It’s undeniable Greig Fraser is leading the race for Best Cinematography for his incredible work on Dune. And he would prove to be an incredibly worthy winner. But now that a sequel has been greenlit, could that possibly give Academy members a reason to look elsewhere this year and award Fraser’s work in the future instead?
Fraser faces formidable opponents with several contenders breathing down his neck to steal this category. Bruno Delbonnel’s cinematography in The Tragedy of Macbeth is truly stunning. Any other year, it might be the unassailable frontrunner. The film still hasn’t been widely seen and its campaign hasn’t truly begun, so time will tell.
The Power of the Dog is a major contender across the board this year and Ari Wegner will surely become only the second female cinematographer to receive an Oscar nomination. The chance to make history as the first female winner is a terrific campaign narrative that compliments Wegner’s incredible work on Jane Campion’s masterpiece.
With its premiere coming up in December, keep an eye on The Matrix Resurrections in the cinematography race. Cinematography duties are shared by Daniele Massaccesi and two-time Oscar winner and industry legend John Toll and we know how this franchise delivers on the visual front. If the Academy are looking to add a blockbuster to this race, this could be their chosen one.
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY PREDICTIONS:
1. Dune (Warner Bros.)
Greig Fraser
2. The Power of the Dog (Netflix)
Ari Wegner
3. The Tragedy of Macbeth (A24/Apple TV+)
Bruno Delbonnel
4. Belfast (Focus Features)
Haris Zambarloukos
5. West Side Story (20th Century Studios)
Janusz Kaminski
IN CONTENTION
C’mon C’mon (A24)
Robbie Ryan
Cyrano (MGM)
Seamus McGarvey
Don’t Look Up (Netflix)
Linus Sandgren
The French Dispatch (Searchlight Pictures)
Robert Yeoman
House of Gucci (MGM)
Dariusz Wolski
Licorice Pizza (MGM)
Michael Bauman and Paul Thomas Anderson
The Matrix Resurrections (Warner Bros.)
Danielle Massaccesi and John Toll
Nightmare Alley (Searchlight Pictures)
Dan Laustsen
No Time to Die (MGM)
Linus Sandgren
Spencer (Neon)
Claire Mathon
tick, tick… BOOM! (Netflix)
Alice Brooks