April 16 - June 22, 2023 Owen Roizman: An American Cinematheque Retrospective Series | TOOTSIE, THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR, STRAIGHT TIME, TRUE CONFESSIONS, I LOVE YOU TO DEATH, THE HEARTBREAK KID, THE STEPFORD WIVES, FRENCH KISS, NETWORK, THE FRENCH CONNECTION, THE ADDAMS FAMILY and THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE Co-Presented by The American Society of Cinematographers
ABOUT THE SERIES: The son of a Movietone News cameraman, Owen Roizman was raised in Brooklyn, New York, amidst the same urban sprawl he would later become famous for photographing. His feature film debut came in 1970 with Bill Gunn’s X-rated STOP!, a practically unreleased psycho-sexual drama following the decline of a middle-class marriage. Roizman made a name for himself quickly, earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography with his second film, William Friedkin’s THE FRENCH CONNECTION, just one year later. With a reputation for gritty, on-location shooting that transcended genre, Roizman established long-standing partnerships with some of the most celebrated filmmakers of the 20th century. In addition to Friedkin, Roizman worked closely with Sydney Pollack (THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR, ABSENCE OF MALICE), Ulu Grosbard (STRAIGHT TIME, TRUE CONFESSIONS), and Lawrence Kasdan (I LOVE YOU TO DEATH, GRAND CANYON). He was nominated for four more Academy Awards for Best Cinematography between 1973 and 1994, with Friedkin’s THE EXORCIST, Sidney Lumet’s NETWORK, Pollack’s TOOTSIE, and Kasdan’s WYATT EARP. Following 1995’s FRENCH KISS, Roizman served as the President of the American Society of Cinematographers and received an Academy Honorary Award for his work in advancing the art of cinematography. He is remembered today for his immeasurable personal and professional influence on the film industry and the generations of cinematographers and creatives that have been inspired by his legacy.