Michael Bauman Wins ASC Award for ‘One Battle After Another’

The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) presented Michael Bauman with the 2026 Theatrical Feature Film award for his work on One Battle After Another on Sunday, March 8th. The ASC’s 40th Outstanding Achievement Awards were held at the Beverly Hilton. This marks Bauman’s first ASC Award and nomination in the Theatrical Feature Film category. He was too nominated this year for Monster: The Ed Gein Story in the Limited/Anthology Series/Motion Picture Made for TV category.

ASC Awards 2026: A Night of Recognition

Beyond Bauman’s win, the ceremony honored several other cinematographers across various categories. Mátyás Erdély, ASC, HSC, received the Spotlight Award for Orphan, while Mstyslav Chernov and Alex Babenko were recognized with the Documentary Award for 2000 Meters from Andriivka. Yahoo Entertainment reports that Bauman’s win positions him as a front-runner for the upcoming Academy Award in cinematography, scheduled to be announced in one week.

Television and Music Video Honorees

The 2026 ASC Awards also celebrated excellence in television. Adam Newport-Berra won for The Studio in the Half-Hour Episode category. Pete Konczal was honored for Black Rabbit in the Limited or Anthology Series category, upsetting previous predictions. A tie occurred in the Episode of a One-Hour Series category, with both Alex Disenhof for Task and Christophe Nuyens for Andor receiving the award. Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, AMC, took home the ASC Music Video Award for Taylor Swift’s The Fate of Ophelia.

Additional Honorees

The ASC also presented several special awards: Guillermo del Toro received the ASC Board of Governors Award; Robert Yeoman, ASC, was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award; M. David Mullen, ASC, received the Career Achievement in Television Award; Cynthia Pusheck, ASC, was presented with the Presidents Award; Stephen Pizzello, editor-in-chief of American Cinematographer, received the ASC Award of Distinction; and Tom Fletcher was honored with the Bud Stone Award.

2026 ASC Award Winners: Complete List

• Theatrical Feature Film: Michael Bauman, One Battle After Another
• Episode of a Half-Hour Series: Adam Newport-Berra, The Studio (“The Oner”)
• Limited or Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Pete Konczal, Black Rabbit (“Isle of Joy”)
• Episode of a One-Hour Regular Series: Alex Disenhof, Task (“Crossings”) & Christophe Nuyens, Andor (“I Have Friends Everywhere”)
• Spotlight Award: Mátyás Erdély, Orphan
• Documentary Award: Mstyslav Chernov and Alex Babenko, 2000 Meters to Andriivka
• ASC Music Video Award: Rodrigo Prieto, The Fate of Ophelia (Performed by Taylor Swift)

The ASC Awards are often seen as a key indicator for the Academy Awards, though the two organizations don’t always align in their selections. MSN notes that the race for the cinematography Oscar remains competitive, with Autumn Durald Arkapaw (Sinners) and Adolpho Veloso (Train Dreams) also in contention.