Ellen Kuras facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ellen Kuras
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Kuras in 2008
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| Born | July 10, 1959 Cedar Grove, New Jersey, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Brown University |
| Occupation | Cinematographer |
| Years active | 1987–present |
Ellen Kuras (born July 10, 1959) is a talented American cinematographer. A cinematographer is like the main camera artist on a movie set. They are in charge of how a film looks, choosing the lighting, camera angles, and shots to tell the story visually. Ellen Kuras has worked on many different types of projects, including movies, documentaries, music videos, and TV commercials. She is one of the few women to be part of the American Society of Cinematographers, which is a big deal in the film world. She is especially known for her amazing work on the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004).
Ellen Kuras has worked with famous directors like Michel Gondry, Spike Lee, and Martin Scorsese. She has won the Award for Excellence in Dramatic Cinematography three times at the Sundance Film Festival for her films Personal Velocity: Three Portraits, Angela, and Swoon. Her first dramatic film was Swoon, after starting her career with political documentaries.
In 2008, she directed her first movie, The Betrayal (Nerakhoon). She also helped write, produce, and film it. This movie was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2009. In 2010, she won a Primetime Emmy Award for her excellent work on this film.
Contents
About Ellen Kuras
Early Life and School
Ellen Kuras grew up in Cedar Grove, New Jersey. When she was a baby, she had a fever that left her almost deaf in one ear and with only about 20% hearing in the other.
She went to Cedar Grove High School. After high school, she earned two degrees from Brown University in anthropology (the study of human societies) and semiotics (the study of signs and symbols). She then studied photography and filmmaking, planning to make documentaries. In the early 1980s, she wanted to study film in Poland, but she couldn't go because of political problems there. Her family has Polish roots, and their original last name was Kuraś.
Her Career in Film
Ellen Kuras started her film career in 1987. Her first big project was filming Samsara: Death and Rebirth in Cambodia, which was the first American movie filmed in Cambodia after the Vietnam War. This film won her an award for best cinematography in 1990.
Soon after, she was asked to film her first dramatic movie, Swoon. This film earned her another Sundance Award in 1992. This was the beginning of her work with a film company called Killer Films.
Ellen Kuras has worked on many different kinds of films and TV shows. She has filmed big-budget movies like Blow and Analyze That, and independent films like Angela and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. She also filmed documentaries such as Unzipped and 4 Little Girls. She has even filmed concert movies for musicians like Lou Reed and for TV shows.
In 1999, she was invited to join the American Society of Cinematographers. This was a very special honor, as she was only the fifth woman to join this group of over 400 male cinematographers.
She has received many awards for her work. In 1999, she won the Women in Film Kodak Vision Award. In 2006, she was honored at the Gotham Awards for all her amazing films. In 2003, she was the first film technician to receive the NY Women In Film and TV Muse Award, which usually goes to actresses.
Ellen Kuras has also been a judge at several film festivals, including the Sundance Film Festival and the Berlin International Film Festival. She often gives talks at film schools and festivals, sharing her knowledge with new filmmakers.
Selected Filmography
Ellen Kuras has worked on many films and TV shows as a cinematographer and director. Here are some notable ones:
As Cinematographer
- Swoon (1992)
- Angela (1995)
- I Shot Andy Warhol (1996)
- Summer of Sam (1999)
- Blow (2001)
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
- Dave Chappelle's Block Party (2005)
- The Betrayal – Nerakhoon (2008)
- Away We Go (2009)
- Public Speaking (2010)
- Jane (2017)
- Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese (2019)
- American Utopia (2020)
As Director
- The Betrayal – Nerakhoon (2008) - She also wrote and produced this documentary.
- Lee (2023) - A feature film.
- She has also directed episodes for TV series like Ozark, Legion, and The Umbrella Academy.
Awards and Honors
Ellen Kuras has received many awards for her outstanding work in film:
- Academy Awards:
- Nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film for The Betrayal (Nerakhoon) (2009).
- Primetime Emmy Awards:
- Won Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking for The Betrayal – Nerakhoon (2009).
- Won Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program for Jane (2018).
- Sundance Film Festival:
- Won the Cinematography Award (Dramatic) three times for Swoon (1992), Angela (1995), and Personal Velocity: Three Portraits (2002).
- Independent Spirit Awards:
- Nominated for Best Cinematography for Swoon (1992) and Personal Velocity: Three Portraits (2002).
See also
In Spanish: Ellen Kuras para niños
