Films and series created for broadcasters and streamers often rely on a quick visual appeal to cut through to viewers and the cinematographers are on the front line of that effort. This award recognizes those talented Directors of Photography who are able to use every tool to make their films and series stand out. Previous winners in this category include Mark Ritchie, Julian Klincewicz, Dikayl Rimmasch and Irie Calkins for Beyonce’s Homecoming (2020), Thorsten Thielow for I’ll Be Gone in the Dark (2021), Ellen Kuras for David Byrne’s American Utopia (2022), Michael Taylor, Judd Overton, Nathan Barlow and Toby Ralph for Playing with Sharks (2023), Heloisa Passos for Nothing Lasts Forever (2024) and Nate Hurtsellers for Ren Faire (2025)
