Matthew Libatique
Libatique in 2011
Born	Matthew José Libatique (1968-07-19)July 19, 1968 (age 57) New York City,New York, U.S.
Other names	Matty Libatique
Alma mater	California State University, Fullerton AFI Conservatory
Occupation	Cinematographer
Years active	1993–present
Spouse	Mary-Ellen Libatique
Awards	See below

Matthew José LibatiqueASC, LPS^[1] (born July 19, 1968) is an Americancinematographer. He is best known for his collaborations with directorsDarren Aronofsky,Spike Lee, andBradley Cooper. He has received threeAcademy Award nominations forBest Cinematography - forBlack Swan (2010),A Star Is Born (2018), andMaestro (2023). He is also a two-timeIndependent Spirit Award winner, and two-timeBAFTA Award nominee.

Matthew Libatique was born inElmhurst, Queens, New York City,^[2] to Filipino immigrant parents Georgina (née José) and Justiniáno Libatique. His father was fromDagupan, and his mother was fromLucena.^[3]

Libatique studied sociology and communications atCalifornia State University, Fullerton, before earning anMFA in cinematography atAFI Conservatory.^[4]

Libatique served as director of photography for music videos and teamed with fellow AFI alumnus Aronofsky for the short filmProtozoa. The two collaborated on the first three of Aronofsky's feature films. Other frequent collaborators areJulie Dash (music videos includingTracy Chapman's "Give Me One Reason"),Spike Lee (She Hate Me,Inside Man andMiracle at St. Anna),Joel Schumacher (Tigerland,Phone Booth andThe Number 23),Jon Favreau (Iron Man,Iron Man 2 andCowboys & Aliens), andBradley Cooper (A Star Is Born,Maestro, andIs This Thing On?).

Libatique's notable films include blockbusters such asIron Man andIron Man 2. In 2010, he was nominated for anAcademy Award for Best Cinematography for his work onBlack Swan, for which he won his second Independent Spirit award. He has also won best cinematography awards at the LA Film Critics Association, NY Film Critics Online, SF Film Critics, among many others.

Libatique discussed the importance of working closely with a director on a Cinematographer Roundtable withThe Hollywood Reporter, revealing: “The main thing is that you (both cinematographer and director) have the same goal and are telling the same story. Going into preparation you really need to be on the same page. Conflicts may arise when there’s a miscommunication about what’s important in a scene. So, it’s really important to listen...The director can (understandably) get pulled in a lot of different directions in prep. We, cinematographers are sort of guarding the gate of filmmaking, amongst all the other things that are happening.”^[5]

He has also said of his process: “I’d like to think each film is custom made. The director obviously dictates the approach that I have because everybody has a different working style. Some people want to talk intensely and visually about shots. Some don’t talk much at all. They concentrate more on the performances and they give you a broad idea of what they want the film to look like. So my first approach is to evaluate them, which may start in the interview process. But you also learn in preparation, as much as you can about the director. And that informs how I prepare in pre-production. If I’m lucky I can shape a visual language off some kind of inspiration. But the director definitely dictates how I do it.”^[6]

Libatique married film professional and former attorney Mary-Ellen Libatique (née Vales)^[7] in 2021 in Malibu, CA.

Other awards

• Matthew Libatique atIMDb
• Internet Encyclopedia of Cinematographers

• Living people
• 1968 births
• AFI Conservatory alumni
• American cinematographers
• French diaspora in the United States
• California State University, Fullerton alumni
• People from Elmhurst, Queens
• Filipino diaspora in the United States
• American people of Filipino descent
• Filmmakers from New York City
• Filmmakers from New York (state)
• Best Cinematography Independent Spirit Award winners

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from May 2019
• Articles with hCards