# Łukasz Żal

Łukasz Żal (Polish pronunciation:; born 24 June 1981) is a Polish cinematographer, best known for his work on the films Ida (2014), Loving Vincent (2017), Cold War (2018) and The Zone of Interest (2023).

## Life and career

Żal has said that he "fell in love" with cinema at the age of 16, when he attended a course on filmmaking held at a local gymnasium in his home town of Koszalin, Poland. His interest in photography was sparked by a friend, who asked to use him as a subject and also showed him how to use a camera. He went on to study photography at the Leon Schiller National Film, Television and Theatre School in Łódź, from which he graduated in 2007. Whilst there, he watched many films and decided to pursue a career as a cinematographer because of the "stronger emotional content" he observed in movies.
When preparing to work on a film, Żal has stated that he reads though the script and tries "to find part of [him]self in the movie".
In 2019 he was made an Honorary Fellow of the British Royal Photographic Society, from which he also received the annual Lumière Award.
He has been named as the recipient of the Variety Artisan Award at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.

## Filmography

Feature film
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 2013 | Ida | Paweł Pawlikowski | With Ryszard Lenczewski |
| 2015 | The Here After | Magnus von Horn | |
| 2016 | Na granicy | Wojciech Kasperski | |
| 2017 | Loving Vincent | Dorota Kobiela Hugh Welchman | With Tristan Oliver |
| 2018 | Dovlatov | Aleksei Alekseivich German | |
| 2018 | Cold War | Paweł Pawlikowski | |
| 2020 | I'm Thinking of Ending Things | Charlie Kaufman | |
| 2023 | The Zone of Interest | Jonathan Glazer | |
| TBA | Hamnet † | Chloé Zhao | Post-production |
Short film
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 2005 | Zielony | Himself Jedrzej Baczyk | Also writer |
| 2006 | Mistrz swiata | Himself | Also writer |
| 2011 | Odwyk | Krzysztof Jankowski | |
| 2015 | Legendy Polskie Smok | Tomasz Baginski | |
| 2015 | Legendy Polskie Twardowsky | Tomasz Baginski | |
| 2023 | Til Further Notice | Valdimar Jóhannsson | Segment of Circus Maximus |
Documentary
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 2011 | Papparazzi | Piotr Bernas | Short film |
| 2013 | Joanna | Aneta Kopacz | Short film |
| 2013 | Arena | Piotr Bernas | Short film |
| 2013 | Lewa polowa twarzy | Marcin Bortkiewicz | Short film |
| 2016 | Ikona | Wojciech Kasperski | |

## Awards and nominations
### Major awards

| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| Academy Awards |||||
| 2014 | Best Cinematography | Ida | Nominated |
| 2018 | Best Cinematography | Cold War | Nominated |
| British Academy Film Awards |||||
| 2014 | Best Cinematography | Ida | Nominated |
| 2018 | Best Cinematography | Cold War | Nominated |
| 2024 | Best Cinematography | The Zone of Interest | Nominated |
| American Society of Cinematographers Awards |||||
| 2014 | Spotlight Award | Ida | Won |
| 2018 | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases | Cold War | Won |

### Critics awards

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 2013 | National Polish Film Festival | Best Cinematography | Ida | Won |
| 2013 | Warsaw Jewish Film Festival | Best Cinematographer | Ida | Won |
| 2013 | 20th Listapad | Best Photography | Ida | Won |
| 2013 | Camerimage International Film Festival | Golden Frog | Ida | Won |
| 2014 | Polish Society of Cinematographers Awards | PSC Award | Ida | Won |
| 2014 | Polish Academy Film Awards | Best Cinematography | Ida | Nominated |
| 2014 | Mediaş Central European Film Festival | Best Cinematography Award | Ida | Won |
| 2014 | Manaki Brothers Film Festival | Silver Camera | Ida | Won |
| 2014 | European Film Awards | Best Cinematographer | Ida | Won |
| 2014 | San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Cinematography | Ida | Won |
| 2014 | Online Film Critics Society Awards | Best Cinematography | Ida | Nominated |
| 2014 | Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | Best Cinematography | Ida | Nominated |
| 2015 | Polish Independent Cinema Awards | Best Cinematography | Joanna | Nominated |
| 2016 | Kraków Film Festival | Best Cinematography - Short Subject | Ikona | Won |
| 2018 | Manaki Brothers Film Festival | Brown Camera | Cold War | Won |
| 2018 | Camerimage International Film Festival | Silver Frog | Cold War | Won |
| 2018 | Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | Best Cinematography | Cold War | Nominated |
| 2018 | Boston Society of Film Critics Awards | Best Cinematography | Cold War | Nominated |
| 2018 | Florida Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Cinematography | Cold War | Won |
| 2019 | Online Film Critics Society Awards | Best Cinematography | Cold War | Nominated |
| 2019 | North Carolina Film Critics Association Awards | Best Cinematography | Cold War | Nominated |
| 2019 | Satellite Awards | Best Cinematography | Cold War | Nominated |