The very talented female cinematographer, Magdalena Gorka, is the newest member of the ASC ( American Society of Cinematographers). Gorka is also a member of the Polish Society of Cinematographers, and her titles include ‘I’m Still Here, ‘Paranormal Activity 3’, ‘Viral’, ‘Die in a Gunfight’, and the Netflix series ‘Into the Night’ which we wrote about. Moreover, Gorka is known for her automotive cinematography, and she has shot campaigns for clients including BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and Ford. Read her quotes and get some inspiration.

ASC: 390 members, only 18 are women: But there’s an improvement

The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), was founded in 1919. However, It didn’t invite a woman to join until 1980. Nevertheless, as time passes by, another crack on the glass ceiling is being formed. As of 2019 (we don’t have newer data), only 4% of the ASC members are women. Thus, it’s always very nice seeing a female cinematographer that is accepted. This time it’s the turn of the very talented Polish cinematographer Magdalena Gorka.

For all The Ladies out there; let’s keep on shooting!

Magdalena Gorka

Magdalena Gorka: Specializes in automotive cinematography

“For all The Ladies out there; let’s keep on shooting!” said Gorka back in 2018. Magdalena Gorka has graduated from the Polish National Film School in Lodz with a Master of Arts in Cinematography. She lives in Venice, California. Her titles include features like ‘I’m Still Here’, ‘Paranormal Activity 3’, ‘Viral’, ‘Die in a Gunfight’, and more.

I will never forget the feeling when I stood behind a huge Moviecam and the DOP told me that most of the movie is handheld. The expression on everyone’s face was priceless.

Magdalena Gorka

Her newest project is ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022’). For her work on the feature ‘Jack Strong’, she earned a Camerimage Golden Frog Award nomination. Her television credits include the HBO Max superhero series ‘Doom Patrol’ and Netflix sci-fi drama ‘Into the Night’ which we wrote about. Read more about her cinematography approach on that series: Netflix’s ‘Into the Night’: Low-Light Cinematography Led by DP Magdalena Gorka.

It’s awesome to operate a camera on your movie from time to time

Magdalena Gorka

“Lifelong dream came true today!”

That was said by Gorka after the acceptance into the ASC. And that’s proof for the female filmmakers out there: Do not stop perusing your dreams. One of the best ways to start is being 1st AC (Read: 1st AC: The Leader of the Camera Department), and then camera operator which is one of the most fun parts of the job. “It’s awesome to operate a camera on your movie from time to time. It’s bringing me back to my modest beginnings with the same director – 18 years ago when I started as a camera operator. I will never forget the feeling when I stood behind a huge Moviecam and the DOP told me that most of the movie is handheld. The expression on everyone’s face was priceless” said Gorka back in 2018. So appreciate every moment, work hard and climb that ladder. We’d like to wish a lot of success to Gorka and can’t wait to see her art on the big screen.