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Kira Kelly facts for kids

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Kira Kelly
Born
Kira Denise Kelly
Education Northwestern University (BS)
Occupation Cinematographer
Years active 1998–present

Kira Kelly is an American cinematographer. A cinematographer is like the main camera artist on a movie or TV show. They decide how everything looks on screen. Kira Kelly is famous for her work on the film 13th. This work earned her a nomination for an Emmy Award. She also worked on the TV series Queen Sugar.

Kira Kelly's Career Journey

Starting Out in Film

Kira Kelly studied Radio/Television/Film at Northwestern University. After college, she began her career as an electrician on film sets. An electrician helps set up all the lights and power for filming. She also worked as a gaffer on bigger projects. A gaffer is the chief electrician who works closely with the cinematographer.

Kira loved to film anything she could. She learned a lot from these early jobs. Her first projects as a cinematographer included two movies directed by Tom Gustafson. She also worked on the Hulu TV series East Los High.

Big Break with Ava DuVernay

A major moment in Kira Kelly's career happened when director Ava DuVernay contacted her. They connected through social media. This led to Kelly being hired for the film 13th. For her amazing work on 13th, she was nominated for an Emmy Award. This is a very important award in television.

Who Inspired Kira Kelly?

Kira Kelly gets ideas and inspiration from other artists. She is influenced by the work of Rinko Kawauchi, who is a photographer. She also looks to Martina Hoogland Ivanow and Cy Twombly for creative ideas.

Kira Kelly's Film and TV Work

Movies She Filmed

Kira Kelly has worked on many different movies. Here are some of them:

Year Title Director Notes
2008 Reflections Eli Hershiko
America's Shadows: HIV Risk in Black & Latino Youth Tchaiko Omawale
Were the World Mine Tom Gustafson
2009 Estilo Hip Hop Virgilio Bravo and Loira Limbal
2012 Changing Face of Harlem Shawn Batey
Mariachi Gringo Tom Gustafson
2013 Pop Star Carlos Portugal
2014 Back on Board: Greg Louganis Cheryl Furjanic
2016 13th Ava DuVernay Emmy Award nomination
2019 Skin in the Game Adisa
2021 Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Destin Daniel Cretton Additional photography
2024 Rez Ball Sydney Freeland
2025 Him Justin Tipping

TV Shows She Filmed

Kira Kelly has also been the cinematographer for several popular TV shows:

Year Title Director(s) Notes
2020 Madam C. J. Walker Kasi Lemmons and DeMane Davis
2019 The Red Line Kevin Hooks, et al.
2017-2019 Queen Sugar Ava DuVernay, et al.
2017 Iron Maidens
2013-2016 East Los High Carlos Portugal, et al.
2021 Y: The Last Man Louise Friedberg, Daisy von Scherler Mayer 2 episodes
2024 Echo Sydney Freeland 4 episodes

Awards and Special Recognition

Kira Kelly has been recognized for her excellent work.

  • She was nominated for an Emmy Award for the film 13th.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Kira Kelly para niños

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