Svetlana Cvetko

Svetlana Cvetko is an American cinematographer and film director. She was the cinematographer of the documentary films Inside Job (2010), Facing Fear (2010), and Inequality For All (2013).

Svetlana Cvetko, 2020

Background and education

Cvetko came to the United States as an expatriate of the former Yugoslavia in the late 1980s to pursue a career in filmmaking. Originally a still photographer, Cvetko was inspired by the work of Agnès Godard to become an established female cinematographer. She moved to the San Francisco Bay Area.[1] While attending classes at the University of California, Berkeley extension program, Cvetko met film professor Larry Clark.[1][2] Clark became Cvetko's mentor and gave her access to her first production set.

Career

Cvetko began her career with No War, a documentary film about the conflict in Bosnia.[1][3] Directed and shot by Cvetko, No War was shown in over 15 festivals around the world and won the Grand Prix du Public in Films de Femmes in 2001.[3][4]

Cvetko was also the cinematographer of Miss Representation, directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom and premiering at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival in the documentary competition, and the Sundance 2013 Special Jury Prize winner Inequality For All.[4][5] She was the cinematographer for Inside Job, directed by Charles Ferguson. Premiering at Cannes Film Festival in 2010, Inside Job won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. The shot the 2014 documentary Red Army, which screened at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival.[5] She also shot the narrative films (Untitled) directed by Jonathan Parker, On a Tuesday directed by David Scott Smith, and Dorme directed by Sylvia Binsfeld.[1][3][4]

Cvetko filmed The Architect with Arri Alexa digital cameras.[2] She shot On a Tuesday on Kodak 35 mm film in the Super 35 format.[1] Cvetko and director David Scott Smith created a panoramic, widescreen 3.18:1 aspect ratio to shoot in the San Francisco City Hall. Discovered by accident while scouting locations there, Cvetko said "It was breathtaking. The space was just asking to be seen that way."[1]

Critical recognition

Cvetko's cinematography has been praised. The New York Times called her work "clean wide-screen cinematography [that] provides an aesthetic polish," and Pete Hammond of Deadline Hollywood called her cinematography "perfect".[5]

Selected filmography

Awards and nominations
  • No War - Winner of 2001 Grand Prix du Public in Films de Femmes
  • No War - Best Foreign Short Film at Créteil International Women's Film Festival
  • Yours Sincerly, Loiis Weber - Winner of Best Documentary Short Film at American Short Film Awards
  • Show Me What You Got - Winner of Grand Jury Prize 'Best Film' at Taormina Film Festival
  • Show Me What You Got - Winner of Best International Film at Terra Di Siena
  • Show Me What You Got - Winner of Audience Award Best of Fest at High Falls Women’s Film Festival
  • Show Me What You Got - Winner of Best Cinematography at High Falls Women’s Film Festival
  • Show Me What You Got - Nominated for Best Emerging Director at St. Louis International Film Festival
  • Show Me What You Got - Winner of Best Cinematography at Santa Fe Film Festival
  • Show Me What You Got - Nominated for Best Narrative Film at Loudoun Arts Film Festival
  • Show Me What You Got - Winner of Best Supporting Actress at Loudoun Arts Film Festival
  • Show Me What You Got - Winner of Best Supporting Actress at Loudoun Arts Film Festival
  • Show Me What You Got - Winner of Best Cinematography at Loudoun Arts Film Festival
  • Show Me What You Got - Winner of Best of the Fest Grand Jury Prize at San Antonio Film Festival

References
  1. Stasukevich, Iain (July 2008). ""On a Tuesday" Exploits Panoramic Format". American Cinematographer. 98 (7): 14–17. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  2. "OConner Helps Svetlana Cvetko Build "The Architect"". ocon.com. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  3. "Filmmaker, Cast & Crew: Cinematographer". Dorme. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  4. Wright, Steve (2011). Compositing visual effects: essentials for the aspiring artist (2nd ed.). Focal Press. p. 15.4. ISBN 113603921X.
  5. "She's Beautiful When She's Angry Filmmaker Bios: Cinematographer" (PDF). International Film Circuit. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
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