COLOR AWARD 2021 to Vittorio Storaro

This year, the “Premio del Colore” award, granted by the Gruppo del Colore – Associazione Italiana Colore, was bestowed upon Vittorio Storaro, considered one of the most influential cinematographers of all time.

Vittorio Storaro is an Italian cinematographer widely acclaimed for his work on numerous films now regarded as classics, earning global recognition and appreciation. He has received three Academy Awards for Best Cinematography, along with numerous other national and international accolades.

Originally from Rome, Storaro began his study of photography at the age of 11, graduating as a “maestro di fotografia,” or Master Photographer, by the age of 16. At 18, he attained certification as a Color Cameraman and became one of the youngest students to attend and graduate from the Experimental Center of Cinematography.

In 1966, he worked as an assistant cameraman with Bernardo Bertolucci on “Before the Revolution,” and in 1968, he served as director of photography for the first time in Franco Rossi’s “Giovinezza, Giovinezza.” Following collaboration with Dario Argento in “The Bird with the Crystal Feathers,” Storaro reunited with Bertolucci in 1970 for “The Spider’s Strategy,” marking the beginning of a fruitful partnership.

Storaro’s first mainstream studio film was “Apocalypse Now,” directed by Francis Ford Coppola in 1979, earning him his initial Academy Award. He received his second Academy Award in 1981 for “Reds,” directed by Warren Beatty, and the third for “The Empire of the Sun” in 1987, directed by Bertolucci.

His research, training, and work experience have led him to recognize the fundamental meaning of color in life. Storaro believes that expressing oneself in the visual arts, including cinematographic photography, is impossible without understanding the physiological, dramaturgical, and philosophical meanings of colors – what Leonardo da Vinci referred to as the “children of light and shadow.” The study of color has been one of the greatest thrills of his life, and his life philosophy centers on the effects colors have on human actions and reactions, influencing human perception.