Oscar-nominated Fil-Am cinematographer Matthew Libatique on his banner year

LOS ANGELES – Three-time Oscar-nominated Filipino cinematographer Matthew Libatique not only had a banner year of three films with his renowned filmmaker collaborators – Spike Lee, Darren Aronofsky and Bradley Cooper. He also got to act and say lines in one, Bradley’s “Is This Thing On?”

I knew Matthew, or Matty as he is called in the industry, lensed Bradley’s third outing as a director. Imagine my pleasant surprise – Matty was in front of the cameras as one of the stand-up comics in the comedy-drama, which explores the milieu of comedy clubs. As the marriage of Will Arnett’s Alex and Laura Dern’s Tess falters, Alex explores being a club comedian.

In our recent one-on-one interview, I asked Matty how he ended up also in front of the cameras with a small role as Dave.

“Is This Thing On?” is only Matty’s third collaboration with Bradley, who also acts in the film. But the DP’s second and third Academy citations were for his work with the actor-director – “Maestro,” the biographical drama on the iconic composer and conductor, Leonard Bernstein, and “A Star Is Born,” the fourth iteration of Hollywood’s rags-to-riches tale.

“Bradley and I like to do a lot of shooting in pre-production,” the son of Filipino immigrants began about how he was cast. “We test by taking a camera, going out, and then doing proof of concept. That’s what we call it, actually – proof of concept.”

“Like, okay, we want to do this. And Bradley was searching for a language for the film. When you look at the film, it’s all handheld. It’s all on one lens. It’s on a 40mm lens.”

The 57-year-old, looking youthful with his trademark spiky hair, recounted the moment when he and Bradley were at the Comedy Cellar, New York’s legendary club where the likes of Jon Stewart and Amy Schumer started.

“They tell us we can go inside, so Bradley wanted to get the camera inside.”

Matthew Libatique | Photo by Ruben V. Nepales

“And he asked me right then. He was like, would you be willing to be one of the comedians that Will walks up to? I say, what do you want me to do? He’s like, just pretend that you’ve seen him before on stage, and just start talking to him. I’m like, okay.”

“Bradley liked it so much that he said, if we’re going to use that footage, we need you to be on stage again. I’m like, what? He’s like, we’ll shoot you on stage, so that we can cut to that scene that we shot in prep. And I said, okay, fine, I’ll do anything for the film.”

Matthew Libatique at the 2022 Venice Film Festival | Photo by Ruben V. Nepales

Asked who wrote his comedy club lines, Matty answered, “They wrote some jokes for me, but what’s in the movie, actually, I wrote myself.”

He quipped, “So, it’s just (about being) an angry, embittered comedian. Very easy for me to do.”

“That day,” Matty cracked after I asked him when he found his inner comedian. “I’ll be honest with you, making this movie, you can’t help but be (one). Like, when I did ‘Black Swan,’ I was so interested in ballet and the world of choreography, and I was so inspired by Benjamin Millepied (the film’s choreographer).”

Matty earned his first Oscar cinematography nod for “Black Swan,” Darren’s psychological horror thriller set in the ballet world.

Matthew Libatique on ‘Black Swan’ set. Photo from Fox Searchlight Pictures

“The same thing here, I was working with some of the comedians that we had, just watching how they prepare, what they talk about when they’re preparing to go on stage, and about writing their material. It’s fascinating, really.”

“So, I guess I just got caught up in it. When you’re able to make a film about a subculture like comedy, ballet, or musicianship and pop culture, you learn a lot. And you just become a sponge.”

On how different his collaborative experience was with Bradley this time, Matty pointed out, “This is a much smaller film. There was a lot of scope to ‘A Star Is Born,’ our first collaboration, our first film together, with the concerts and Lady Gaga, the personality, and the world that we were portraying. And, ‘Maestro,’ of course, is this epic tale of this very famous person, this icon and titan of pop culture in America.”

“This (‘Is This Thing On?’) is more of a small film, about two people. It’s just regular people; it’s a very intimate movie. And so it was a nice departure from ‘Maestro.’ Honestly, it was about being able to concentrate on something smaller, and it still makes cinema.”

“So, the difference really is the scale and scope of it all. There was a lot less pressure to make this because, as a living person, you could understand a person’s plight in this world. There’s less to live up to than when you’re dealing with Leonard Bernstein, or you’re dealing with a rags-to-riches story in ‘A Star Is Born.’ There’s a lot of pomp and circumstance to that, while this is a smaller story, so we were able to be a little freer from all the expectations.”

The cinematographer who has been lensing feature films for over three decades, with an estimated 38 to his credit so far, espouses empathy over style. For him, it’s about helping the filmgoers connect with the characters, not about camera techniques or imposing his visual style.

Matty’s handheld 16mm in “Black Swan” captured up close Natalie Portman’s ballerina’s descent into a fractured psychological state and eventually, madness. She won her first Academy Best Actress honors for the film. Brendan Fraser also scored his first Best Actor Oscar for “The Whale,” another Matty-Darren collaboration.

“It’s really about storytelling,” Matty stressed. “What I mean by that, especially on ‘Is This Thing On?,’ is that the cinematography, meaning the camera and the light, and those choices that go into cinematography, should not get in the way of the humanity.”

“So, if you put that first, the cinematography succeeds by virtue of what’s in camera, or what’s in front of the camera versus what the camera’s doing.”

“So, it’s really about connecting with the purpose of the movie, or the story, and the characters, and not about making what I do, or what cinematography is, too distracting.”

Matty, who has worked with some of the finest actors, from Meryl Streep, Jodie Foster to Denzel Washington, praised his “Is This Thing On?” leads. “Laura Dern, I can’t say enough about her,” he enthused. “She’s the most lovely actress, person, and soul that I’ve ever met. And Will is also a genuine, good person. I was a big fan of his from ‘BoJack Horseman.’ I just like hearing his voice. It’s so warm. It’s like there’s a microphone in front of him at all times.”

“Just being around people like that. I honestly felt like both of them gave so much of themselves in the performance that they bring such an authenticity to the characters, and ultimately the film.  I think the film works based on their performances, not necessarily anything anybody else did but them.”

Spike Lee’s “Highest 2 Lowest,” which premiered in the Cannes Film Festival last May, and Darren Aronofsky’s “Caught Stealing,” completed what Matty called his “triptych” of films released in 2025.  He shot these two movies back-to-back in 2024.

Matthew Libatique (right) with Spike Lee | CONTRIBUTED

“Caught Stealing,” a dark comedy and gangster action flick, stars Austin Butler, Regina King, and Zoe Kravitz. It’s the eighth feature film collaboration of Matty and Darren, who met on their first day as students at the American Film Institute (AFI) Conservatory and instantly liked each other. The lore is that they vowed that they’d work together.

‘Caught Stealing’ star Austin Butler (left) and Matthew Libatique on set of the cinematographer’s eighth feature collaboration with Darren Aronofsky. Photo from Sony Pictures

Enrolling in AFI’s MFA Cinematography was a natural progression for Matty, who got turned on to cinema as an undergraduate student at the California State University, Fullerton. After AFI, Matty and Darren, who earned his MFA in Directing, went on to make eight feature films so far – “Pi,” “Requiem for a Dream,” “The Fountain,” “Black Swan,” “Noah,” “Mother!,” “The Whale,” and “Caught Stealing.”

Matty and Spike also hit it off right away the first time they met in Hollywood. The duo has collaborated on five films – “She Hate Me,” “Inside Man,” “Miracle at St. Anna,” “Chi-Raq,” and “Highest 2 Lowest.”

On lensing “Highest 2 Lowest” and “Caught Stealing” one after another, Matty remarked, “To be quite honest, it’s about more than a year ago. It’s gone by so fast. They (the films) are so far apart. It’s like asking me how making ‘Requiem for a Dream’ was at this point. Of course, I’m working with two collaborators that I love and hold dear to my career and my heart, and as friends.”

“It’s always a pleasure to work with them. ‘Highest 2 Lowest’ was, like, what can I say? It’s Denzel Washington, Spike Lee. It was just an opportunity. And, Akira Kurosawa.” The film is Spike’s reimagining of Akira’s 1960s crime thriller classic, “High and Low.”

“So you can’t help but be very excited about that. What I love about working with Spike is that no matter what we’re doing, he puts Spike Lee in it. It’s a Spike Lee film. It can’t be mistaken for anybody else’s film.”

“If you were flipping through Netflix or Apple or any streamer, or if you walk into a theater and happen to sit down and watch ‘Highest 2 Lowest’ and didn’t know who the director was, you would know who the director was based on the film. And I love being present for that.”

“With Darren, I feel the same way,” Matty pointed out. “This film (‘Caught Stealing’) is a departure for him because it’s a different material. Darren was trying to make something popular and fun. Ultimately, a fun movie-going experience. And of course, he’s one of my oldest friends in this business, period.”

“So, working with Darren is an absolute joy. I wish I could do it more, and we had a great time doing it. I’m very proud of the craftsmanship of that film. And most of it is because I just love working with him.”

By coincidence, Matty’s 2025 “triptych” was all set in New York, where he was born to Justiniano Libatique of Dagupan, Pangasinan, and Georgina (nee Jose) Libatique of Lucena, Quezon. Justiniano, who worked at Berkley Film Labs, introduced Matty to photography. In late 2023, Matty moved back to New York, where he lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Mary-Ellen Libatique (nee Vales), whom he married in 2021.

Matty rhapsodized about his birthplace as the location of his recent three films. “Here’s the thing about New York City. It’s not just the skyline, you know? It’s not just the pizza. There are many different stories in the city. Just like there are in London, Hong Kong, Rome, Manila.”

“There are many stories within the city, and New York is no different, if not more intensified. There are locations in ‘Highest 2 Lowest’ that we don’t see in ‘Caught Stealing.’ And there are neighborhoods that we don’t see in ‘Highest 2 Lowest,’ and ‘Is This Thing On?,’ as well. It comes from a different perspective.”

“So, in all three of those films shot in New York, what I love about them as a triptych, for me, personally, is that they show a different perspective of a city I love. They’re indicative of how many different experiences are going on in that city at any given time and every minute.”

“Yeah, it’s not easy,” Matty admitted about his hectic life as one of the country’s busiest cinematographers. “Difficult, actually. Being in the life of a cinematographer is not easy in terms of managing personal life, and for anybody who’s done this for a living, and all the people who’ve done this for a living, whether you’re a cinematographer, a costume designer, a production designer, a director, or even an actor.”

“It’s a different lifestyle. We’re in the carnival, we’re in the circus, so the life in between, our actual lives, is different than everybody else’s. How do I manage it? I don’t know. I wondered that myself.”

Perhaps take a break and visit the Philippines again? “I’d like to go to the Philippines,” Matty replied. “I’d like to go back with my mother again (his father passed away in 1993, as he was about to begin his DP career with a short, ‘Protozoa,’ directed by Darren). And my brother, possibly my kids.”

“But, no immediate plans. Taking a break, maybe a little bit. I’m wrapping something next week, and we’ll see what happens. Hopefully, I get a few weeks off, maybe a month.”

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