Dante Spinotti
Biography
Dante Spinotti, ASC, AIC, is an Italian cinematographer. He is known for his collaborations with directors such as Michael Mann, Michael Apted, Ermanno Olmi, Bruce Beresford, Curtis Hanson, and Brett Ratner. He received Academy Award nominations for L.A. Confidential (1997) and The Insider (1999) and won a BAFTA Award for The Last of the Mohicans (1992). He has also won two Italian David di Donatello Awards and two Nastro d'Argento Awards.
Spinotti was born in the commune of Tolmezzo, in the Northern Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, near the Austrian border. At the age of 11, he began experimenting with still photography with a camera inherited from his uncle, a cinematographer and director who specialised in documentaries and newsreels. He left high school early to work in the film industry in Kenya, driven by his skills in freehand drawing.
His first work as a cinematographer was the 1972 television drama I Nicotera. His first film was Il minestrone (1981), directed by Sergio Citti. His early work included collaborations with noted Italian directors Lina Wertmüller (Softly, Softly) and Liliana Cavani (The Berlin Affair). He moved to the United States in 1986, entering a highly competitive Hollywood environment.
Among the more notable films he has worked on are The Last of the Mohicans, Heat, L.A. Confidential, The Insider, Public Enemies, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, I Saw the Light, and Ant-Man and the Wasp. Spinotti also was the cinematographer for many of Brett Ratner's films, such as Red Dragon (2002), After the Sunset (2004), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), and Hercules (2014).
Spinotti was the cinematographer on both adaptations of the novel Red Dragon by Thomas Harris: Michael Mann's 1986 adaptation (titled Manhunter) and Brett Ratner's 2002 adaptation.
Spinotti has highlighted the meticulous preparation and collaborative spirit essential to his work, particularly with director Michael Mann. He also discussed the process of remastering classics like Heat and adapting to new technologies, such as using digital cinematography and even iPhones for certain shots to enhance storytelling.
He is a member of the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He won the Golden Camera 300 award at the Manaki Brothers Film Festival in North Macedonia for lifetime achievement. In 2012, he received the American Society of Cinematographers's Lifetime Achievement Award.
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