The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) recently held its 40th annual ASC Awards in Los Angeles, shining a spotlight on the year’s most outstanding visual artists. This year’s top honor for feature-film cinematography was awarded to Michael Bauman for his remarkable work on One Battle After Another, marking a significant triumph in the highly competitive film industry.
A Sweeping Victory for One Battle After Another
Michael Bauman’s recognition as the best feature-film cinematographer of 2025 for One Battle After Another places him in an elite class. His win came from a category that closely mirrors the prestigious Oscar nominees for Best Cinematography, underscoring the film’s exceptional visual storytelling. Bauman triumphed over a distinguished field of nominees, including Dan Laustsen for Frankenstein, Darius Khondji for Marty Supreme, Autumn Durald Arkapaw for Sinners, and Adolpho Veloso for Train Dreams. This award caps an impressive run for One Battle After Another, which has also garnered accolades from numerous other industry guilds, confirming its widespread acclaim across various crafts, from writing and acting to art direction and editing.
Celebrating Diverse Visual Narratives
Beyond feature films, the ASC Awards recognized excellence across a spectrum of formats. In the documentary category, Mstyslav Chernov and Alex Babenko were honored for 2000 Meters in Andriivka, a win that followed Chernov’s WGA Award for writing the same film just hours prior. The Spotlight Award, which champions artistic films with limited theatrical releases, went to Mátyás Erdély for Orphan. Erdély is no stranger to this accolade, having previously won it in 2016 for the Oscar-winning Son of Saul.
Television cinematography also received its due recognition. Adam Newport-Berra earned an award for “The Oner” episode of The Studio, a half-hour series meticulously crafted to appear as a single, continuous shot. Pete Konczal secured the limited-series award for Black Rabbit. In a rare turn, the one-hour series category ended in a tie, with Alex Disenhof celebrated for Task and Christophe Nuyens for Andor. The newest category, ASC Music Video Award, saw Rodrigo Prieto win for his captivating work on Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia”.
ASC’s Legacy and Influence
The ASC Awards, held at the Beverly Hilton, are often seen as a bellwether for the Academy Awards, though historical data shows that ASC winners have gone on to win the Oscar for Best Cinematography 18 times in 39 years. However, this century has seen a stronger correlation, with 12 matches in the last two decades. The ASC has often been praised for its foresight, recognizing talents like Roger Deakins and Emmanuel Lubezki multiple times before their eventual Oscar wins. Furthermore, the ASC has demonstrated a commitment to diversity, nominating five female cinematographers since 2017, one more than the Academy, and celebrating Mandy Walker’s win for Elvis in 2023, even as the cinematography Oscar for a woman remains elusive.
The ceremony also celebrated distinguished careers and contributions to the craft with several honorary awards. Director Guillermo del Toro received the Board of Governors Award, while American Cinematographer Magazine editor Stephen Pizello was given the Award of Distinction. Kodak received the Curtis Clark Technology Award for its ongoing innovation. Special honors went to Robert Yeoman for the Lifetime Achievement Award, M. David Mullen for the Career Achievement in Television Award, and Cynthia Pusheck for the President’s Award, acknowledging their profound impact on the visual arts.
