Cameraman Hoyte van Hoytema (52), who grew up in Dinteloord, won an award on Sunday for his work on the film Oppenheimer. He won a BAFTA for best cinematography.
Van Hoytema is making a name for himself in Hollywood. With top director Christopher Nolan he made Interstellar, Dunkirk, Tenet and Oppenheimer. He was also responsible for the Bond film Spectre.
However, it is only his first BAFTA, an award given by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. He has already had a chance three times before, but missed out on the most important British film prize in 2012, 2015 and 2018 with the films Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Interstellar and Dunkirk respectively.
Oscar nomination
The BAFTAs are seen as a good indication for the Oscars, for which he has also been nominated with his work for Oppenheimer. He has a chance for the second time. He did not cash in on his previous Oscar nomination for Dunkirk.
Van Hoytema grew up in Switzerland but moved to Brabant with his parents shortly afterwards. He was rejected twice from the Dutch Film Academy in the Netherlands and then trained as a cameraman in Poland. He then moved to Sweden, where he made his international breakthrough with his work on the horror film Let the Right One In.
In July 2023, Van Hoytema was a guest at Zomergasten. 447,000 viewers watched it. “In the end, you don’t just do it for the public,” he said at the time. Although the success of a film is not “a motivator”, it is “fun and very nice”, said the cinematographer. “I think you want to make beautiful things, to put it simply.”