Rodrigo Prieto is one the best cinematographers working today. That’s an undeniable fact. In his decades-long career, the prolific director of photography has worked with the likes of Alejandro González Iñárritu, Pedro Almodóvar, Ang Lee, Oliver Stone, Martin Scorsese and has been nominated for Oscars, BAFTAs, Goyas, and has won 4 Ariel awards in his native Mexico. Most recently, he was given a tribute for his work at the Los Cabos International Film Festival.
Talking with the press, he reminded festivalgoers that cinema can break down walls and build bridges instead. The nod to what had just happened over the border was clearly in his mind. His work, which has taken him to Shanghai and Detroit, to Japan and Morocco, to Sonora and Istanbul, has led him to understand the real power of images as a connecting force.
Ahead of what looks likely to be a great 2016 (with the Jennifer Lawrence-led sci-fi film Passengers and the Martin Scorsese epic Silence coming out a few days apart in December), we’re looking back and picking out 10 shots that prove the Mexican D.P. has a gift for giving the movies he shoots a sensuality and a humanity that sets him apart from his peers. And yes, we could have chosen dozens, if not hundreds more. He’s just that talented.
Read the rest of our coverage of the Las Cabos International Film Festival here.