The staff and students at Kieślowski Film School were delighted to welcome Sir Roger A. Deakins, the renowned, Oscar-winning cinematographer, on November 23, 2022. He was accompanied by his wife, James Ellis Deakins, who has supported Deakins in his creative activities for several decades. Deakins is a two-time Oscar winner for his outstanding cinematography for the films “1917” (2019), directed by Sam Mendes, and “Blade Runner 2049” (2017), directed by Denis Villeneuve.
Deakins started working on feature films such as “1984” and “Sid and Nancy” (1986) in the mid-1980s. After “The Woman in the Moon” (1988), he teamed up with the Coen Brothers for “Fargo” (1996) and “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” (2000) and worked with Frank Darabont on “The Shawshank Redemption” and with Martin Scorsese on the biopic “Kundun” (1997), all of which were nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography.
Over the following decades, Deakins’ reputation was reinforced by his cinematography in films such as “Courage Under Fire” (1996), “Thirteen Days” (2000), and “A Beautiful Mind” (2001). His involvement in low-budget initiatives such as “The Secret Garden” (1993) or “Anywhere But Here” (1999) did not go unnoticed. Deakins also collaborated with the Coen brothers on “The Man Who Wasn’t There” (2001), “Intolerable Cruelty” (2003), and “The Ladykillers” (2004).
Deakins has won five BAFTA Awards for Best Cinematography and received several Oscar nominations. He has garnered fifty-eight nominations and many awards over the course of his career.
Roger A. Deakins and James Ellis Deakins are in Katowice in connection with the exhibition “Byways / Bezdroża,” organized as part of the XXXI Festiwal Ars Cameralis. The exhibition’s opening will take place on November 25 at 18:00 at Rondo Sztuki, Katowice.
