American cinematographer Sion Michel, ACS, discovered his passion for visual storytelling while immersed in the golden era of revival cinema. Drawn to the expressive power of light and image, and shaped by the cinematic worlds of Truffaut, Fellini, Kurosawa, Kubrick and the visual legacy of Boris Kaufman, he set his sights early on a life behind the lens.
In 2025, his work takes center stage at the Cannes Film Festival with ''Sons of the Neon Night'', premiering in the prestigious Midnight Screenings section. Directed by Juno Mak and starring Takeshi Kaneshiro, Sean Lau, Tony Leung Ka-fai, Louis Koo and Gao Yuanyuan, the film marks a bold new chapter in his international career.
He lensed the Western thriller ''The Old Way'' (2023) for Saban Films and Lionsgate, directed by Brett Donowho and starring Academy Award winner Nicolas Cage. His narrative feature work also includes ''Heartfall Arises'' (2016), directed by Ken Wu; ''Beijing, New York'' (2015), directed by Rain Li; ''The Unbearable Lightness of Inspector Fan'' (2015), directed by Clara Law; and the ensemble romance ''Hot Summer Days'' (2010), co-directed by Tony Chan and Wing Shya, which became the number one box office hit in China during Chinese New Year.
His cinematography for ''Like A Dream'' (2009), directed by Clara Law, earned a Golden Horse Award nomination for Best Cinematography. ''Red Earth'' (2010), also directed by Law, competed in the 67th Venice Film Festival. In 2007, Michel received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork and Video for a Miniseries or Special for ''Tony Bennett: An American Classic'', directed by Rob Marshall.
His commercial and music video credits have also earned significant acclaim. He received two Silver Awards from the Australian Cinematographers Society (ACS) in 2012 for Julia Stone’s ''By the Horns'' and Angus Stone’s ''Bird on the Buffalo''. In 2014, he won the Silver Telly, the top honor at the 35th Annual Telly Awards, for best direction and cinematography on ''WPPI 2013'' in the Live Event category. His portrait ''Sarah'' earned recognition as a Single Image Winner in the 'Children' category by ''Black & White Magazine'' in 2017.
Recognition came early with a British Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography in 2002 for the BBC documentary series ''Beyond the Fatal Shore'', filmed across Australia.
With a career that spans continents and genres, Michel’s body of work includes artful feature films, evocative music videos, high-end commercials and award-winning documentaries. He has collaborated with world-class cinematographers including Dion Beebe ASC ACS, Laszlo Baranyai HSC ACS and Steve Windon ASC ACS while developing a distinct visual signature marked by poetic realism.
Educated at the Australian Film Television and Radio School’s Masters Program in Cinematography, Michel is a passionate and agile visual storyteller with a global creative network. He brings a deep respect for the emotional power of light and frame to every project.
He is an accredited member of the Australian Cinematographers Society (ACS) and is based between Los Angeles, Sydney and Asia.
Education
Sion Michel was born in the United States, and has also spent much of his life in Australia.
Michel obtained an M.A. in
Cinematography
Cinematography () is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography.
Cinematographers use a lens (optics), lens to focus reflected light from objects into a real image that is transferred to some image sen ...
from the
Australian Film, Television and Radio School
The Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS), formerly Australian Film and Television School, is Australia's national screen arts and broadcast school. Opened to students in 1973 as Film and Television School (FTS), after accredita ...
in 1992.
He has been actively working in cinematography and photography since the 1990s.
Career
Sion Michel has been an active cinematographer in the film industry since 1986.
Michel was Cinematographer for many notable films, including ''
The Old Way'', ''
Sons of the Neon Night
A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative.
Social issues
In pre-industrial societies and some current c ...
'', ''
Heartfall Arises
''Heartfall Arises'' is a 2016 suspense crime action drama film directed by Ng Ban-yu and starring Nicholas Tse, Sean Lau, Tong Liya, Mavis Fan and Vengo Gao. A Chinese-Hong Kong co-production, it was scheduled for release in Hong Kong on 20 Oct ...
'',
''
Shanghai Noir'', and ''Like a Dream''. Other production roles include cinematography work for the films ''Chasing Rabbits'', ''WPPI 2013'',
and ''Laura Smiles''.
Michel founded the film production company Mettafilm in 2005, where he currently serves as Director of Photography.
Sion Michel is also a member of the
Australian Cinematographers Society
The Australian Cinematographers Society (ACS) is a not-for-profit organisation founded in 1958 for the purpose of providing a forum for Australian cinematographers to further develop their skills through mutual co-operation.
History
The Austral ...
(ACS).
Selected filmography
Sion Michel's selected cinematography credits include:
[
]
Award nominations
Sion Michel's cinematography work for ''Beyond The Fatal Shore'', ''Tony Bennett
Anthony Dominick Benedetto (August 3, 1926 – July 21, 2023), known professionally as Tony Bennett, was an American jazz and traditional pop singer. He received many accolades, including 20 Grammy Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, ...
: An American Classic'', and ''Like a Dream'' have been nominated for various awards, including the Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
and BAFTA Film Awards
The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best Cinema of the United Kingdom, British and Worl ...
.BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
documentary series ''Beyond The Fatal Shore''Tony Bennett
Anthony Dominick Benedetto (August 3, 1926 – July 21, 2023), known professionally as Tony Bennett, was an American jazz and traditional pop singer. He received many accolades, including 20 Grammy Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, ...
: An American Classic'', directed by Rob Marshall
Robert Doyle Marshall Jr.http://www.alumni.cmu.edu/s/1410/images/editor_documents/alumnirelations/getinvolved/alumniawards/all_honorees_2018june1.pdf (born October 17, 1960) is an American film and theater director, producer, and choreographer. ...
.46th Golden Horse Awards
The 46th Golden Horse Awards was held on November 28, 2009.
Winners and nominees
Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.
References
External linksOfficial website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Golden Horse Awards, 46
46th
Taiwan Film Aw ...
Best Cinematography nomination for the feature ''Like a Dream'', directed by Clara Law
Clara Law Cheuk-yiu (; born 29 May 1957) is a Hong Kong Second Wave film director who moved to Australia with her partner and fellow filmmaker Eddie Fong. She is known for such films as ''Floating Life'' and '' Autumn Moon''.
Early life and ed ...
.
References
External links
*
Penumbraman
B&W photography by Sion Michel
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Michel, Sion
Living people
American cinematographers
BAFTA winners (people)
Australian Film Television and Radio School alumni
Year of birth missing (living people)