Skip to Main Content

Academy Awards: Visual

Winners of Oscars for each category

Best Cinematography

1927-present: Wikipedia

Recognizes artistic and technical excellence in the shooting and developing the film

Year Movie Cinematographers
2022 All Quiet on the Western Front James Friend
2021 Dune Greig Fraser
2020 Mank Erik Messerschmidt
2019 1917 Roger Deakins
2018 Roma Alfonso Cuarón
2017 Blade Runner 2049 Roger Deakins
2016 La La Land Linus Sandgren
2015 The Revenant Emmanuel Lubezki
2014 Birdman Emmanuel Lubezki
2013 Gravity Emmanuel Lubezki
2012 Life of Pi Claudio Miranda
2011 Hugo Robert Richardson
2010 Inception Wally Pfister
2009 Avatar Mauro Fiore
2008 Slumdog Millionaire Anthony Dod Mantle
2007 There Will Be Blood Robert Elswit
2006 Pan's Labyrinth Guillermo Navarro
2005 Memoirs of a Geisha Dion Beebe
2004 The Aviator Robert Richardson
2003 Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World Russell Boyd
2002 Road to Perdition Conrad Hall
2001 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Andrew Lesnie
2000 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Peter Pau
1999 American Beauty Conrad Hall
1998 Saving Private Ryan Janusz Kamiński
1997 Titanic Russell Carpenter
1996 The English Patient John Seale
1995 Braveheart John Toll
1994 Legends of the Fall John Toll
1993 Schindler's List Janusz Kamiński
1992 A River Runs Through It Philippe Rousselot
1991 JFK Robert Richardson
1990 Dances with Wolves Dean Semler
1989 Glory Freddie Francis
1988 Mississippi Burning Peter Biziou
1987 The Last Emperor Vittorio Storaro
1986 The Mission Chris Menges
1985 Out of Africa David Watkin
1984 The Killing Fields Chris Menges
1983 Fanny and Alexander Sven Nykvist
1982 Gandhi Billy Williams and Ronnie Taylor
1981 Reds Vittorio Storaro
1980 Tess Geoffrey Unsworth and Ghislain Cloquet
1979 Apocalypse Now Vittorio Storaro
1978 Days of Heaven Néstor Almendros
1977 Close Encounters of the Third Kind Vilmos Zsigmond
1976 Bound for Glory Haskell Wexler
1975 Barry Lyndon John Alcott
1974 The Towering Inferno Fred J. Koenekamp and Joseph F. Biroc
1973 Cries and Whispers Sven Nykvist
1972 Cabaret Geoffrey Unsworth
1971 Fiddler on the Roof Oswald Morris
1970 Ryan's Daughter Freddie Young
1969 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Conrad Hall
1968 Romeo and Juliet Pasqualino De Santis
1967 Bonnie and Clyde Burnett Guffey
1966 Color A Man for All Seasons Ted Moore
1966 B&W Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Haskell Wexler
1965 Color Doctor Zhivago Freddie Young
1965 B&W Ship of Fools Ernest Laszlo
1964 Color My Fair Lady Harry Stradling
1964 B&W Zorba the Greek Walter Lassally
1963 Color Cleopatra Leon Shamroy
1963 B&W Hud James Wong Howe
1962 Color Lawrence of Arabia Freddie Young
1962 B&W The Longest Day Jean Bourgoin and Walter Wottitz
1961 Color West Side Story Daniel L. Fapp
1961 B&W The Hustler Eugen Schüfftan
1960 Color Spartacus Russell Metty
1960 B&W Sons and Lovers Freddie Francis
1959 Color Ben-Hur Robert Surtees
1959 B&W The Diary of Anne Frank William C. Mellor
1958 Color Gigi Joseph Ruttenberg
1958 B&W The Defiant Ones Sam Leavitt
1957 Color The Bridge on the River Kwai Jack Hildyard
1957 B&W NO AWARD GIVEN
1956 Color Around the World in 80 Days Lionel Lindon
1956 B&W Somebody Up There Likes Me Joseph Ruttenberg
1955 Color To Catch a Thief Robert Burks
1955 B&W The Rose Tattoo James Wong Howe
1954 Color Three Coins in the Fountain Milton R. Krasner
1954 B&W On the Waterfront Boris Kaufman
1953 Color Shane Loyal Griggs
1953 B&W From Here to Eternity Burnett Guffey
1952 Color The Quiet Man Winton Hoch and Archie Stout
1952 B&W The Bad and the Beautiful Robert Surtees
1951 Color An American in Paris Alfred Gilks and John Alton
1951 B&W A Place in the Sun William C. Mellor
1950 Color King Solomon's Mines Robert Surtees
1950 B&W The Third Man Robert Krasker
1949 Color She Wore a Yellow Ribbon Winton Hoch
1949 B&W Battleground Paul C. Vogel
1948 Color Joan of Arc Joseph A. Valentine, William V. Skall, and Winton Hoch
1948 B&W The Naked City William H. Daniels
1947 Color Black Narcissus Jack Cardiff
1947 B&W Great Expectations Guy Green
1946 Color The Yearling Charles Rosher, Leonard Smith, and Arthur E. Arling
1946 B&W Anna and the King of Siam Arthur C. Miller
1945 Color Leave Her to Heaven Leon Shamroy
1945 B&W The Picture of Dorian Gray Harry Stradling
1944 Color Wilson Leon Shamroy
1944 B&W Laura Joseph LaShelle
1943 Color Phantom of the Opera Hal Mohr and W. Howard Greene
1943 B&W The Song of Bernadette Arthur C. Miller
1942 Color The Black Swan Leon Shamroy
1942 B&W Mrs. Miniver Joseph Ruttenberg
1941 Color Blood and Sand Ernest Palmer and Ray Rennahan
1941 B&W How Green Was My Valley Arthur C. Miller
1940 Color The Thief of Bagdad Georges Périnal
1940 B&W Rebecca George Barnes
1939 Color Gone with the Wind Ernest Haller and Ray Rennahan
1939 B&W Wuthering Heights Gregg Toland
1938 Color Sweethearts Oliver Marsh and Allen Davey
1938 B&W The Great Waltz Joseph Ruttenberg
1937 Color A Star Is Born W. Howard Greene
1937 B&W The Good Earth Karl Freund
1936 Color The Garden of Allah W. Howard Greene and Harold Rosson
1936 B&W Anthony Adverse Tony Gaudio
1935 A Midsummer Night's Dream Hal Mohr
1934 Cleopatra Victor Milner
1932/33 A Farewell to Arms Charles Lang
1931/32 Shanghai Express Lee Garmes
1930/31 Tabu: A Story of the South Seas Floyd Crosby
1929/30 With Byrd at the South Pole Joseph T. Rucker and Willard Van der Veer
1928/29 White Shadows in the South Seas Clyde De Vinna
1927/28 Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans Charles Rosher and Karl Struss

Best Visual Effects

1927-present: Wikipedia

Recognizes the contribution the visual effects make to the overall production as well as the artistry, skill and fidelity with which the visual illusions are achieved

Year Movie Visual Editors
2022 Avatar: The Way of Water Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, and Daniel Barrett
2021 Dune Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, Brian Connor, and Gerd Nefzer
2020 Tenet Andrew Jackson, David Lee, Andrew Lockley, and Scott Fisher
2019 1917 Guillaume Rocheron, Greg Butler, and Dominic Tuohy
2018 First Man Paul Lambert, Ian Hunter, Tristan Myles, and J. D. Schwalm
2017 Blade Runner 2049 John Nelson, Gerd Nefzer, Paul Lambert, and Richard R. Hoover
2016 The Jungle Book Robert Legato, Adam Valdez, Andrew R. Jones, Dan Lemmon
2015 Ex Machina Mark Williams Ardington, Sara Bennett, Paul Norris, and Andrew Whitehurst
2014 Interstellar Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter, and Scott R. Fisher
2013 Gravity Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, Dave Shirk, and Neil Corbould
2012 Life of Pi Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan de Boer, and Donald R. Elliott
2011 Hugo Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossmann, and Alex Henning
2010 Inception Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley, and Peter Bebb
2009 Avatar Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham, and Andrew R. Jones
2008 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton, and Craig Barron
2007 The Golden Compass Michael Fink, Bill Westenhofer, Ben Morris, and Trevor Wood
2006 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest John Knoll, Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson, and Allen Hall
2005 King Kong Joe Letteri, Brian Van't Hul, Christian Rivers, and Richard Taylor
2004 Spider-Man 2 John Dykstra, Scott Stokdyk, Anthony LaMolinara, and John Frazier
2003 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Jim Rygiel, Joe Letteri, Randall William Cook, and Alex Funke
2002 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Jim Rygiel, Joe Letteri, Randall William Cook, and Alex Funke
2001 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Jim Rygiel, Randall William Cook, Richard Taylor, and Mark Stetson
2000 Gladiator John Nelson, Neil Corbould, Tim Burke, and Rob Harvey
1999 The Matrix John Gaeta, Janek Sirrs, Steve Courtley, and Jon Thum
1998 What Dreams May Come Joel Hynek, Nicholas Brooks, Stuart Robertson, and Kevin Mack
1997 Titanic Robert Legato, Mark Lasoff, Thomas L. Fisher, and Michael Kanfer
1996 Independence Day Volker Engel, Douglas Smith, Clay Pinney, and Joseph Viskocil
1995 Babe Scott E. Anderson, Charles Gibson, Neal Scanlan, and John Cox
1994 Forrest Gump Ken Ralston, George Murphy, Stephen Rosenbaum, and Allen Hall
1993 Jurassic Park Dennis Muren, Stan Winston, Phil Tippett, and Michael Lantieri
1992 Death Becomes Her Ken Ralston, Doug Chiang, Doug Smythe, and Tom Woodruff, Jr.
1991 Terminator 2: Judgment Day Dennis Muren, Stan Winston, Gene Warren, Jr., and Robert Skotak
1990 Total Recall Eric Brevig, Rob Bottin, Tim McGovern, and Alex Funke
1989 The Abyss John Bruno, Dennis Muren, Hoyt Yeatman, and Dennis Skotak
1988 Who Framed Roger Rabbit Ken Ralston, Richard Williams, Edward Jones, and George Gibbs
1987 Innerspace Dennis Muren, William George, Harley Jessup, and Kenneth F. Smith
1986 Aliens Robert Skotak, Stan Winston, John Richardson, and Suzanne Benson
1985 Cocoon Ken Ralston, Ralph McQuarrie, Scott Farrar, and David Berry
1984 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Dennis Muren, Michael J. McAlister, Lorne Peterson, and George Gibbs
1983 Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi Richard Edlund, Dennis Muren, Ken Ralston, and Phil Tippett
1982 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial Carlo Rambaldi, Dennis Muren, and Kenneth F. Smith
1981 Raiders of the Lost Ark Richard Edlund, Kit West, Bruce Nicholson, and Joe Johnston
1980 Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back Brian Johnson, Richard Edlund, Dennis Muren, and Bruce Nicholson
1979 Alien H. R. Giger, Carlo Rambaldi, Brian Johnson, Nick Allder, and Dennis Ayling
1978 Superman Les Bowie, Colin Chilvers, Denys Coop, Roy Field, Derek Meddings, and Zoran Perisic
1977 Star Wars John Stears, John Dykstra, Richard Edlund, Grant McCune, and Robert Blalack
1976 (TIE) King Kong Carlo Rambaldi, Glen Robinson, and Frank Van der Veer
1976 (TIE) Logan's Run L. B. Abbott, Glen Robinson, and Matthew Yuricich
1975 The Hindenburg Albert Whitlock and Glen Robinson
1974 Earthquake Frank Brendel and Glen Robinson
1973 NO AWARD GIVEN
1972 The Poseidon Adventure L. B. Abbott and A. D. Flowers
1971 Bedknobs and Broomsticks Alan Maley, Eustace Lycett and Danny Lee
1970 Tora! Tora! Tora! A.D. Flowers and L.B. Abbott
1969 Marooned Robbie Robertson
1968 2001: A Space Odyssey Stanley Kubrick
1967 Doctor Dolittle L.B. Abbott
1966 Fantastic Voyage Art Cruickshank
1965 Thunderball John Stears
1964 Mary Poppins Peter Ellenshaw, Eustace Lycett and Hamilton Luske
1963 Cleopatra Emil Kosa, Jr.
Special Effects - combined Visual Effects and Sound Effects
1962 The Longest Day Visual Effects by Robert MacDonald, Audio: Jacques Maumont
1961 The Guns of Navarone Visual Effects by Bill Warrington, Audio: Vivian C. Greenham
1960 The Time Machine Visual Effects by Gene Warren and Tim Baar
1959 Ben-Hur Visual Effects by A. Arnold Gillespie and Robert MacDonald, Audio: Milo B. Lory
1958 tom thumb Visual Effects by Tom Howard
1957 The Enemy Below Sound Effects by Walter Rossi
1956 The Ten Commandments John P. Fulton
1955 The Bridges at Toko-Ri No nominees named
1954 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea No nominees named
1953 The War of the Worlds No nominees named
1952 Plymouth Adventure No nominees named
1951 When Worlds Collide No nominees named
1950 Destination Moon No nominees named
1949 Mighty Joe Young No nominees named
1948 Portrait of Jennie Paul Eagler, J. McMillan Johnson, Russell Shearman and Clarence Slifer (photographic), Charles L. Freeman and James G. Stewart (sound)
1947 Green Dolphin Street A. Arnold Gillespie and Warren Newcombe (photo) Douglas Shearer and Michael Steinore (sound)
1946 Blithe Spirit Thomas Howard
1945 Wonder Man John P. Fulton (photographic), Arthur Johns (sound)
1944 Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo A. Arnold Gillespie (photographic), Donald Jahraus (photographic), Warren Newcombe (photographic), Douglas Shearer (sound)
1943 Crash Dive Fred Sersen (photographic), Roger Heman Sr. (sound)
1942 Reap the Wild Wind Farciot Edouart (photographic), Gordon Jennings (photographic), William L. Pereira (photographic), Louis Mesenkop (sound)
1941 I Wanted Wings Farciot Edouart (photographic), Gordon Jennings (photographic), Louis Mesenkop (sound)
1940 The Thief of Bagdad Lawrence W. Butler (photographic), Jack Whitney (sound)
1939 The Rains Came E. H. Hansen (sound), Fred Sersen (photographic)
Special AwardFor outstanding achievement in creating special photographic and sound effects
1938 Spawn of the North Gordon Jennings, assisted by Jan Domela, Dev Jennings, Irmin Roberts and Art Smith; transparencies by Farciot Edouart, assisted by Loyal Griggs
Engineering Effects
1927/28 Wings Roy Pomeroy