How 'Elvis' Cinematographer Mandy Walker Could Make History at This Year's Oscars

By Kayleigh Donaldson | Film | March 7, 2023 |

By Kayleigh Donaldson | Film | March 7, 2023 |

This past Sunday, a small but crucial barrier was broken in Hollywood. At the American Society of Cinematographers Awards, Mandy Walker took home the feature competition title for her work on Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis. This made her the first woman ever to win that honor. Yeah, seriously.

Walker, who has worked with the likes of Luhrmann, Niki Caro, and Catherine Hardwicke, took to the stage amid a massive standing ovation. She noted the historical nature of the moment, saying in her speech, ‘This is for all the women that win this award after me.’ Last year, she became the first woman to win a cinematography award at the AACTA Awards in her native Australia.

Mandy Walker’s historic speech #ascawards #elvis pic.twitter.com/mngcLTWSeo

— Jazz Tangcay (@jazzt) March 6, 2023

The moment Mandy Walker became the first woman cinematographer to win the feature award at the #ASCAwards for her work on #Elvis.

"This is for all the women who will win this award after me." pic.twitter.com/y1udttXKW2

— 𝖆 𝖓𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙𝖒𝖆𝖗𝖊 𝖔𝖓 𝖊𝖑𝖑𝖊 𝖘𝖙𝖗𝖊𝖊𝖙 (@elleschneider) March 7, 2023

This win from her peers puts Walker in a strong position to win the Oscar for Best Cinematography. She would be the first woman to do so if she is awarded. It took until 2017 for this category to award its first female nominee, and that was Rachel Morrison for Mudbound. Walker is the third woman overall in 95 years to get this nomination. Yes, there have been more women nominated for Best Director than Best Cinematography. Think about that for a second.

Hollywood’s stumble towards gender parity is a maddeningly incremental process, but even by its own lack of standards, the lack of movement in the field of cinematography is notable. Despite women having been crucial players behind the camera in Hollywood since its very beginning, there is still this prevalent idea that a cinematographer needs to be a burly, physically foreboding figure capable of lugging around tons of equipment. It’s a heavily collaborative role, particularly with the director, and we’ve seen how an industry dominated by cishet white dudes tends to reach out to people who look like them.

Change is happening but it’s also worth noting the incredible women who are already doing great work in the field. Mandy Walker is but one example, someone who defines the kinetic energy of Elvis as much as Luhrmann’s direction. Consider Ari Wegner’s work on The Power of the Dog and Zola, two wildly different films with unique aesthetic focuses, or how Maryse Alberti shot the boxing scenes in Creed.

Walker faces tough competition this year, with her fellow nominees including two of the greatest cinematographers of all time, Roger Deakins and how Darius Khondji. I’m rooting for her. I think her work on Elvis is stunning, so colorful and chaotic yet consistently focused in a way that almost feels contradictory. That scene where Elvis first shakes his hips and sets off a storm of horny screaming is a great pastiche yet wholly earnest in capturing the radical energy of that moment. It’ll be cool if she makes history, but oh wow, how depressing that it took 95 years to get one woman to the stage.