ASC presents 2024 Student Heritage Award Winners

The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) has announced the winners of its 2024 Student Heritage Awards, recognising exceptional cinematography skills among student filmmakers. The awards ceremony, held at the historic ASC Clubhouse and presided over by ASC president Shelly Johnson, also honoured the legacy of three legendary ASC members whose work has inspired generations of filmmakers.

Ellen Kuras, ASC, presented the John Bailey Heritage Award (graduate category) to Joewi Verhoeven from the American Film Institute for their outstanding film, Taha. In the Undergraduate Category, the George Spiro Dibie Heritage Award was awarded to Isabelle Leonard of the University of Southern California for her film Amos’ Bride, presented by Michael Goi, ASC, ISC. The Haskell Wexler Documentary Award was given to Meg Weck, also from USC, for her documentary Danceable, presented by Patrick Cady, ASC.

Sponsored by Sony, the Student Awards are part of ASC’s broader educational initiatives aimed at nurturing emerging talent in cinematography. To qualify, students submitted their undergraduate, graduate, or documentary projects, which were judged by a blue-ribbon panel for their exceptional cinematographic skill.

Many previous winners of the ASC Student Heritage Awards have gone on to achieve notable success in the film industry, including current Student Awards Committee Co-chairs Craig Kief and Armando Salas, as well as ASC members Nelson Cragg, Masanobu Takayanagi, and Lisa Wiegand.