Cinematographer Kaufmann wins Golden Frog for ‘Late Shift’

Judith Kaufmann won the top Golden Frog award at the Camerimage Film Festival in Toruń, Poland on Saturday for her cinematography on Late Shift, which follows an overworked nurse through a tense shift in an understaffed surgical wardimdb.

The film, directed by Petra Biondina Volpe and starring Leonie Benesch, is Switzerland’s official entry for the 2026 Academy Awards and has sold over 650,000 tickets across German-speaking Europe since premiering at the Berlin Film Festival in Februaryvariety.

Other major awards at the November 15-22 festival included the Silver Frog to Fabian Gamper for Sound of Falling and the TV Series Grand Prix to Corrin Hodgson and Ben Richardson for the 1923 episode “A Dream and a Memory”camerimage.

Camerimage 2025 Awards Late Shift Top Cinematography Prize

Judith Kaufmann claimed the prestigious Golden Frog at the Camerimage Film Festival on Saturday evening for her cinematography work on Late Shift, directed by Petra Biondina Volpe. The festival, which concluded its 33rd edition in Toruń, Poland, celebrated both established and emerging cinematographers across multiple categories during its closing gala.imdb

Kaufmann’s award-winning work captures an intimate portrait of a nurse navigating an understaffed surgical ward over the course of a single, increasingly tense shift. The film stars Leonie Benesch as Flora, a dedicated healthcare worker whose routine pressures intensify into an emotionally charged race against time. Late Shift is Switzerland’s official entry for the 2026 Academy Awards and has sold over 650,000 tickets across German-speaking Europe since its February premiere at the Berlin Film Festival.yahoo

The Silver Frog went to Fabian Gamper for Sound of Falling, directed by Mascha Schilinski, while Michał Sobociński earned the Bronze Frog for Chopin, A Sonata in Paris, directed by Michał Kwieciński. The festival’s Audience Award was presented to Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value, with cinematography by Kasper Tuxen.camerimage

Honors Across Multiple Categories

The week-long festival, which ran November 15-22, recognized cinematographers working across documentary, television, music video, and student film categories. In the Documentary Features Competition, Benjamin Bryan won the Golden Frog for Iron Winter, directed by Kasimir Burgess, while Ronnie McQuillan claimed the Documentary Shorts Golden Frog for No Mean City, directed by Ross McClean.camerimage

The TV Series Competition’s Grand Prix went to cinematographers Corrin Hodgson and Ben Richardson for 1923: A Dream and a Memory, directed by Richardson. In the Music Videos Competition, Jake Gabbay and director Gabriel Moses received the Golden Frog for Chains & Whips.imdb

Polish cinematographer Piotr Sobociński Jr. earned the Grand Prix in the Polish Films Competition for The Altar Boys, directed by Piotr Domalewski. The student awards saw Nico Schrenk receive the Golden Tadpole for Skin on Skin from Germany’s Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg.cineuropa