Young Iranian cinematographer Habib Majidi has been appointed as a member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC).
The membership will give Majidi the opportunity to examine the works of applicant filmmakers and photographers and select new members together with veteran global cinematographers like Melissa Mosely and Barry Wetcher, who have worked with well-known international film directors, namely, American Martin Scorsese, Clint Eastwood, Steven Soderbergh, Anglo-American Christopher Nolan and Serbian Emir Nemanja Kusturica, Mehr News Agency reported.
Majidi, 37, was the first Asian still photographer who became a member of the US-based Society of Motion Picture Still Photographers (SMPSP) in 2013. The society is dedicated to the art of motion picture still photography and boasts an exclusive membership of only 44 photographers from around the world. He is the only Asian full member.
His solo photo exhibition in Lithuanian Theater, Music and Cinema Museum in Vilnius was presented in March 2015. He also had a solo exhibition in Rome, Italy in 2013.
Majidi started his career as a professional still photographer in 2003 with well-known film director Asghar Farhadi’s movie “Beautiful City.” He was also cinematographer for the movie “A Separation” which was winner of the Oscar and the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film in 2012.
At the 32nd Fajr International Film Festival (FIFF), he was nominated the best film photographer and received the Crystal Phoenix award.
By Invite Only
The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), founded in 1919, is an educational, cultural and professional organization. ASC membership is by invitation only and is extended only to directors of photography and special effects experts with distinguished credits and credentials in the film industry.
A candidate must be proposed in writing by three active or retired ASC members. The prospective member’s qualifications and work are screened before selection.
Members can put the letters A.S.C. after their names. Membership to ASC has become one of the highest honors that can be bestowed upon a professional cinematographer, a mark of prestige and distinction. The ASC currently has 340 active members.
