Roger Deakins on Receiving His 16th Oscar Nomination for Empire of Light: Im Glad

Publish date: 2024-06-14

Roger Deakins has landed his 16th Oscar nomination for best cinematography for “Empire of Light.” “I’m glad to be there representing the movie and all the people that put so much effort into it,” Deakins said speaking with Variety.

The legendary cinematographer and two-time Oscar winner scored the only Oscar nomination for the film, which marked his fifth time working with director Sam Mendes. “It’s for everybody,” he says of the recognition. “The look of the film is created by the production designer, the wardrobe, costume and actors. It’s so hard to separate all the amazing elements.”

“Empire of Light” is a simple story following Olivia Colman’s Hilary as the manager of the Empire cinema, a place that’s fallen far from its former glory. Its upstairs theater is in decay with pigeons feeding around. Downstairs, locals show up to catch the latest film releases such as “Stir Crazy” and “Chariots of Fire.”

Related Stories

Photo illustration of a robot's hand holding a magnifying glass VIP+

Cloud Adoption Key to Media Business Exploiting AI

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 01: Christopher Ciccone poses for a portrait while promoting his new book "Life With My Sister Madonna" on August 1, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

Christopher Ciccone, Artist and Brother of Madonna, Dies at 63

Coleman’s Hilary leads a lonely life and touches on issues of mental health. “The whole thing about the movies in the film is that it’s a way to connect with something more than your own small world — and I don’t mean that in a derogatory way. I mean that Hilary is a character who lives in this seaside town without a great horizon,” Deakins says of the film’s setting in early ’80s Britain, amid Margaret Thatcher’s prime ministership and rising racial tensions.

Popular on Variety

Deakins continues, “I think the film is about companionship. She has this world with her fellow workers in the movie theater, but that sort of friendship and the small things, watching the films that just bring something more into her life.”

Read More About:

Jump to Comments

More from Variety

Most Popular

Must Read

Sign Up for Variety Newsletters

By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. // This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Variety Confidential

A Variety and iHeartRadio Podcast

ncG1vNJzZmiukae2psDYZ5qopV9nfXN%2FjpqpraGjlru0e8CwmKuco2S%2FsLPEq2SdnZGgtq%2B%2FjKiqnJmiYruwucinmK2hn6N6prnPoqmeZZ%2Bbeq21xqGrZquRonqusc2dnKxlYWeAdoGPampta18%3D