Nina Kellgren BSC is a BAFTA-winning British cinematographer whose career of more than 35 years has encompassed feature films, documentaries, television, commercials and collaborations with leading artist-filmmakers. In 2017, the British Film Institute identified her as the most prolific female Director of Photography in the history of UK feature filmmaking. She was also only the second woman to be elected to the British Society of Cinematographers.
Born in Manchester in 1948, Nina studied at the Slade School of Fine Art, completing both a Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts. After graduating in 1972, she began working as a camera assistant for Diane Tammes, developing her career through documentary and independent filmmaking before establishing herself as a cinematographer.
Nina's early work included collaborations with artist and filmmaker Isaac Julien, notably Looking for Langston and Young Soul Rebels. The latter won the Critics' Award at Cannes in 1991. She subsequently photographed Y Mapiwr, for which she received an RTS nomination for Best Camera, as well as a wide range of documentaries, television films and commercials.
Her work on Paul Morrison's Solomon & Gaenor (1999) became a landmark in British cinematography. The film won Nina the BAFTA Cymru Award for Best Cinematography and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. Nina's cinematography was central to the film's richly atmospheric depiction of Wales at the beginning of the twentieth century.
Her subsequent feature work included Wondrous Oblivion, Deep Water and Drowning By Bullets. Wondrous Oblivion won Best Film and the Grand Jury Prize at the Giffoni Film Festival, while Deep Water, the documentary about the 1968–69 Sunday Times Golden Globe yacht race, won the Grierson Award for Best Cinema Documentary. Drowning By Bullets received the FIPA d'Or at Cannes and an Amnesty International Award.
Nina has also maintained an important relationship with artists working outside conventional narrative filmmaking. Her collaborations with Isaac Julien include multi-screen installations such as True North, Fantôme Afrique, Western Union: Small Boats, Lessons of the Hour – Frederick Douglass and Once Again, Statues Never Die. These projects have allowed her to explore cinematography across multiple screens and formats, extending her practice beyond traditional feature filmmaking.
Alongside her cinematography, Nina has made a substantial contribution to education and professional development. Since 2000 she has been involved with the National Film and Television School as a visiting cinematography tutor, and she has also taught at the London Film School. She has served on BAFTA and Camerimage juries and on international commissioning and mentoring panels. She was a Governor of the BSC from 2005–2008, 2015–2017 and again from 2022, and has played a leading role in the Society's work on diversity, equality and inclusion.
Nina has also been a prominent advocate for greater diversity within cinematography. As Vice President of IMAGO, the International Federation of Cinematographers, from 2016 to 2020, she helped establish its Diversity and Inclusion Committee in 2016 and subsequently served as its Co-Chair. Her work has made her an influential voice for greater representation and opportunity within the international cinematography community.
In 2021, the British Society of Cinematographers honoured Nina with the BSC John Alcott Memorial Award, recognising her contribution to promoting and encouraging the highest standards in the art and craft of cinematography.