# Ben Richardson

Benjamin T. Richardson, ASC (born 21 September 1975) is an English cinematographer, television producer and director. He is best known for his work on the films Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012), The Fault in Our Stars (2014), Wind River (2017), and Those Who Wish Me Dead (2021), as well as the limited series Mare of Easttown (2021), which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.

## Early life

Richardson was born in England and attended Bournemouth School succeeded by Royal Holloway, University of London's media arts degree programme.

## Career

Richardson is a director of photography. Three of his films, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Happy Christmas, and Wind River have premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Beasts of the Southern Wild was also nominated for four Academy Awards at the 85th Academy Awards, including a nomination for Best Picture. His short film Seed won Best Animated Short at the 2010 Slamdance Film Festival.
In 2019, Richardson was invited to join the American Society of Cinematographers.

### Beasts of the Southern Wild

Richardson met director Benh Zeitlin in Prague in 2004 and subsequently collaborated on the short film Glory at Sea in 2008. During pre-production on Beasts of the Southern Wild, Richardson shot a test reel which convinced the financiers to approve him as cinematographer for the film.
Beasts of the Southern Wild debuted at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival where Richardson won the Excellence in Cinematography Award. For his work on the film he also won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography, and was nominated for multiple awards including a Camerimage award and a Satellite Award.

## Personal life

Richardson was in a relationship with actress Anna Kendrick since 2014 after they met while filming Drinking Buddies.

## Filmography
### Cinematographer

Short film
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 2008 | Glory at Sea | Benh Zeitlin | With Robert Leitzell |
| 2009 | Seed | Himself Daniel Bird | |
| 2010 | The Drip Machine | Himself | |
| 2011 | The Hunter and the Swan Discuss Their Meeting | Emily Carmichael | |
| 2013 | Best Friends | Lena Dunham | |
Feature film
| Year | Title | Director |
| 2012 | Beasts of the Southern Wild | Benh Zeitlin |
| 2013 | Drinking Buddies | Joe Swanberg |
| 2014 | The Fault in Our Stars | Josh Boone |
| 2014 | Happy Christmas | Joe Swanberg |
| 2014 | Cut Bank | Matt Shakman |
| 2015 | Digging for Fire | Joe Swanberg |
| 2017 | Wind River | Taylor Sheridan |
| 2017 | Table 19 | Jeffrey Blitz |
| 2017 | Sand Castle | Fernando Coimbra |
| 2017 | 1922 | Zak Hilditch |
| 2021 | Those Who Wish Me Dead | Taylor Sheridan |
Television
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 2018 | The Chi | Rick Famuyiwa | Episode "Pilot" |
| 2018 | Yellowstone | Taylor Sheridan | Season 1 |
| 2021 | Mare of Easttown | Craig Zobel | Miniseries |
| 2021 | Mayor of Kingstown | Taylor Sheridan | Episodes "The Mayor of Kingstown" and "Simply Murder" |
| 2021-2022 | 1883 | Taylor Sheridan Himself Christina Alexandra Voros | 6 episodes |
| 2022-2025 | 1923 | Himself Guy Ferland | 8 episodes |

### Director

Short film
| Year | Title | Notes |
| 2009 | Seed | Also animator |
| 2010 | The Drip Machine | Also writer |
Television
| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Notes |
| 2019 | Yellowstone | Yes | Co-producer | Directed episodes "Resurrection Day" and "Behind Us Only Grey" |
| 2021 | Mayor of Kingstown | Yes | Co-executive | Directed episodes "The End Begins" and "The Price" |
| 2021-2022 | 1883 | Yes | Co-executive | Directed 5 episodes |
| 2022 | Tulsa King | Yes | No | Episode "Caprice" |
| 2022-2025 | 1923 | Yes | Executive | Directed 8 episodes |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Nomination | Title | Result |
| 2012 | Independent Spirit Awards | Best Cinematography | Beasts of the Southern Wild | Won |
| 2012 | Satellite Awards | Best Cinematogaphy | Beasts of the Southern Wild | Nominated |
| 2018 | American Society of Cinematographers | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography (For episode "Daybreak") | Yellowstone | Nominated |
| 2021 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Cinematography (For Episode "Illusions") | Mare of Easttown | Nominated |