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Chris Menges Biography

Birth Name:Christopher Menges

Birth Place:Kington, England

Profession Cinematographer, Camera department, Director, Producer

Fast Facts

  • A longtime member of both the British and American Society of Cinematographers
  • After more than two decades working on documentary features, he would transition to dramatic fiction starting in the 1980s, gaining international acclaim for the Oscar-winning film, "The Killing Fields"
  • Began his career as a camera operator for documentaries in the early '60s before transitioning to cinematography by 1968
  • Made his directorial debut in 1988 with "A World Apart" which would go on to win numerous awards at the Cannes Film Festival in 1988
  • After he released "The Opium Warlords" in the early '70s, it was said that the Burmese government issued a warrant for his capture, as the film highlighted the country's booming drug trade

Awards

  • 1984BAFTA Film Award-Best Cinematography: nominated
  • 1984Best Cinematography Award-: winner
  • 1984LAFCA Award-Best Cinematography: winner
  • 1984NYFCC Award-Best Cinematographer: winner
  • 1985Oscar-Best Cinematography: winner
  • 1985BAFTA Film Award-Best Cinematography: winner
  • 1985BSFC Award-Best Cinematography: winner
  • 1985NSFC Award-Best Cinematography: winner
  • 1986Best Cinematography Award-: nominated
  • 1986LAFCA Award-Best Cinematography: winner
  • 1986NYFCC Award-Best Cinematographer: nominated
  • 1987Oscar-Best Cinematography: winner
  • 1987ASC Award-Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases: nominated
  • 1987BAFTA Film Award-Best Cinematography: nominated
  • 1988Prize of the Ecumenical Jury-: winner
  • 1988Palme d'Or-: nominated
  • 1988Grand Prize of the Jury-: winner
  • 1988NYFCC Award-Best Director: winner
  • 1989Independent Spirit Award-Best Foreign Film: nominated
  • 1989NSFC Award-Best Director: nominated
  • 1994Golden Seashell-Best Film: nominated
  • 1994Special Prize of the Jury-: winner
  • 1996Best Cinematography Award-: nominated
  • 1996LAFCA Award-Best Cinematography: winner
  • 1997Oscar-Best Cinematography: nominated
  • 1997ASC Award-Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases: nominated
  • 1997BAFTA Film Award-Best Cinematography: nominated
  • 1997CFCA Award-Best Cinematography: nominated
  • 1997NSFC Award-Best Cinematography: nominated
  • 1997OFTA Film Award-Best Cinematography: nominated
  • 1998ASC Award-Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases: nominated
  • 2002Best Cinematography Award-: nominated
  • 2002Best Cinematography-: winner
  • 2003European Film Award-European Cinematographer: nominated
  • 2005Golden Frog-: nominated
  • 2006Independent Spirit Award-Best Cinematography: nominated
  • 2009Oscar-Best Achievement in Cinematography: nominated
  • 2009ASC Award-Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases: nominated
  • 2009BAFTA Film Award-Best Cinematography: nominated
  • 2009Best Cinematography Award-: nominated