Ellen Kuras

Ellen Kuras

Birth : 1959-07-10, New Jersey, USA

History

Ellen Kuras ASC (born July 10, 1959 in New Jersey) is an American cinematographer and director. She has collaborated several times with directors Michel Gondry and Spike Lee. In 2013 she was a member of the jury at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival. Description above from the Wikipedia article Ellen Kuras, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Profile

Ellen Kuras

Movies

Lee
Director
The story of photographer Elizabeth 'Lee' Miller, a fashion model who became an acclaimed war correspondent for Vogue magazine during World War II.
Killers of the Flower Moon
Second Unit Director
When oil is discovered in 1920s Oklahoma under Osage Nation land, the Osage people are murdered one by one—until the FBI steps in to unravel the mystery.
Personality Crisis: One Night Only
Director of Photography
Shines a light on David Johansen, the lead singer-songwriter of the androgynous 1970s glam punk groundbreakers the New York Dolls, and his complete reinvention as hepcat lounge lizard Buster Poindexter.
Making 'The Irishman'
Director of Photography
Join legendary director Martin Scorsese, and acting icons Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Al Pacino going behind the scenes of their universally acclaimed movie.
David Byrne's American Utopia
Director of Photography
A filmed version of David Byrne's Broadway show, a unifying musical celebration that inspires audiences to connect to each other and to the global community.
Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese
Director of Photography
Part documentary, part concert film, part fever dream, this film captures the troubled spirit of America in 1975 and the joyous music that Dylan performed during the fall of that year.
Jane
Director of Photography
Drawing from never-before-seen footage that has been tucked away in the National Geographic archives, director Brett Morgen tells the story of Jane Goodall, a woman whose chimpanzee research revolutionized our understanding of the natural world.
Wormwood
Director of Photography
In this genre-bending tale, Errol Morris explores the mysterious death of a U.S. scientist entangled in a secret Cold War program known as MK-Ultra.
Bob Dylan - Trouble No More
Director of Photography
This very special film consists of truly electrifying video footage from Bob Dylan’s “born again” period, shot on the last leg of his ’79-’80 tour, much of it thought to have been lost for years and all newly restored.
The 4%: Film's Gender Problem
Self
Explores the hot-button issues around the striking gender gap in Hollywood. Both women and men in the entertainment industry share first-person insights, questions, and anecdotes about the place of women in Hollywood.
A Little Chaos
Director of Photography
A landscape gardener is hired by famous architect Le Nôtre to construct the grand gardens at the palace of Versailles. As the two work on the palace, they find themselves drawn to each other and are thrown into rivalries within the court of King Louis XIV.
Side by Side
Self
Since the invention of cinema, the standard format for recording moving images has been film. Over the past two decades, a new form of digital filmmaking has emerged, creating a groundbreaking evolution in the medium. Keanu Reeves explores the development of cinema and the impact of digital filmmaking via in-depth interviews with Hollywood masters, such as James Cameron, David Fincher, David Lynch, Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese, George Lucas, Steven Soderbergh, and many more.
Public Speaking
Director of Photography
A feature-length documentary starring Fran Lebowitz, a writer known for her unique take on modern life. The film weaves together extemporaneous monologues with archival footage and the effect is a portrait of Fran's worldview and experiences.
Away We Go
Director of Photography
Verona and Burt have moved to Colorado to be close to Burt's parents but, with Veronica expecting their first child, Burt's parents decide to move to Belgium, now leaving them in a place they hate and without a support structure in place. They set off on a whirlwind tour of of disparate locations where they have friends or relatives, sampling not only different cities and climates but also different families. Along the way they realize that the journey is less about discovering where they want to live and more about figuring out what type of parents they want to be.
No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos
Self
The artistry, triumph and lifelong friendship of the great cinematographers Laszlo Kovacs and Vilmos Zsigmond. With film school equipment, they shoot the Soviet crackdown of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. As refugees they struggle in Hollywood, finally breaking into the mainstream with their pivotal contribution to the "American New Wave."
The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)
Director of Photography
The Betrayal (Nerakhoon) is a documentary that was shot over the course of 23 years, Thavi narrates his own story as a child surviving the Vietnam war and loss of his father, and then, as a young man struggling to overcome the hardships of immigrant life, an experience shared with his mother in war.
The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)
Writer
The Betrayal (Nerakhoon) is a documentary that was shot over the course of 23 years, Thavi narrates his own story as a child surviving the Vietnam war and loss of his father, and then, as a young man struggling to overcome the hardships of immigrant life, an experience shared with his mother in war.
The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)
Director
The Betrayal (Nerakhoon) is a documentary that was shot over the course of 23 years, Thavi narrates his own story as a child surviving the Vietnam war and loss of his father, and then, as a young man struggling to overcome the hardships of immigrant life, an experience shared with his mother in war.
Shooting Women
Self
Reveals the history of camerawomen around the world, celebrating not only the survival of pioneer women in a male-dominated field, but a new generation of camerawomen's visions.
Shine a Light
Director of Photography
Martin Scorsese and the Rolling Stones unite in "Shine A Light," a look at The Rolling Stones." Scorsese filmed the Stones over a two-day period at the intimate Beacon Theater in New York City in fall 2006. Cinematographers capture the raw energy of the legendary band.
Be Kind Rewind
Director of Photography
A man whose brain becomes magnetized unintentionally destroys every tape in his friend's video store. In order to satisfy the store's most loyal renter, an aging woman with signs of dementia, the two men set out to remake the lost films.
The Key to Reserva
Additional Photography
Finding an unfinished script written by Alfred Hitchcock himself, Martin Scorsese attempts to recreate it himself as Hitchcock would have.
Women Behind the Camera
Self
Reveals the courageous lives of pioneer camerawomen from Hollywood to Bollywood, from war zones to children’s laughter, in a way that has never been seen before. Based on a book by Alexis Krasilovsky, the film tells the stories of camerawomen surviving the odds in Afghanistan, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Iran, Mexico, the U.S. and other countries, as well as exploring their individual visions.
Neil Young: Heart of Gold
Director of Photography
In March 2005, Neil Young was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm. Four days before he was scheduled for a lifesaving operation, he headed to Nashville, where he wrote and recorded the country folk album Prairie Wind with old friends and family members. After the successful operation and recovery period, he returned to Nashville that August to play at the famed Ryman Auditorium, once again gathering together friends and family for this special performance.
Dave Chappelle's Block Party
Director of Photography
The American comedian/actor delivers a story about the alternative Hip Hop scene. A small town Ohio mans moves to Brooklyn, New York, to throw an unprecedented block party.
The Ballad of Jack and Rose
Director of Photography
Jack Slavin is an environmentalist with a heart condition who lives with his daughter, Rose, on an isolated island. While Jack fights against developers who wish to build in the area, he also craves more contact with other people. When he invites his girlfriend, Kathleen, and her sons, Rodney and Thaddius, to move in, Rose is upset. The complicated family dynamics makes things difficult for everyone in the house.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Director of Photography
Joel Barish, heartbroken that his girlfriend underwent a procedure to erase him from her memory, decides to do the same. However, as he watches his memories of her fade away, he realises that he still loves her, and may be too late to correct his mistake.
Coffee and Cigarettes
Director of Photography
Coffee And Cigarettes is a collection of eleven films from cult director Jim Jarmusch. Each film hosts star studded cast of extremely unique individuals who all share the common activities of conversing while drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes.
Analyze That
Director of Photography
The mafia's Paul Vitti is back in prison and will need some serious counseling when he gets out. Naturally, he returns to his analyst Dr. Ben Sobel for help and finds that Sobel needs some serious help himself as he has inherited the family practice, as well as an excess stock of stress.
Jim Brown: All-American
Director of Photography
Jim Brown: All-American is a 2002 documentary film directed by Spike Lee. The film takes a look at the life of NFL hall-of-famer Jim Brown. The film delves into his life—past, present and future—focusing on his athletic career, acting and activism. Many people from Hollywood and sports backgrounds were interviewed for the film. Members of Brown's family were also interviewed for the film.
Personal Velocity
Director of Photography
In a series of three vignettes, three women in turn struggle to free themselves from the men who restrict their personal freedom.
A Huey P. Newton Story
Director of Photography
A Huey P. Newton Story is a 2001 film directed by Spike Lee. It is a filmed performance of Roger Guenveur Smith's one-man show of the same name. Smith sits in a chair on a stage and tells about the past, mostly dealing with Huey P. Newton's life and times.
Blow
Director of Photography
A boy named George Jung grows up in a struggling family in the 1950's. His mother nags at her husband as he is trying to make a living for the family. It is finally revealed that George's father cannot make a living and the family goes bankrupt. George does not want the same thing to happen to him, and his friend Tuna, in the 1960's, suggests that he deal marijuana. He is a big hit in California in the 1960's, yet he goes to jail, where he finds out about the wonders of cocaine. As a result, when released, he gets rich by bringing cocaine to America. However, he soon pays the price.
Bamboozled
Director of Photography
TV producer Pierre Delacroix becomes frustrated when network brass reject his sitcom idea. Hoping to get fired, Delacroix pitches the worst idea he can think of: a 21st century minstrel show. The network not only airs it, but it becomes a smash hit.
Summer of Sam
Director of Photography
Spike Lee's take on the "Son of Sam" murders in New York City during the summer of 1977 centering on the residents of an Italian-American South Bronx neighborhood who live in fear and distrust of one another.
Just the Ticket
Director of Photography
Gary Starke is one of the best ticket scalpers in New York City. His girlfriend, Linda, doesn't approve of his criminal lifestyle, though, and dumps him when she gets the opportunity to study cooking in Paris. Gary realizes that he has to give up scalping if he has any chance of winning her back. But before he does, he wants to cash out on one last big score. He gets his chance when the pope announces he'll be performing Easter Mass at Yankee Stadium.
He Got Game
Director of Photography
A basketball player's father must try to convince him to go to a college so he can get a shorter prison sentence.
4 Little Girls
Director of Photography
On September 15, 1963, a bomb destroyed a black church in Birmingham, Alabama, killing four young girls who were there for Sunday school. It was a crime that shocked the nation--and a defining moment in the history of the civil-rights movement. Spike Lee re-examines the full story of the bombing, including a revealing interview with former Alabama Governor George Wallace.
If These Walls Could Talk
Director of Photography
A powerful, intimate portrait of three women living in the same house during different eras who all face unplanned pregnancies. The vignettes follow a recently widowed nurse struggling to take control of her life in the early 50s, a mother of four balancing raising a family and maintaining a career in the 70s, and a student making a difficult decision with the help of one woman that will change the course of both their lives in the 90s.
The Dadshuttle
Director of Photography
A father and his gay son use the opportunity of a car ride to have a sometimes uncomfortable conversation.
I Shot Andy Warhol
Director of Photography
Based on the true story of Valerie Solanas who was a 1960s radical preaching hatred toward men in her "Scum" manifesto. She wrote a screenplay for a film that she wanted Andy Warhol to produce, but he continued to ignore her. So she shot him. This is Valerie's story.
Unzipped
Director of Photography
Isaac Mizrahi, one of the most successful designers in high fashion, plans his fall 1994 collection.
Roy Cohn/Jack Smith
Director of Photography
When Jill Godmilow’s documentary Roy Cohn/Jack Smith premiered at the 1994 Toronto International Film Festival, the number of AIDS-related deaths was reaching an all-time high in the United States (over 270,000). In New York City, the epicenter of the AIDS epidemic, many artists and filmmakers were grappling with the disease. While Broadway was hosting the second part of Tony Kushner’s award-winning play Angels in America, downtown New Yorkers were fondly recalling another recent production, Ron Vawter’s one-man show Roy Cohn/Jack Smith, in which the actor, who died of AIDS in April 1994, performed two monologues, first as Cohn, the conservative lawyer, and secondly, as Smith, the flamboyant experimental filmmaker—both of whom died of AIDS-related causes in the late 1980s.
Angela
Director of Photography
A ten year old girl named Angela leads her six year old sister, Ellie, through various regimens of 'purification' in an attempt to rid themselves of their evil, which she believes to be the cause of their mother's mental illness. Precocious, to say the least, Angela has visions of Lucifer coming to take her and her sister away, and one of her remedies for this is for them to remain within a circle of their dolls and toys until they see a vision of the virgin Mary come to them. But such thinking can only lead to an ending befitting of her own mental state.
Postcards from America
Director of Photography
Inspired by the autobiographical writings of David Wojnarowicz, "Postcards From America" chronicles the abuse the artist suffered as a child at the hands of his father and his subsequent running away to New York to become a street hustler.
Geoffrey Beene 30
Director of Photography
A profile of fashion designer Geoffrey Beene, on his 30 years in the industry.
Swoon
Director of Photography
Teenagers Nathan Leopold Jr. and Richard Loeb share a dangerous sexual bond and an amoral outlook on life. They spend afternoons breaking into storefronts and engaging in petty crimes, until the calculating Nathan ups the ante by kidnapping, and murdering, a young boy.
Guerrillas In Our Midst
Director of Photography
Guerrillas In Our Midst takes a look behind the scenes of New York's blue chip art market, and reveals how a contemporary art movement is "created." The anonymous art activists, the Guerrilla Girls, provide a witty foil to SoHo's business-as-usual, protesting the underrepresentation of women and non-white artists with satirical posters and their trademark gorilla masks.
The World According to John Coltrane
Gaffer
The World According to John Coltrane is a documentary film about saxophonist John Coltrane
He Was Once
Assistant Camera
This bizarre parody of the animated religious children’s show Davey and Goliath uses actors but looks like Claymation because of the stop motion, distorted voices, giant prosthetic ears and hair and sets that make Pee-Wee’s Playhouse look realistic. Davey’s father whips him with a belt for saying that he saw a bear, though he really did see a bear, while his sister looks on in glee. His dog Goliath, actually a leopard-skin footrest with a grotesque tail, tries to help but gets whipped too. Oedipal dream sequences and Davey’s revenge are also highlights in this unforgettable and darkly hilarious suburban nightmare.
Samsara: Death and Rebirth in Cambodia
Director of Photography
Made as a relief worker's master's thesis, this documentary chronicles the difficulties of rebuilding a community in post-Pol Pot Cambodia