Matthew Libatique facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Matthew Libatique
Libatique in 2011
Born	Matthew José Libatique (1968-07-19) July 19, 1968 (age 56) Elmhurst, New York, U.S.
Other names	Matty Libatique
Alma mater	California State University, Fullerton AFI Conservatory
Occupation	Cinematographer
Years active	1993–present
Spouse(s)	Mary-Ellen Libatique
Awards	Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography 2001 Requiem for a Dream 2011 Black Swan

Matthew Libatique (born July 19, 1968) is a famous American cinematographer. He is like the artist who paints with light and cameras in movies! He helps directors bring their stories to life on the big screen. Matthew is well-known for working a lot with director Darren Aronofsky. They have made many cool films together, like Pi (1998), Requiem for a Dream (2000), The Fountain (2006), Black Swan (2010), Noah (2014), and Mother! (2017). Matthew has even been nominated for an Oscar three times for his amazing camera work! These nominations were for Black Swan (2010), A Star Is Born (2018), and Maestro (2023).

Early Life and Education

Matthew Libatique was born on July 19, 1968, in Elmhurst, Queens, New York City. His parents came from the Philippines. His dad was from Dagupan, and his mom was from Lucena.

Matthew first studied sociology and communications. He went to California State University, Fullerton. Later, he earned a special degree called an MFA in cinematography. He got this degree from the AFI Conservatory. This is a school where people learn how to make movies.

Matthew Libatique's Career in Film

Matthew Libatique started his career by working on music videos. He was the director of photography for these videos. He often worked with his friend from film school, Darren Aronofsky. They made a short film together called Protozoa. They then worked on Aronofsky's first three feature films.

Matthew has also worked with other famous directors.

• He teamed up with Julie Dash on music videos, including "Give Me One Reason" by Tracy Chapman.
• He worked with Spike Lee on movies like Inside Man.
• He collaborated with Joel Schumacher on films such as Phone Booth.
• He also worked with Jon Favreau on big movies like Iron Man and Iron Man 2.

Working as a Cinematographer

A cinematographer is a very important person on a movie set. They are in charge of all the cameras and lighting. They decide how each scene will look. Matthew Libatique has talked about how important it is to work closely with the director. He says that the cinematographer and director must have the same goal. They need to tell the same story with their visuals.

Matthew believes that every film should be unique. He changes his approach based on the director's style. Some directors like to talk a lot about how shots will look. Others focus more on the actors' performances. Matthew tries to understand the director's vision. This helps him create the perfect visual style for each movie.

Awards and Recognition

In 2010, Matthew was nominated for an Oscar for his work on Black Swan. He also won his second Independent Spirit award for this film. He has won many other awards too. These include best cinematography awards from groups like the LA Film Critics Association.

Filmography

This section lists the movies and music videos Matthew Libatique has worked on.

Feature Film

Key

Denotes films that have not yet been released

Year	Title	Director	Notes
1998	Pi	Darren Aronofsky	First collaboration with Aronofsky
2000	Requiem for a Dream
	Tigerland	Joel Schumacher
2001	Josie and the Pussycats	Harry Elfont Deborah Kaplan
2002	Abandon	Stephen Gaghan
	Phone Booth	Joel Schumacher
2003	Gothika	Mathieu Kassovitz
2004	She Hate Me	Spike Lee	First collaboration with Lee
	Never Die Alone	Ernest Dickerson
2005	Everything Is Illuminated	Liev Schreiber
2006	Inside Man	Spike Lee
	The Fountain	Darren Aronofsky
2007	The Number 23	Joel Schumacher
2008	Iron Man	Jon Favreau
	Miracle at St. Anna	Spike Lee
2010	Black Swan	Darren Aronofsky
	Iron Man 2	Jon Favreau
	My Own Love Song	Olivier Dahan
2011	Cowboys & Aliens	Jon Favreau
2012	Ruby Sparks	Jonathan Dayton Valerie Faris
2014	Noah	Darren Aronofsky
2015	Straight Outta Compton	F. Gary Gray
	Chi-Raq	Spike Lee
2016	Money Monster	Jodie Foster
	Pelé: Birth of a Legend	Jeff Zimbalist Michael Zimbalist
2017	The Circle	James Ponsoldt
	Mother!	Darren Aronofsky
2018	Venom	Ruben Fleischer
	A Star Is Born	Bradley Cooper	First collaboration with Cooper
2019	Native Son	Rashid Johnson
2020	Birds of Prey	Cathy Yan
	The Prom	Ryan Murphy
2022	Don't Worry Darling	Olivia Wilde
	The Whale	Darren Aronofsky
2023	Maestro	Bradley Cooper
TBA	Highest 2 Lowest	Spike Lee	Post-production
	Caught Stealing	Darren Aronofsky	Post-production

Music Video

Awards and Nominations

Matthew Libatique has been recognized with many awards for his cinematography. Here are some of the major awards he has been nominated for or won.

Academy Awards

BAFTA Awards

American Society of Cinematographers

Independent Spirit Awards

Online Film Critics Society

Boston Society of Film Critics

Chicago Film Critics Association

Satellite Awards

Critics' Choice Movie Awards

Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association

Other Awards