“I am so humbled to take on the position”: Mandy Walker becomes the first female president of American Society of Cinematographers

Another first is coming for Mandy Walker after she became the first woman to win an American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) award. Now, she is the face of ASC as she succeeds Shelly Johnson as the president of the society. Johnson was appointed to the position in May 2023. For this occasion, Walker said,

"It is a great honor to be the president of the ASC, and an even bigger privilege to be the first woman to hold the position. I am so humbled to take on the responsibility of representing a society that has carved out an inspiring, inclusive space to meet and support other cinematographers. I am proud of our century-old legacy to advance the art and science of cinematography, and I’m excited for the future of our organization."

The ASC has been working since 1919 in Hollywood and serves as a medium for cinematographers to come together and improve cinematography. Its founding members include Phil Rosen, Homer Scott, and more. Phil and Homer have served as the association's early presidents, and Walker will now serve as the 48th president here.

Apart from being a member of ASC, she is also a Member of the Order of Australia, an Australian honor for outstanding achievements. For her accolades, other than the American Society of Cinematographers Awards, she has won awards from the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts and the Satellite Awards.

Mandy Walker has been nominated for an Oscar too

Elvis was nominated for eight Oscars. (Image via Warner Bros.)

The new ASC president recently worked on the disastrous Snow White, which tanked at the box office. However, just three years ago, she lent her talents to the Baz Luhrmann film, Elvis, for which she was nominated for the Best Cinematography award at the Oscars alongside Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths, Empire of Light, and Tár. All were beaten by the James Friend movie, All Quiet on the Western Front.

Elvis is a biographical film chronicling the life of Elvis Presley, aka the King of Rock 'n' Roll. Austin Butler portrays the singer alongside Tom Hanks, who plays Colonel Tom Parker, Presley's manager.

What has Mandy Walker worked on before Elvis and Snow White?

Elvis was Mandy Walker's second collaboration with Baz Luhrmann. (Image via Panavision)

Mandy Walker served as a cinematographer for Niki Caro's Mulan (2020). Despite receiving positive reception, the film failed to perform at the box office, garnering only $70 million against the giant $200 million budget. However, it later became a streaming success.

She was also a part of another Oscar-nominated film called Hidden Figures (2016). It was a commercial success and earned $236 million against its $25 million budget. Octavia Spencer was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

In 2008, she led the cinematography of an almost all-Australian cast in Australia. Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman starred in it. It was her first feature film collaboration with Baz Luhrmann. It was met with average reviews and earned $212 million against a budget of $130 million. We had to mention this, as Mandy Walker herself comes from Australia.