# Javier Aguirresarobe

Javier Aguirresarobe Zubía (born 10 October 1948) is a Basque Spanish cinematographer. After garnering several Goya Awards in his home country, he became widely known internationally for his work on The Others (2001), directed by Alejandro Amenábar. Among many others, he has worked on Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008), Twilight film series (2009–2010), and Thor: Ragnarok (2017).

## Early life and education

Javier Aguirresarobe Zubía was born in Eibar, Guipúzcoa, Basque Country, Spain, on 10 October 1948. He has an older brother who was an industrial photographer, whom he used to help in the lab as a teenager, and this sparked his passion for photography.
After earning a Diploma in Optics, He moved to Madrid to study journalism, and worked at various newspapers before deciding to change tack. He studied cinematography at the Official School of Cinematography, which has close links to the Spanish film industry. Only the top nine students in the entrance exam were admitted to the cinematography course. The students used 35mm film.

## Career

In 1983, Aguirresarobe's first work as cinematographer was for "a very small movie", La Muerte de Mikel (The Death of Mikel), which turned out to be a success at the box office.
He has mostly worked alone, but once worked with Spanish cinematographer Luis Cuadrado (The Spirit of the Beehive).
He first attracted international attention with the 1997 film Secrets of the Heart, and even more in 2001 with The Others, directed by Alejandro Amenábar and starring Nicole Kidman.
Aguirresarobe was cinematographer for the 2015 feature film Goosebumps.
Aguirresarobe has worked with Spanish directors such as Imanol Uribe, Montxo Armendáriz, Alejandro Amenábar, Pedro Almodóvar, Julio Médem, Montxo Armendáriz, and Fernando Trueba, and internationally, Miloš Forman, John Hillcoat, and Woody Allen.
Aguirresarobe worked as cinematographer for the film adaptation of New Moon, released in 2009, and on the Twilight film series.

## Filmography
### Feature film

| Year | Title | Director |
| 1978 | What's a Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This? | Fernando Colomo |
| 1983 | Que nos quiten lo bailao | Carles Mira |
| 1984 | La Muerte de Mikel | Imanol Uribe |
| 1984 | El jardín secreto | Carlos Suárez |
| 1984 | El pico 2 | Eloy de la Iglesia |
| 1985 | Eternal Fire | José Ángel Rebolledo |
| 1985 | Golfo de Vizcaya | Javier Rebollo |
| 1986 | 27 Hours | Montxo Armendáriz |
| 1987 | Laura, del cielo llega la noche | Gonzalo Herralde |
| 1987 | La oveja negra | Román Chalbaud |
| 1987 | The Enchanted Forest | José Luis Cuerda |
| 1991 | Don Juan in Hell | Gonzalo Suárez |
| 1991 | Prince of Shadows | Pilar Miró |
| 1993 | The Dead Mother | Juanma Bajo Ulloa |
| 1993 | ¡Dispara! | Carlos Saura |
| 1993 | O Fio do Horizonte | Fernando Lopes |
| 1994 | Una chica entre un millón | Álvaro Sáenz de Heredia |
| 1994 | Días contados | Imanol Uribe |
| 1995 | Ainsi soient-elles | Patrick Alessandrin Lisa Azuelos |
| 1995 | Antarctica | Manuel Huerga |
| 1995 | Fiesta | Pierre Boutron |
| 1996 | Earth | Julio Medem |
| 1996 | Your Name Poisons My Dreams | Pilar Miró |
| 1996 | Bwana | Imanol Uribe |
| 1996 | The Dog in the Manger | Pilar Miró |
| 1997 | Secrets of the Heart | Montxo Armendáriz |
| 1997 | 99.9 | Agustí Villaronga |
| 1998 | The Girl of Your Dreams | Fernando Trueba |
| 1998 | The Miracle of P. Tinto | Javier Fesser |
| 1999 | La fuente amarilla | Miguel Santesmases |
| 2000 | Salsa | Joyce Buñuel |
| 2000 | Masterpiece | David Trueba |
| 2001 | The Others | Alejandro Amenábar |
| 2002 | Desire | Gerardo Vera |
| 2002 | Soldiers of Salamina | David Trueba |
| 2002 | Talk to Her | Pedro Almodóvar |
| 2003 | Mauvais esprit | Patrick Alessandrin |
| 2004 | The Bridge of San Luis Rey | Mary McGuckian |
| 2004 | The Sea Inside | Alejandro Amenábar |
| 2005 | Ants in the Mouth | Mariano Barroso |
| 2005 | Obaba | Montxo Armendáriz |
| 2006 | Goya's Ghosts | Miloš Forman |
| 2007 | La carta esférica | Imanol Uribe |
| 2008 | Tear This Heart Out | Roberto Sneider |
| 2008 | The City of Your Final Destination | James Ivory |
| 2008 | Vicky Cristina Barcelona | Woody Allen |
| 2009 | The Road | John Hillcoat |
| 2009 | The Twilight Saga: New Moon | Chris Weitz |
| 2010 | The Twilight Saga: Eclipse | David Slade |
| 2011 | A Better Life | Chris Weitz |
| 2011 | Fright Night | Craig Gillespie |
| 2012 | The Five-Year Engagement | Nicholas Stoller |
| 2013 | Blue Jasmine | Woody Allen |
| 2013 | Identity Thief | Seth Gordon |
| 2013 | Warm Bodies | Jonathan Levine |
| 2014 | The Perfect Dictatorship | Luis Estrada |
| 2015 | Poltergeist | Gil Kenan |
| 2015 | Goosebumps | Rob Letterman |
| 2016 | The Finest Hours | Craig Gillespie |
| 2016 | The Promise | Terry George |
| 2016 | The Healer | Paco Arango |
| 2017 | Thor: Ragnarok | Taika Waititi |
| 2018 | The Etruscan Smile | Oded Binnun Mihal Brezis |
| 2018 | Blue Night | Fabien Constant |
| 2018 | Operation Finale | Chris Weitz |
| 2019 | Dora and the Lost City of Gold | James Bobin |
| 2022 | Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile | Will Speck Josh Gordon |
| 2022 | Across the River and into the Trees | Paula Ortiz |
| 2024 | Afraid | Chris Weitz |

### Television

| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1989 | Sabbath | Imanol Uribe | Episode "La luna negra" |
| 1990 | La forja de un rebelde | Mario Camus | 2 episodes |
| 1997 | Autor por autor | Pilar Miró | |

## Awards and nominations

In 2004, he won the Spanish National Photography Award.
In 2009, Aguirresarobe was one of two recipients to be awarded the Universal Basque Prize by the Lehendakari (the Basque president) "in recognition of their endeavours to disseminate the image of the Basque Country outside its frontiers in the seat of the Lehendakaritza".
In 2012 Aguirresarobe was honoured with membership of the American Society of Cinematographers on the recommendation of Steven Poster, Julio Macat, and Rodrigo Prieto.
Goya Awards
| Year | Title | Category | Result |
| 1987 | El bosque animado | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
| 1991 | Don Juan in Hell | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
| 1991 | Prince of Shadows | Best Cinematography | Won |
| 1994 | Días contados | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
| 1996 | The Dog in the Manger | Best Cinematography | Won |
| 1998 | The Girl of Your Dreams | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
| 2001 | The Others | Best Cinematography | Won |
| 2002 | Soldiers of Salamina | Best Cinematography | Won |
| 2004 | The Sea Inside | Best Cinematography | Won |
| 2005 | Obaba | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
Sitges Film Festival
| Year | Title | Category | Result |
| 1997 | 99.9 | Best Cinematography | Won |
BAFTA Awards
| Year | Title | Category | Result |
| 2009 | The Road | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
San Diego Film Critics Society
| Year | Title | Category | Result |
| 2009 | The Road | Best Cinematography | Won |
Houston Film Critics Society
| Year | Title | Category | Result |
| 2009 | The Road | Best Cinematography | Nominated |