Nanjing! Nanjing! (City of Life and Death) People's Republic of China
Cinematography: Cao Yu



City of Life and Death is the second film on which Cao Yu has collaborated with director, Lu Chuan. He was the cinematographer for Chuan’s 2004 film, Kekexili: Mountain Patrol, which was widely acclaimed and received both a Golden Horse and a Golden Rooster Award for Best Feature Film. Cao Yu’s credits include Run Away (2001) and Love in the Internet Generation (1998). In 2009 he received the San Sebastian Film Festival’s award for Best Cinematography for City of Life and Death.

2009 INTERNATIONAL JURY STATEMENTS

"The black and white cinematography of this film is absolutely stunning. Every shot is a story in itself, a war photograph that has come to life." – Pryas Gupta




HIGH COMMENDATION for Cinematography: Alisher Khamidhodjaev & Maxim Drozdov for Paper Soldier



Born in Tashent, Uzbekistan, Alisher Khamidhodjaev graduated from Moscow’s prestigious Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography (VGIK) in 1992. His credits include Tale in the Darkness (2009), Everybody Dies but Me (2008), Four Ages of Love (2008) and Four (2004). Maxim Drozdov was born in Almaty, Kazakhstan and began his career as an editorial photographer. In 2004 he completed his studies in cinematography at the Saint Petersburg University for Film and Television where he was DOP on several shorts and documentaries and then went on to shoot The Lighthouse (2006), Paper Soldier (2008) and Bibinur (2009). Together, they have received the award for Best Cinematography at the 2008 Venice International Film Festival and Russia’s 2009 NIKA Awards for their work on Paper Soldier.