”The film was crafted through the memories of what these great masters 
of cinematography have given to us."
Alfonso Cuaron made history at the 91st Oscars by becoming the first person to win 
a cinematography Oscar for a film that he also directed. Cuaron’s ‘Roma,’ which he 
also produced and wrote, and which draws on his own memories of his childhood and the 
women who raised him, took home the prize with the historic moment feeling even more 
pertinent as cinematography was one of the categories which was previously going to be
 relegated to the commercial break. The decision was immediately met with outrage and 
vehement protest and was eventually overturned. Before he presented the award, 
Tyler Perry took a jab at the Academy, noting he was pleased to be presenting the 
category live on air. This is the first time a black-and-white film has won the 
cinematography Oscar since 1994’s ‘Schindler's List.’ Cuaron beat out fellow nominees 
including Lukasz Zal for ‘Cold War,’ Robbie Ryan for ‘The Favourite,’ Caleb Deschanel 
for ‘Never Look Away’ and Matty Libatique for ‘A Star Is Born.’
‘Roma’ - which can be viewed on Netflix -  also took home the prize for best Foreign Film.
The film was up for 9 awards in total including Best Picture.
For more on this story, and for much more Oscars coverage, head to THR.com. 
For The Hollywood Reporter News, I’m Lyndsey Rodrigues.
