Martin Štrba (source: SME)
Martin Štrba, a Slovak cinematographer, has become a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), which grants the Oscar awards every year.
The new members also include British actor Robert Pattinson and German documentary filmmaker born in Romania, Alexander Nanau, the TASR newswire reported.
The 59-year-old Štrba has been devoted to photography since his youth. During his secondary school studies, he focused on this art form, but in later studies he shifted to camerawork at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (FAMU).
He has been working on several feature films since 1991, including Šarlatán (Charlatan; 2020), Tlmočník (Interpreter; 2018) and Je Třeba Zabít Sekala (Sekal Has to Die; 1998)
How to become an AMPAS member
Cinematographers need to fulfil several conditions to enter AMPAS, TASR wrote.
Everybody needs to be mentioned as a cinematographer in at least two feature films, one of which had to premiere in the past three years and meets certain standards. Another option is to be the cinematographer of a film nominated for the Oscar award or have made significant contributions to the development of camerawork.
A new member can be nominated by two existing AMPAS members; one cannot nominate himself/herself on their own.
