An Evening with Sir Roger Deakins

Join us for a special evening with world-renowned cinematographer Sir Roger Deakins and his partner James Ellis Deakins (“Team Deakins”) and filmmaker Matthew Heineman as they immerse us in a visual journey of Deakins’ early photographs collected in the monograph Byways (published by Damiani).

While his work as a filmmaker has been enjoyed by wide audiences, Byways shares Deakins’ singular eye in the medium of still photography.  An eloquent visual travelogue of stolen moments from 1971 to the present, the collection of images captures a year of life in rural North Devon and a vanished post-War Britain. The journey of the eye continues in New Zealand, Australia, Berlin, Budapest, New Mexico and Scotland.

Together, Team Deakins and Heineman will share images, discuss filmmaking and photography, and the sensibilities that drive a remarkable vision.

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About our Speakers

ROGER A. DEAKINS

Roger A. Deakins was born and raised in Devon, England. He studied Graphic Design at the Bath College of Art and before continuing on to the National Film School, he spent time shooting still photographs for North Devon, with the intent of capturing the disappearing rural farm life. After graduating from the National Film School, he shot a number of documentaries and then moved into feature films.

Roger has been nominated 16 times for an Academy Award and won twice for the movies BLADERUNNER 2049 and 1917. He has also been nominated 17 times for the top award of the American Society of Cinematographers, 11 times for the BAFTA  award and 11 times for the British Society of Cinematographers. He has been awarded Lifetime Achievement Awards from the American Society of Cinematographers, the British Society of Cinematographers and the National Board of Review. He is also the only cinematographer to have been awarded the honour of CBE in 2013 as well as receiving the honor of knighthood in 2021.

Among his list of films are: SID AND NANCY; MOUNTAINS OF THE MOON;BARTON FIN; THE BIG LEBOWSKI; FARGO; THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD; SKYFALL; BLADERUNER 2049; 1917; THE GOLDFINCH; PRISONERS; TRUE GRIT; O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU?; UNBROKEN; SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION; SICARIO; KUNDUN; REVOLUTIONARY ROAD; JARHEAD; NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN; THE MAN WHO WASN’T THERE; and, EMPIRE OF LIGHT.

Byways (2021) is Roger Deakins’ first monograph and in 2022 his photographs have been exhibited in institutional art space and galleries in US and Europe to international acclaim.

(photo: Misan Harriman)

JAMES ELLIS DEAKINS

James Ellis Photo credit is Misan Harriman is the creative work partner of Roger Deakins. Born on the east coast of the United States, she double majored in college in Latin and Greek, doing a graduate course in Latin as an undergraduate. Once out of school, she began her film work in New York City as a film lab technician at DuArt Film Laboratories and then a script supervisor in production. After moving to Los Angeles, she met Roger Deakins on a film set and their creative collaboration began. Eventually relinquishing the role of script supervisor to enter their collaborative partnership more fully, she and Roger developed their unique working style which has continued to evolve as they enter into new enterprises including a podcast (“Team Deakins”) launched in 2020,  a website, and a book of still photography.  James’ natural affinity with technology proved essential when productions moved from the use of film capture to digital. Team Deakins plans to make a film together and strives to create memorable images as well as share their knowledge with others. 

MATTHEW HEINEMAN

Matthew Heineman is an Academy Award®-nominated, six-time Emmy Award-winning, and two-time DGA Award winning-filmmaker. In 2019, he received a nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement of a First Time Feature Film Director from the Directors Guild of America for his narrative debut, A PRIVATE WAR—making Heineman and Martin Scorsese the only filmmakers ever nominated for both narrative and documentary DGA Awards. Heineman's most recent film, RETROGRADE, was shortlisted for an Academy Award and received a DGA and PGA award nominations. His previous film, THE FIRST WAVE was also shortlisted for an Academy Award and won three Emmy Awards, including Best Documentary. Heineman previously directed CARTEL LAND, which was nominated for an Academy Award and won three Emmy Awards and a DGA Award; CITY OF GHOSTS, for which he won a DGA Award; and two seasons of the Emmy-winning docuseries THE TRADE. He also directed HBO’s Emmy Award-winning TIGER and THE BOY FROM MEDELLIN.