Altitude Awards winners crowned at Cine Gear Expo

A highlight of this year’s Cine Gear Expo was the Altitude Awards, a collaboration between Women In Media and Zeiss celebrating the best of women working in film.

Submissions were welcomed from cinematographers, camera operators and gaffers and the esteemed judging panel narrowed entries down to 20 semi-finalists, 10 finalists, and ultimately four winners. These were: Eszter Csepeli HCA (1^st place); Jendra Jarnagin (2^nd place); Carolina Costa AMC (3^rd place); and Veronica Bouza (4^th place).

Los Angeles-based Eszter Csepeli HCA is Hungary’s leading female cinematographer. She is a founding member of the Hungarian Cinematographers’ Association and the only woman on its board.

Jendra Jarnagin has over 25 years’ experience working in media, with a diverse career spanning features, television shows, commercials, music videos and documentary. She recently lensed Asking For It, which premiered at Tribeca and was released by Paramount.

Carolina Costa AMC has been recognised for her cinematography by the Mexican Academy, winning an Ariel Award for Best Cinematography for The Chosen Ones.

Los Angeles native Veronica Bouza has a background working as an IATSE 476 electrician in Chicago to an IATSE 600 camera assistant. Her narrative work has been part of official selections at events including the LA International Film Festival and won Best Cinematography for her short film Leave Us Here at the Atlanta Women’s Film Festival.

The finalists were: Jenn Gittings; Barbie Leung; Caitlin Machak; Sarah Phillips; Ashton Rae; and Jen White.

The semi-finalists were: Michelle Clementine; Jenny Desrosiers; Rachael Hastings; Crystal Kelley; Emilia Mendieta Córdova; Lucia Rinaldi; Elle Schneider; Aymae Sulick; Haley Watson; and Sarah Thomas Moffat.

The winners and finalists were celebrated at a ceremony on 9 June, when the Expo was in full swing. There was also a special panel hosted during Tiffen Tech Day on 12 June showcasing the winners’ reels. Each of the top four received a cash prize, up to $3,000 for first place. As the overall winner, Csepeli also won one week’s use of Zeiss prime lenses.

Discover more about the awards on Women In Media’s website.