Revered Hungarian-American cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond, winner of an Oscar in 1978 for lensing “Close Enounters of the Third Kind,” will be honored at Cannes with the Pierre Angenieux Excellence in Cinematography award.
Cannes will pay tribute to Zsigmond’s career during a ceremony tomorrow, May 23, at 7.30 pm in the Palais des Festival’s Bunuel Theater. Plenty of industryites and talents he worked with are expected to attend, including Catherine Deneuve, Jerry Schatzberg, and John Boorman.
Born in 1930 and trained at the Academy of Drama and Film in Budapest, Vilmos Zsigmond went into self-imposed exile in the United States in 1956 after Hungary’s failed uprising against the Soviet regime. His career in Los Angeles took off after he worked with Robert Altman on “McCabe & Mrs Miller.” He has also lensed Michael Cimino’s “The Deer Hunter,” John Boorman’s “Deliverance” and three Woody Allen features, among many other works.
Angenieux is a specialist manufacturer of zoom lenses for moviemaking.