written by Tara Sanders Brooks, American Cinematographer
Each year, American Cinematographer’s editors and a blue-ribbon group of ASC members handpick Rising Stars of Cinematography to spotlight top prospects from a new generation of creative camerapeople. This year’s Stars are Alex Ashe, Matheus Bastos, Sam Davis, Alexandre Nour Desjardins, Juliette Lossky, Idan Menin, Lidia Nikonova, Rayana Rasamee and Jay Swuen.
Many Rising Stars alumni have gone on to shoot high-profile projects, and some have become ASC members. We’re confident that this year’s group will continue to thrive and produce outstanding, noteworthy work.
Nikonova began her journey as a filmmaker at age 8, when she shot a remake of the 1996 witch thriller The Craft. “My parents did not allow me to watch the actual movie [shot by Alexander Gruszynski, ASC] due to its alleged ‘mature content,’” she says, “but I wanted to see it so badly that I gathered my girlfriends, stole my dad’s camcorder and shot what we thought The Craft was about, based solely on the cover of the VHS tape. If the opportunity presents itself, I would love to shoot a remake of the real version!”
While studying film theory at the University of Sydney, Nikonova worked as a still photographer after class, and she went on to assist seasoned photojournalists as an intern at The Sydney Morning Herald. This foundation firmly established the kind of cinematographer she would become:
“Photojournalism teaches you to tell the whole story in one frame. I took this to heart: Framing and composition is how you reveal emotional truth and drive a film forward.”
Nikonova earned an MFA at AFI, where she honed her skills by lighting and gaffing for her classmates while also shooting as much as she could. ASC members Stephen Lighthill and Bill Dill were invaluable mentors, as were her peers. “Mentorship didn’t just come from the professors, but also from classmates with more experience, including Lauren Guiteras, who is a very dear friend of mine.”
Nikonova was also selected for the ASC Vision Mentorship Program, where Rodney Taylor, ASC has been “fundamental in teaching me that this career is a marathon, not a sprint, and you can just trust the process and ride the waves.”
She’s found herself empowered by the support she has received. “I feel like for female artists, there is a confidence that can be taken away early on. Your output, your ability to manage complex projects — you sometimes aren’t perceived as capable. So, it really means a lot if somebody believes in your vision, whether as a mentor or a collaborator.”
Nikonova has built a body of work in music videos, shooting for artists such as Lil Yachty, King Princess and The Weeknd. “My secret superpower is that I shoot on film a lot. I want to find a plasticity that feels organic but also lively, and 35mm feels like the basis for that aesthetic.
“If I look back on everything I’ve done, the most important thing is the relationships that helped me grow and develop into a better person and artist,” she continues. “One thing I try and home in on is authenticity and respect for my collaborators. I want everyone to feel heard, for the director to feel they can explore their artistic vision and experiment.”
Her first feature credit was Rachel Fleit’s documentary Bama Rush, and she has since shot the narrative features Family Portrait, directed by Lucy Kerr, and Night Nurse, an erotic thriller directed by Georgia Bernstein, which premiered at Sundance this year and opened in theaters on July 10. Her short Birdie, shot on 35mm and directed by Praise Odigie, also screened at the festival this year. A previous short shot on 16mm, While Mortals Sleep, premiered at Sundance in 2022.
Nikonova recently completed a second master’s degree — this one in film aesthetics — at Oxford University. “I am interested in how cinema can think and do philosophy through its formal register, and how it can be rendered through cinematography.”
She is keen to shoot projects of all sizes. “It’s so exciting to work on action films and on elaborate studio projects where a whole town comes to work, but then also be able to shoot arthouse indies and go handheld with one actor running around neighborhoods. My dream is to be able to do both.”
