40th ASC Awards Winners: Michael Bauman Takes Top Prize for One Battle After Another

Awards

by Nino LeitnerMarch 9^th, 2026

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The American Society of Cinematographers celebrated its milestone 40th annual awards ceremony at the Beverly Hilton, with Michael Bauman claiming the coveted Theatrical Feature Film prize for his work on Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another. The win further solidifies Bauman as the frontrunner heading into the Academy Awards, where the same five nominees are competing for the Best Cinematography Oscar.

The ceremony, hosted by The Four Seasons star Kerri Kenney-Silver, drew an audience of more than 1,100 industry professionals, with presenters including Jason Reitman, Owen Wilson, and Rachel Brosnahan. ASC President Mandy Walker opened the show, which featured a special reel celebrating the organization’s four decades of honoring cinematic achievement. Beyond the competitive categories, the evening recognized several industry figures with honorary awards, including filmmaker Guillermo del Toro and veteran cinematographer Robert Yeoman, ASC.

Featured image shows cinematographer Michael Bauman on the ASC Awards stage after his win of the ASC Theatrical Feature Film Award for his work on ‘One Battle After Another.’ Photo credit: Danny Moloshok, via the ASC

Bauman’s breakthrough year

Michael Bauman earned his first-ever ASC nominations this year, receiving two in a single evening: one for the theatrical feature One Battle After Another and another in the limited series category for his work on Monster: The Ed Gein Story. He won the top prize for his collaboration with Anderson, a film he shot on VistaVision, marking a rare revival of the premium widescreen format that defined Hollywood’s technical ambitions in the 1950s. Bauman had previously worked with Anderson on Licorice Pizza, and his other credits include episodes of American Horror Stories and Feud.

In case you missed it, we recently ran an educational feature about “Iconic Car Chases Then and Now”, featuring particularly the incredible car chase sequence in One Battle After Another.

The win adds to an already strong awards season run for Bauman, who also took home the BAFTA and BSC Award for One Battle After Another. The cinematography race heading into the Oscars has been widely regarded as one of the tightest in recent memory. Autumn Durald Arkapaw dominated the critics’ awards circuit for her work on Sinners, which she shot using a groundbreaking dual-format approach combining 65mm and IMAX film acquisition, while Adolpho Veloso won the Spirit Award for Train Dreams.

The other nominees in the theatrical feature category were Darius Khondji, ASC, AFC for Marty Supreme and Dan Laustsen, ASC, DFF for Frankenstein. All five nominees are also competing for the Best Cinematography Oscar, marking the second time in three years that the ASC and Academy slates have been identical.

How predictive is the ASC for the Oscar?

Historically, the ASC’s Theatrical Feature Film winner has gone on to claim the Best Cinematography Oscar roughly half the time, winning 18 times across the organization’s 39-year history. However, the two voting bodies have only matched six out of the last 10 years. Just last year, the ASC honored Edward Lachman for Maria, but the Academy Award went to Lol Crawley for The Brutalist.

This year’s result does not settle the race entirely. Durald Arkapaw would make history as the first woman to win the Best Cinematography Oscar if she takes the prize for Sinners. The ASC itself broke its own streak of male-only feature film winners just over three years ago, when Mandy Walker became the first woman to win the theatrical feature award for Elvis, before losing the Oscar to All Quiet on the Western Front’s James Friend.

Television categories deliver surprises

The television categories produced some notable upsets. In the Episode of a One-Hour Regular Series category, the result ended in a rare tie between Christophe Nuyens, SBC for Andor (“I Have Friends Everywhere”) and Alex Disenhof, ASC for Task (“Crossings”). Both defeated Emmy winner Severance, which was nominated for Jessica Lee Gagné’s work on the episode “Hello, Ms. Cobel.” The White Lotus and Alien: Earth rounded out the category.

Adam Newport-Berra won the Episode of a Half-Hour Series award for The Studio (“The Oner”), adding to the Emmy he received for the same episode in 2025. It was his first ASC Award nomination. Newport-Berra’s credits include The Last Black Man in San Francisco and episodes of The Bear.

In the limited series category, Pete Konczal, ASC won for Black Rabbit (“Isle of Joy”), defeating the much-discussed single-take episode of Adolescence (Matthew Lewis for “Episode Two”). Konczal’s previous ASC nomination came in 2021 for his work on the anthology series Fargo, and his other credits include episodes of House of Cards.

Documentary and music video awards

The Documentary Award went to Mstyslav Chernov and Alex Babenko for 2000 Meters from Andriivka, a film that uses body-cam footage in its visceral wartime portrait. Chernov accepted the honor and noted that Babenko remains in Kyiv, continuing his work. Chernov previously won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film for 20 Days in Mariupol in 2024, and is known for his extensive coverage of the conflict in Ukraine as a war correspondent and filmmaker.

Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, AMC won the Music Video Award for shooting Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia.” This marked Prieto’s first ASC win after five nominations, with previous recognition for his work on Silence, The Irishman, Killers of the Flower Moon, and the music video for Swift’s “Fortnight.” Prieto’s feature credits include Brokeback Mountain, Babel, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Barbie.

Spotlight and honorary awards

The Spotlight Award, which recognizes outstanding cinematography in smaller feature projects, went to Mátyás Erdély, ASC, HSC for Orphan. This was Erdély’s second win in the category; he previously shared the prize in 2016 for Son of Saul.

Guillermo del Toro received the ASC’s Board of Governors Award, presented by Jason Reitman. The honor recognizes collaborators who champion directors of photography and elevate the visual craft of cinema. Del Toro arrived at the ceremony after receiving an award at the Saturn Awards earlier in the evening.

Robert Yeoman, ASC received the Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by Owen Wilson, with Wes Anderson contributing a video message. Yeoman’s collaboration with Anderson spans ten features, from Bottle Rocket through to The Grand Budapest Hotel, which earned him Oscar, BAFTA, and ASC Award nominations.

M. David Mullen, ASC received the Career Achievement in Television Award, presented by Rachel Brosnahan. His work on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel earned him two ASC Awards and three Emmy Awards. Cynthia Pusheck, ASC received the Presidents Award for her service to the organization, including co-founding the ASC Vision Committee. Stephen Pizzello, editor-in-chief of American Cinematographer, received the ASC Award of Distinction for his three decades of stewardship at the magazine. Kodak received the Curtis Clark ASC Technology Award, recognizing the company’s integral role in providing the film stocks that have defined the look of cinema for over a century.

Full list of 40th ASC Awards winners

Theatrical Feature Film: Michael Bauman for One Battle After Another

Episode of a One-Hour Regular Series (tie): Christophe Nuyens, SBC for Andor (“I Have Friends Everywhere”) and Alex Disenhof, ASC for Task (“Crossings”)

Episode of a Half-Hour Series: Adam Newport-Berra for The Studio (“The Oner”)

Limited or Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Pete Konczal, ASC for Black Rabbit (“Isle of Joy”)

Documentary Award: Mstyslav Chernov and Alex Babenko for 2000 Meters from Andriivka

Spotlight Award: Mátyás Erdély, ASC, HSC for Orphan

Music Video Award: Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, AMC for “The Fate of Ophelia” (Performed by Taylor Swift)

With the Oscar ceremony now just days away, the cinematography race remains one of the most compelling categories to watch. Will Bauman’s ASC, BAFTA, and BSC trifecta carry him to the Academy Award, or can Autumn Durald Arkapaw make history for Sinners? Don’t hesitate to let us know your predictions in the comments below!