continuous uninterrupted shots in cinematography. His work has been praised by audiences and critics alike, which earned him multiple awards, including eight Academy Award nominations for Best Cinematography. He won in this category three times, becoming the first person to do so in three consecutive years, for Gravity (2013), Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014), and The Revenant (2015).

Lubezki was born to a Jewish family in Mexico City, Mexico. His father is actor and producer Muni Lubezki. Lubezki studied film at Mexico’s Centro Universitario de Estudios Cinematográficos (CUEC), where he met future collaborators Alejandro González Iñárritu and Alfonso Cuarón.

Emmanuel is also a cousin of Daniel Lubetzky, founder of KIND LLC.

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

Lubezki is a frequent collaborator with fellow Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón. The two have been friends since they were teenagers and attended the same film school at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Together they have worked on six motion pictures: Sólo Con Tu Pareja, A Little Princess, Great Expectations, Y Tu Mamá También, Children of Men, and Gravity. His work with Cuarón on Children of Men (2006), has received universal acclaim. The film utilized a number of new technologies 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. 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.

Lubezki won his first Academy Award for Best Cinematography for his work on Cuarón's Gravity, a science-fiction thriller set in outer space. The film was praised for the way it combined two shots through digital backgrounds of space to create the illusion of scenes done in a single shot. Lubezki won his second Academy Award for Best Cinematography in the following year for his work on Alejandro González Iñárritu's Birdman. The film used a similar technique from Gravity, being very unusual in the way the entire movie was shot so as to appear to be photographed in one continuous take. Lubezki won the award again in 2016 for Iñárritu's The Revenant, becoming a milestone for his third consecutive win and for being the first cinematographer to do so. The film was shot entirely in the wilderness during a cold season, minimizing the amount of CGI and using only natural lighting. It was an extremely difficult process that required a limited amount of time to shoot each scene, which delayed the production, causing budget overruns and changes of locations for proper settings. However, The Revenant earned over $500 million at the box office and received critical acclaim, with much praise for the film's atmospheric tone and realism.

Lubezki won the Royal Photographic Society Lumière Award for major achievement in cinematography, video or animation in 2016.

Industry awards

Academy Award for Best Cinematography

• 1995: A Little Princess (nominated)
• 1999: Sleepy Hollow (nominated)
• 2005: The New World (nominated)
• 2006: Children of Men (nominated)
• 2011: The Tree of Life (nominated)
• 2013: Gravity (won)
• 2014: Birdman (won)
• 2015: The Revenant (won)

American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography

• 1999: Sleepy Hollow (nominated)
• 2006: Children of Men (won)
• 2011: The Tree of Life (won)
• 2013: Gravity (won)
• 2014: Birdman (won)
• 2015: The Revenant (won)

Ariel Awards

• 1991: Sólo Con Tu Pareja (nominated)
• 1992: Como agua para chocolate (won)
• 1994: Ámbar (won)

Australian Cinematographers Society Awards

• 2006: Children of Men (won)
• 2011: The Tree of Life (won)

BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography

• 2006: Children of Men (won)
• 2013: Gravity (won)
• 2014: Birdman (won)
• 2015: The Revenant (won)

British Society of Cinematographers Awards

• 2006: Children of Men (nominated)
• 2011: The Tree of Life (nominated)
• 2013: Gravity (nominated)
• 2014: Birdman (nominated)

CableACE Awards

• 1993: Fallen Angels (won)

Camerimage

• 2011: The Tree of Life − Golden Frog (nominated)
• 2013: Gravity − Best 3D Feature Film (won)
• 2014: Birdman − Golden Frog (nominated)

Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography

• 2014: Birdman (won)

Critics awards

Alliance of Women Film Journalists

• 2011: The Tree of Life (won)
• 2013: Gravity (won)
• 2014: Birdman (won)
• 2015: The Revenant (won)

Austin Film Critics Association Awards

• 2006: Children of Men (won)
• 2011: The Tree of Life (won)
• 2013: Gravity (won)
• 2014: Birdman (won)
• 2015: The Revenant (nominated)

Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cinematography

• 1999: Sleepy Hollow (won)
• 2011: The Tree of Life (won)
• 2013: Gravity (won)
• 2014: Birdman (won)
• 2015: The Revenant (runner-up)

Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography

• 1999: Sleepy Hollow (nominated)
• 2005: The New World (nominated)
• 2006: Children of Men (nominated)
• 2011: The Tree of Life (won)
• 2013: Gravity (won)
• 2014: Birdman (won)
• 2015: The Revenant (nominated)

Critics' Choice Award for Best Cinematography

• 2011: The Tree of Life (won)
• 2013: Gravity (won)
• 2014: Birdman (won)
• 2015: The Revenant (won)