This year’s nominations for Best Cinematography at the 2025 Academy Awards make for an especially tight race. While three of the most nominated films of the year made the cut—Emilia Pérez,Dune: Part Two, andThe Brutalist—the category also threw a few surprises into the mix, givingMariaits only nomination and celebrating horror withNosferatu. That being said, it’s still a bit surprising that films likeAnora,Conclave, andThe Substancewere snubbed, especially since they overperformed elsewhere.
But that just speaks to how tight this race is this year, that some of the biggest Oscar films didn’t even earn a spot among the final five. Pretty muchany of these nominees would deserve a win here, and that’s rare in any category. With that in mind,this list will rank this year’s Best Cinematography nominees from worst to best, considering their strengths and role in elevating their respective film’s overall quality.
5’Emilia Pérez’ (2024)
Cinematographer: Paul Guilhaume
Emilia Pérezcertainly has its fair share of problems, butone of its more successful aspects is its cinematography—especially in the film’s musical segments. Take, for example,Zoe Saldaña’s opening number, “El Alegato,” set outside at crime scenes or inside a courtroom, orSelena Gomezsinging and dancing in a neon-lit club. There’s also some really nice use of usually harsh lights and spotlights in Saldaña andKarla Sofía Gascón’s big musical number, “El Mal.” Despite its thirteen nominations, at this point, it seems like it wouldn’t be surprising ifEmilia Pérezmostly will be remembered for Saldaña’s performance andthe often striking imagery, thanks in large part to cinematographerPaul Guilhaume.
Guilhaume is, compared to the other nominees, fairly new to cinematography, having only worked on eight other films prior toEmilia Pérez. Guilaume’s biggest film before his Oscar nomination was also his first collaboration with directorJacques Audiardfor 2021’sParis, 13th District, which was gorgeously shot in stunning black-and-white. While it doesn’t seem at this point thatEmilia Pérezwill win in cinematography,Guilhaume is definitely a talented cinematographeron his way up.
Emilia Perez
4’Maria (2024)
Cinematographer: Ed Lachman
So much ofPablo Larraín’s restrainedMariacomes in watchingAngelina Jolie’sMaria Callasexploring spaces like her beautifully lit Parisian apartment or the cold, intimidating stage that she’s afraid to return to. Even more than Larraín’s other major biopics,SpencerandJackie, this is a quiet, reflective film that lives or dies by its imagery. Thankfully, cinematographerEdward Lachmangives this film shot after shot of overwhelmingly marvelous locales for Maria Callas, a woman who appreciated true beauty, and this film truly gives this to her.
Lachman is no stranger to sumptuously breathtaking films, having been nominated in this category three times prior, twice for his work withTodd HaynesinFar from HeavenandCarol, and last year for another collaboration with Larraín,El Conde. Additionally, Lachman has shot films likeSofia Coppola’sThe Virgin Suicides,The Limey, andErin BrockovichwithSteven Soderbergh, and plenty of other films by Haynes.Lachman knows how to set a mood with these films, which he absolutely does withMaria. While Lachman, without a doubt, deserves to win an award for his cinematography, it would be a major shock if this ended up being his year.
3’Dune: Part Two' (2024)
Cinematographer: Greig Fraser
In 2021,Denis Villeneuve’sDuneunderstandably won the cinematography award, earningGreig Fraseran Oscar with his second nomination (he was previously nominated for 2016’sLion). Fraser is once again nominated this year for his tremendous work onDune: Part Two, which is bigger, more ambitious, and more visually arresting than the first film.Dune: Part Twoexpands Villeneuve andFrank Herbert’s original vision greatly,making the world of Arrakis feel gargantuan, thanks in no small part to Fraser’s remarkable camera work. While one could easily argue that Fraser deserved the cinematography Oscar forDune: Part Twomore than for the original, the Academy Awards have never given this award to a sequel, so it seems entirely unlikely that Fraser will take the stage again this year.
But Fraser is a considerable talent, especially in creating films that almost inherently need to be dark yet lit in a way that’s still inviting and breathtaking.Fraser has previously shot films likeKilling Them Softly,Zero Dark Thirty,Foxcatcher,Rogue One, and 2022’sThe Batman, so he knows how to play with darkness in a way that doesn’t take away from the film but instead adds to it.As entertainment seems to be getting darker and darker in a way that’s almost hard to see on some screens,Fraser’s cinematography shows how to perfectly do darknessthe right way.
Dune: Part Two
2’Nosferatu' (2024)
Cinematographer: Jarin Blaschke
Speaking of knowing how to do darkness well,Jarin Blaschkehas made a name for himself in recent years, shooting the haunting projects ofRobert Eggers, working on all his films since 2015’sThe Witchand earning his first nomination for 2019’sThe Lighthouse. YetNosferatuis arguably the biggest undertaking both Eggers and Blaschke have taken on yet, adapting a film that’s over a century old yet still managing tocapture the seething darkness that squirms underneaththis story. This filmhasto live in the shadows, and yet, Blaschke makes the often overwhelming darkness of this story become a gift and not a curse, creating one of the most beautifully shot films of 2024.
Along withThe Substance,Nosferatu’s four nominations were exciting, as it showed the Oscars finally embracing horror in major categories. However, it would’ve been truly shocking had the Oscars snubbed Blaschke here, as he’s won Best Cinematography awards from the Critics’ Choice Awards, as well as from the National Board of Review. At this point, this category seems like the most likely forNosferatuto win Oscar gold, andawarding Blaschke for his contributions to horror would be well-deserved.
1’The Brutalist’ (2024)
Cinematographer: Lol Crawley
It may be cliché to say that every frame of a movie looks like a work of art, but that’s absolutely the case withLol Crawley’s cinematography inBrady Corbet’sThe Brutalist. Corbet’s film feels almost classic in its approach to epic storytelling but also surprisingly modern in how the story is told, and a major part of that is Crawley’s camerawork.The Brutalistalsorevived the VistaVision filming process, which hasn’t been used for a complete feature film since 1963. From the opening shot ofAdrien Brody’s László Tóth getting off the boat in the United States, it’s hard to understand why this formidable style has been dormant for over sixty years.Crawley’s cinematography remains truly immensethroughout its entire 3+ hour runtime, from the way Tóth expands a bookcase in a sun-covered office to the cold but phenomenal architecture that Tóth creates out of nothing.
Crawley has previously collaborated with Corbet on his first two films,The Childhood of the LeaderandVox Lux, as well as shot such films asBallast,Four Lions,45 Years,The Devil All the Time, andNoah Baumbach’sWhite Noise. Crawley has amassed a truly impressive lineup of work since 2008, and it’s actually sort of surprising thatThe Brutalistmarks his first nomination. Crawley has already won Best Cinematography from quite a few regional critic’s groups and is nominated for Best Theatrical Feature Film at the American Society of Cinematographers Awards, alongside many of his fellow nominees in this category.The Brutalistis the type of film that blows people away simply by its look andone of the most jaw-dropping, gorgeous worksto come out last year. Crawley deserves to not only win this category this year, but hopefully, this will be the first of many appearances in this category in the future.
