The International Cinematographers Guild (ICG, IATSE Local 600) presented eight aspiring DPs with 2025 Emerging Cinematographer Awards (ECA) during a ceremony, screening and reception held this past Sunday (9/28) at the Television Academy Saban Media Center Wolf Theatre.
Selected from 100 submissions, the class of 2025 ECA honorees consists of:
–Isaac Banks for his short film “The Trophy King”
–John B. Barrett, “Recall”
–Daniel Cotroneo, “Yae: Blind Samurai Woman”
–Eythan Maidhof, “Class Clown”
–Mariscela Beatríz Méndez, “The Middle”
–Josh Pickering, “Boundless | HomeAid”
–Steven Jacob Russell, “Hammer”
–Alexa Wolf, “To Fade Away”
The ECAs support the next generation of visual storytellers by spotlighting and honoring early-career and emerging directors of photography. A panel of established ICG members from across the country assess submissions from Local 600 members who are not yet classified as DPs. The awards are presented to the cinematographers of short films, under 30 minutes in length.
The 2025 crop of emerging cinematographers benefited from more than just the Sunday showcase in North Hollywood. The day prior (9/27) at ICG headquarters in Hollywood, the eight ECA winners received practical career advice from DP agents at WME and WPA. The agents offered career counsel, discussed agent and DP strategies, standards for professional behavior, and answered assorted questions from the ECA honorees.
John Lindley, ASC, is national president of the ICG. Steven Poster, ASC, serves as chair of the Guild’s ECA committee. Eduardo Fierro, SVC, a 2013 ECA alumnus, joined this year as the new co-chair of the ECA committee,
Distinguished Filmmaker Award
Also during the 27th annual ECA gala, Johanna Coelho accepted the Distinguished Filmmaker Award.
Coelho’s visual style prioritizes the emotional storylines of the characters, to create the best visual atmosphere for characters to perform in. She has most recently been shooting season two of HBO Max’s Emmy Award-winning series “The Pitt.” Previously, she worked on seasons two and four of “The Rookie” on ABC and the film “All Happy Families.” Coelho studied cinematography at the American Film Institute.
ASC Mentor Award
The ECA weekend actually started on Friday (9/26) when Stephen Lighthill, ASC, presented the ASC Mentor Award to cinematographer Sandra Valde-Hansen, ASC, LPS during a luncheon at the ASC Clubhouse.
Valde-Hansen is an accomplished Filipina-American cinematographer, working across feature films, television and documentary, who is deeply committed to increasing representation in front of and behind the camera. She holds an MFA from the American Film Institute, where she now serves as a sr. lecturer in cinematography. Her notable credits include “The Summer I Turned Pretty” and “Plan B,” as well as acclaimed indie filmmaker Gregg Araki’s “Now Apocalypse,” “Kaboom” and “White Bird in a Blizzard.”
