James Friend is a British cinematographer, best known for his work on Edward Berger's All Quiet on the Western Front, which earned him the Academy Award[1][2] and the BAFTA Award[3] for Best Cinematorgraphy.
Early life and career
Friend grew up in Maidstone, Kent, where he attended Sutton Valence School.[4] He was awarded a Fellowship from the Royal Photographic Society for his film work in 2020.[5][6]
Friend's television credits include Patrick Melrose and Your Honor, both of which he collaborated on with Berger.[7] Additionally, Friend worked on the 2024 Disney+ series The Acolyte, an installment in the Star Wars franchise.[8]
In 2024, Friend received an Honorary Fellowship from The Royal Photographic Society.
Filmography
Feature film
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | The Man Who Sold the World | Louis Melville | |
| 2009 | Umbrage | Drew Cullingham | |
| 2010 | Just for the Record | Steven Lawson | |
| Dead Cert | |||
| Stalker | Martin Kemp | ||
| 2011 | Carmen's Kiss | David Fairman | |
| Jack Falls | Paul Tanter Alexander Williams | ||
| Ghosted | Craig Viveiros | ||
| Turnout | Lee Sales | ||
| The Hike | Rupert Bryan | ||
| 7 Lives | Paul Wilkins | With Nick Gordon Smith | |
| 2012 | Truth or Dare | Robert Heath | |
| Piggy | Kieron Hawkes | ||
| Papadopoulos & Sons | Marcus Markou | ||
| Enzo | Alana O'Neill | Documentary film | |
| 2013 | The Liability | Craig Viveiros | |
| 2014 | Lords of London | Antonio Simoncini | |
| The Guvnors | Gabe Turner | ||
| 2016 | Breakdown | Jonnie Malachi | |
| 2022 | All Quiet on the Western Front | Edward Berger | |
| 2025 | Ballad of a Small Player | Also credited as associate producer | |
| 2026 | J. J. Abrams | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | StereoStep | Craig Viveiros | TV short |
| 2008 | The Secret World of Sam King | Benjamin Caron | |
| 2015 | Lewis | David Drury | Episode "What Lies Tangled" (Part 1 and Part 2) |
| 2015–16 | Silent Witness | Ashley Pearce Patrick Lau Danny Hiller Douglas Mackinnon David Drury | 12 episodes |
| 2016 | Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands | Marek Losey | 3 episodes |
| The Musketeers | Udayan Prasad | Episodes "Prisoners of War" and "We Are the Garrison" | |
| 2017 | Stan Lee's Lucky Man | Marek Losey Daniel O'Hara | 4 episodes |
| The Late Late Show with James Corden | Glenn Clements | 1 episode | |
| Victoria | Daniel O'Hara | Episodes "The King Over the Water" and "The Luxury of Conscience" | |
| 2017–18 | Strike | Michael Keillor Kieron Hawkes | 3 episodes |
| 2020 | Cursed | Zetna Fuentes | Episodes "Nimue" and "Cursed" |
| 2020 | Your Honor | Edward Berger | Episodes "Part One", "Part Two" and "Part Three" |
| 2022 | Willow | Philippa Lowthorpe | Episodes "Wildwood" and "Prisoners of Skellin" |
| 2024 | The Acolyte | Kogonada Hanelle Culpepper | 4 episodes |
Miniseries
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist | Joey Ansah | Episode: "Beginnings" |
| 2016 | Rillington Place | Craig Viveiros | |
| 2018 | Patrick Melrose | Edward Berger | |
| 2019 | MotherFatherSon | Charles Sturridge James Kent | 5 episodes |
| The War of the Worlds | Craig Viveiros |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Academy Awards | Best Cinematography | All Quiet on the Western Front | |
| BAFTA Awards | Best Cinematography | |||
| 2017 | British Society of Cinematographers | Best Cinematography in a Television Drama | Rillington Place | |
| 2018 | Patrick Melrose | |||
| 2021 | Your Honor | |||
| 2022 | Best Cinematography in a Theatrical Feature Film | All Quiet on the Western Front | ||
| 2018 | Camerimage | First Look Award | Patrick Melrose | |
| 2022 | Golden Frog | All Quiet on the Western Front |
References
- ^ Gamerman, Ellen (March 12, 2023). "'All Quiet on the Western Front' Wins Best Cinematography". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
- ^ Lang, Brent & Earl, William (12 March 2023). "'Everything Everywhere All at Once' Dominates Oscars With Seven Wins, Including Best Picture (Full Winners List)". Variety. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
- ^ "BAFTAs 2023: James Friend ASC BSC wins Best Cinematography award for All Quiet on the Western Front". British Cinematographer. February 20, 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
- ^ McPolin, Sean (February 24, 2023). "Former Maidstone schoolboy James Friend picks up BAFTA and in line for Oscar with Netflix war film All Quiet On The Western Front". KM Media Group. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
- ^ Max Robinson, 'Moving Stories', RPS Journal, vol. 162, no. 2, March/April 2021, pp. 216-218.
- ^ 'Beauty and Bloodshed proves a winning formula', RPS Journal, vol. 163, no. 2, March/April 2023, pp. 124-125.
- ^ Lezotte, Suzanne (February 19, 2021). "James Friend, ASC, BSC Lights the Shadow of Doubt in "Your Honor"". Sony Cine. Archived from the original on 13 March 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
- ^ Ellwood, Gregory (February 15, 2023). "Why acting skills came into play for the 'All Quiet' cinematographer". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 13 March 2023.