Simona Susnea is a Romanian - British cinematographer, alumna of The National Film and Television School UK. She recently shot Series 2 of The Buccaneers for Apple+, HEARTSTOPPER Season 2 & 3 for NETFLIX and director Leo Leigh's 16 mm debut feature, Sweet Sue, produced by Somesuch & SUMS for BBC Film.
Simona loves drumming, dance, music, sports, still photography and film. She works between features, tv drama, fashion, commercials, music videos, art films and documentaries.
Simona shot and lit “AUDREY", a feature length creative doc about the iconic Hollywood actress, Audrey Hepburn. The film uses dance to narrate Audrey's life and features Alessandra Ferri and Francesca Hayward as Audrey, under Wayne McGregor's choreography. The film was produced by BAFTA nominated Salon and Universal Pictures and it has been released by all major platforms, Amazon, Netflix and Apple.
She also lensed the short film Blood Rites for BBC Film, directed by Helena Coan, based on the short story by Daisy Johnson.
In 2022 Simona was awarded Best Cinematography for PRAGMA (WXFF UK) and in 2019 for the hybrid fiction - doc short film “And it was the same with my son” (BAFTA Qualifying Underwire Film Festival).
The same year, she earned an Emerging Cinematographer nomination from the British Society of Cinematographers, for her work on Isha. Isha premiered at the 2018 BFI London Film Festival, received numerous nominations for best short film (Outfest, Frameline, Encounters) and two awards at Sicilia Queer Film Festival.
Simona's focus as a cinematographer is making character driven narratives and cross genre stories come to life. She's heavily influenced by European and American independent cinema. Simona’s background in fine art and still photography shaped her strong aesthetic as a cinematographer, particularly her lighting sensibilities and her love for shooting on 16 and 35mm.
Her work screened at Oscar and BAFTA qualifying festivals word-wide, shown in galleries and museums in Europe, USA and Australia and nominated for a Turner Prize in the UK.
CLIENTS
Film & TV: NETFLIX, Universal Pictures, Apple+, Disney+, Amazon, BBC, BBC Film, British Film Institute, British Council, Film London, Wetransfer, Victoria's Secret, National Geographic.
Commercials: Rimmel, Levi’s, The Body Shop, Stella McCartney, Vodafone, Apple, Selfridges, Cle de Peau, Unicef, JD Williams, Channel 4, Universal Music, Ninja Tune, Tanqueray.
LOCATIONS (drama, commercials, documentary)
USA, UK (incld. Northern Ireland, Scotland), France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Sardegna, Switzerland, Finland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bosnia, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Japan.
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RECOGNITION:
2022 Cinematography Award, Women X Film Festival UK for PRAGMA
2021 The Drum Awards - Campaign of the Year - Unseen Kingdoms Campaign for The Body Shop
2020 Berlinale Talents Alumna
2019 Cinematography Award, BAFTA Qualifying Underwire Film Festival, UK - "And it was the same with my son" Short Film
2019 Emerging Cinematographer Nomination by the British Society of Cinematographers
2018 Cinematography nomination, Oscar Qualifying Hollyshorts, USA - "Late" Short Film
2018 Cinematography nomination, BAFTA Qualifying Underwire Film Festival, UK - "Late" Short Film
2018 Turner Prize nomination - Tate Britain Exhibition - Cemetery of Uniforms and Liveries art film, 16 mm, artist Luke Willis Thompson.
2017 Cinematography nomination, World Cinema Int. Film Festival - One in a million short film.
2016 Sarajevo Talent Campus Alumna - Sarajevo International Film Festival
2015 Emerging Cinematographer Nomination by the British Society of Cinematographers
2011 Budapest Cinematography Masterclass Scholar
2011 Kodak Film School Cinematography Competition - National Winner - Romania.
2010 KODAK Cinematography Award for a Romanian Short Film - ”Smoking may kill”, 16 mm, black and white.
2010 UNATC Photography Award, Bucharest, Romania