| Phedon Papamichael | |
| Birth Place: | Athens, Greece |
| Nationality: | Greek |
| Occupation: | Cinematographer, film director |
| Spouse: | Eka Chichua (m. 2006) |
| Children: | 2 |
Phedon Papamichael, ASC (el|Φαίδων Παπαμιχαήλ, Faidon Papamihail; born February 1962) is a Greek cinematographer[1] and film director,[2] known for his collaborations with directors James Mangold, Alexander Payne and Wim Wenders. He has twice been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography and the BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography. He has been a member of the American Society of Cinematographers since 2000.
He was born in Athens, Greece in 1962 to a Greek father and a German mother. When Papamichael was six years old, his family relocated to the United States, as his father, a well-known artist and set designer, was offered a job as a production designer for John Cassavetes. From an early age, he was involved in cinema. He studied photography and art at the University of Munich and received his Bachelor in Fine Arts in 1982.[3]
Papamichael's first job as a cinematographer was in the 1988 film Dance of the Damned, directed by Katt Shea. He would go on to make several future collaborations with director Shea and producer Roger Corman, making him a member of the so-called "Corman Film School", much like his contemporary Janusz Kamiński.
As a cinematographer, he has shot nearly fifty films, including Phenomenon, America's Sweethearts, Sideways, Walk the Line, The Weather Man, The Monuments Men, and Nebraska, for which he received an Academy Award nomination. He has worked with directors James Mangold, Alexander Payne, Wim Wenders, Oliver Stone and George Clooney, and many others, and has also directed films, such as Sketch Artist, Dark Side of Genius, From Within, and Arcadia Lost. He has worked with Hollywood stars Christian Bale, Will Smith, John Travolta, George Clooney, Tom Cruise, Nicolas Cage, Russell Crowe, Cameron Diaz and others, and maintains a long-term friendship with Joaquin Phoenix and Dustin Hoffman.
He later made his debut as a director in the film Showtime’s Sketch Artist in 1992 and two years later he directed the Dark Side of Genius.
In 2000, he was awarded the Prix Vision of the Avignon Film Festival for his cinematography in 27 Missing Kisses.
He spends his time between Los Angeles and Leonidio, Greece.
In an interview with Greek Reporter, Papamichael said, ”I want to spend more time in Greece from next year. My parents live there and my home is also there. I visit Los Angeles regularly just for my job. Obviously, I will move permanently to Leonidio some time in the future. It’s unlikely to live the twilight of my life in the United States.”[4] He also has a wife and two children.
Documentary film
| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Willie Nelson at the Teatro | Wim Wenders |
| 2002 | Viel passiert - Der BAP-Film | |
Short film
| Year | Title | Director | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Twelve Miles to Trona | Wim Wenders | Segment of Ten Minutes Older: The Trumpet | |
| 2003 | Who Killed the Idea? | Hermann Vaske | ||
| Other Side of the Road | Wim Wenders | |||
| 2005 | Lights 2 | Marcus Dillistone | With Jack Cardiff, Sue Gibson and Ron Stannett | |
| 2011 | Maniac | Shia LaBeouf | ||
| 2015 | Help | Justin Lin | With Claudio Miranda |
Miniseries
| Year | Title | Director | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Wild Palms | Peter Hewitt Keith Gordon Kathryn Bigelow Phil Joanou | |
| 2012 | The Gamblers: The Ledge | Rick Heinrichs |
TV movies
| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | White Dwarf | Peter Markle |
| The Conversation | Dean Parisot |
TV series
| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Sketch Artist | TV movie | |||
| 1994 | Dark Side of Genius | ||||
| 2008 | From Within | ||||
| 2009 | Arcadia Lost | ||||
| 2012 | Lost Angeles | ||||
| 2016 | A Beautiful Day | Short film | |||
| 2023 | Light Falls |
| Year | Title | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Academy Awards | Best Cinematography | Nebraska | |
| 2020 | The Trial of the Chicago 7 | |||
| 2013 | BAFTA Awards | Best Cinematography | Nebraska | |
| 2019 | Ford v Ferrari | |||
| 1993 | American Society of Cinematographers | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography | Wild Palms | |
| 1995 | White Dwarf | |||
| 2013 | Nebraska | |||
| 2019 | Ford v Ferrari | |||
| 2020 | The Trial of the Chicago 7 | |||
As cinematographer
| Year | Title | Award/Nomination |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 27 Missing Kisses | Avignon Prix Vision Nominated–Camerimage Golden Frog |
| The Million Dollar Hotel | Nominated–Camerimage Golden Frog | |
| 2005 | Walk the Line | Camerimage Presidents' Award Nominated–Camerimage Golden Frog |
| 2013 | Nebraska | BSC Award for Best Cinematography in a Feature Film Nominated–Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Cinematography Nominated–Camerimage Golden Frog Nominated–IndieWire Critics Poll Award for Best Cinematography Nominated–National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cinematography Nominated–New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cinematography Nominated–San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cinematography Nominated–St. Louis Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography |
| 2019 | Ford v Ferrari | Nominated–Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Cinematography Nominated–North Texas Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography Nominated–San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Cinematography Nominated–Satellite Award for Best Cinematography |
As director
| Year | Title | Award/Nomination |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | From Within | Festival of Fantastic Films Special Commendation Award Gérardmer Critics Award for Best Feature Film |
| 2009 | Arcadia Lost | Nominated–Orpheus Award for Best Feature Film Nominated–German Independence Audience Award |
| 2016 | A Beautiful Day | Rhode Island Festival First Prize for Best Short Film Rhode Island Festival Audience Award for Best Short Film Van Vlahakis Award for Best Short Film |