ASC Elects Kees Van Oostrum to serve as president
The Board of Governors of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) has elected Kees Van Oostrum as president. This is Van Oostrum’s first term, begins immediately and runs for one year. The ASC Board also selected its slate of officers who include Bill Bennett, Lowell Peterson and Dean Cundey as vice presidents; Levie Isaacks as treasurer; Fred Goodich as secretary; and Roberto Schaefer as sergeant-at-arms.
“It is our task as an organization to educate the industry on the value of the cinematographer as authors of the images, to be involved in advancing imaging technology, and most importantly, to promote our artistry,” said Van Oostrum. “I’m honored to be selected along with these officers to lead my peers and colleagues into new visual frontiers, and continue the educational mission of the organization.”
Van Oostrum has served many roles in the ASC and is the chairman and originator of the popular ASC Master Classes, one of the pillars of the organization’s focus on education and encircling the next generation of filmmakers. “The Master Classes have been very successful and we hope to expand them to an international level,” adds Van Oostrum. “With partner associations worldwide and the support of our community of associate members, there is great promise in the immediate future to develop these and new programs that will help promote the importance of authorship in the creation of artful content.”
Van Oostrum has earned two Primetime Emmy nominations for his work on the telefilms Miss Rose White and Return to Lonesome Dove. His peers chose the latter for a 1994 ASC Outstanding Achievement Award. Additional ASC Award nominations for his television credits came for The Burden of Proof, Medusa’s Child, and Spartacus. He also shot the Emmy-winning documentary The Last Chance. Currently, he serves as director of photography on The Fosters which airs on Freeform.
A native of Amsterdam, Van Oostrum studied at the Dutch Film Academy with an emphasis on both cinematography and directing, and went on to earn a scholarship sponsored by the Dutch government which enabled him to enroll the American Film Institute (AFI). Van Oostrum broke into the industry shooting television documentaries for several years. He has subsequently compiled a wide range of some 80-plus credits, including movies for television and the cinema, such as Gettysburg and Gods and Generals, and occasional documentaries.
The ASC was founded in 1919. There are 340-plus active members today who have national roots in some 20 countries. There are also 150 associate members from ancillary segments of the industry.