Judy Irola, ASC

Professor
Conrad Hall Chair, Cinematography
Head, Cinematography Track

213.745.7215
jirola@cinema.usc.edu
SCA 407
www.cinemanifest.com www.niger66.com

Judy Irola teaches cinematography in the Division of Film & Television Production and has been the Head of the Cinematography Track since 1999. She has 26 instructors under her direction and supervises the cinematography curriculum. She has freelanced as a cinematographer for over 30 years, having shot 15 independent features and countless documentaries around the world in locations such as Brazil, Jamaica, Cuba, France, Poland, Mozambique, Kenya, the Soviet Union, Mexico, Grenada, Italy, England and throughout the U.S.

Her feature films include Northern Lights (1978 winner Camera d'Or, Cannes Film Festival), Working Girls (1986), The Dead End Kids (1987), An Ambush of Ghosts (1993 winner Sundance Film Festival Dramatic Cinematography Award), Eat Your Heart Out  (1997), The Settlement (1999), Eban and Charley (2000) and The Gold Cup (2001). She was the D.P. for the NBC series Lifestories (1990), shot numerous Movies of the Week for ABC, CBS and NBC, and shot eight short films for Saturday Night Live's Schiller's Reel that included La Dolce Gilda (1979-83)

In 1995, Irola was invited into the prestigious American Cinematographers Association [ASC]. She was awarded Kodak's Vision Award in 1997. In 2004, Judy turned to directing/producing. Her documentary Cine Manifest premiered at the Mill Valley Film Festival (2006) and was a finalist for Maysles Brothers Documentary Award at the Denver International Film Festival in 2006. It took the Ruth Landfield Award for a Film by or About Women of Compassion, Conviction and Commitment in 2007 at the Fargo Film Festival and won Best Documentary Feature at the Montana Independent Film Festival in 2007. Cine Manifest screened at numerous international film festivals and was picked up by NewVideo/Docurama in New York City. It is being distributed for home DVD use in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Presently Irola is in post-production on her second documentary as Producer/Director with the project Niger '66: A Peace Corps Diary. It will premier in fall 2010.