Matthew Libatique
Matthew Libatíque, is an American cinematographer who is known for his work with director Darren Aronofsky on the films Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, Black Swan, Noah and Mother! . He also shot Bradley Cooper's directorial debut film, A Star Is Born, which received critical acclaim.
Early life and education
Matthew Libatíque was born in Elmhurst, Queens, New York City, to Justiniano Libatíque and Georgina Porter. Libatíque became interested in photography when his father, an amateur photographer who worked at a film laboratory in New York, had gifted him a Nikon camera as a child. "He taught me the fundamentals of photography at an age when I didn't realize I would spend the rest of my life using them." Libatíque's father died when his son was 25 years old. Although he resides in the United States, Libatique has said he is still proud of his Philippine heritage and can still speak and understand Tagalog. Libatíque is of French ancestry on his paternal side.He studied sociology and communications at California State University, Fullerton before earning a MFA in cinematography at AFI Conservatory.
Career
Libatíque served as director of photography for music videos and teamed with fellow AFI alumnus Aronofsky for the short film Protozoa. The two collaborated on the first three of Aronofsky's feature films. Other frequent collaborators are Julie Dash, Spike Lee, Joel Schumacher, and Jon Favreau.Libatíque's notable films include blockbusters such as Iron Man and Iron Man 2. In 2010, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography for his work on Black Swan, for which he won his second Independent Spirit award. He has also won best cinematography awards at the LA Film Critics Association, NY Film Critics Online, SF Film Critics, among many others.
Personal life
Libatíque has said he loves to "cook and eat Filipino food all the time", and considers pinakbet his favorite Filipino dish.On November 14, 2018, Libatíque was arrested in Poland for attacking paramedics and police at a hotel where he was staying. The attack was caught on video. His BAC was over 3 promilles. Libatíque was attending 2018 Camerimage Film Festival at the time. He was charged in the Bydgoszcz court.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1993 | Protozoa | Darren Aronofsky | |
| 1994 | The Bedroom | David Crabtree | |
| 1998 | Pi | Darren Aronofsky | Nominated– Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography |
| 2000 | Requiem for a Dream | Darren Aronofsky | Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography Nominated– Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cinematography Nominated– Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Cinematography |
| 2000 | Tigerland | Joel Schumacher | |
| 2001 | Josie and the Pussycats | Harry Elfont Deborah Kaplan | |
| 2002 | Abandon | Stephen Gaghan | |
| 2002 | Phone Booth | Joel Schumacher | |
| 2003 | Gothika | Mathieu Kassovitz | |
| 2004 | She Hate Me | Spike Lee | |
| 2004 | Never Die Alone | Ernest R. Dickerson | |
| 2005 | Everything Is Illuminated | Liev Schreiber | |
| 2006 | Inside Man | Spike Lee | |
| 2006 | The Fountain | Darren Aronofsky | Nominated– Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography Nominated– Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Cinematography Nominated– Satellite Award for Best Cinematography |
| 2007 | The Number 23 | Joel Schumacher | |
| 2008 | Iron Man | Jon Favreau | |
| 2008 | Miracle at St. Anna | Spike Lee | |
| 2010 | Black Swan | Darren Aronofsky | Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography Nominated– Academy Award for Best Cinematography Nominated– ASC Award for Cinematography Nominated– BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography Nominated– Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cinematography Nominated– Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Cinematography Nominated– Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography Nominated– Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Cinematography Nominated– National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cinematography Nominated– New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cinematography Nominated– Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Cinematography Nominated– San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Cinematography Nominated– San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cinematography Nominated– Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography |
| 2010 | Iron Man 2 | Jon Favreau | |
| 2010 | My Own Love Song | Olivier Dahan | |
| 2011 | Cowboys & Aliens | Jon Favreau | |
| 2012 | Ruby Sparks | Jonathan Dayton Valerie Faris | |
| 2014 | Noah | Darren Aronofsky | |
| 2015 | Straight Outta Compton | F. Gary Gray | |
| 2015 | Chi-Raq | Spike Lee | |
| 2016 | Money Monster | Jodie Foster | |
| 2016 | Jeff Zimbalist Michael Zimbalist | ||
| 2017 | The Circle | James Ponsoldt | |
| 2017 | Mother! | Darren Aronofsky | |
| 2018 | Venom | Ruben Fleischer | |
| 2018 | A Star Is Born | Bradley Cooper | Satellite Award for Best Cinematography Nominated– Academy Award for Best Cinematography Nominated– ASC Award for Cinematography Nominated– Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Cinematography Nominated– St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography Nominated– Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography |
| 2019 | Native Son | Rashid Johnson | |
| 2020 | Birds of Prey | Cathy Yan | |
| 2020 | The Prom | Ryan Murphy | Filming |