Over at In Contention, Guy Lodge raises the hot-button issue of gender bias as practiced by the cinematographers branch of the Academy Awards. As he points out, not one woman has been nominated in that category in the eight decades of Oscar.

"True, female cinematographers are vastly outnumbered in the industry, but that should be all the more reason to recognise one when she does outstanding work. For my money, Ellen Kuras ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," "Personal Velocity," "Summer of Sam") is one of the most exciting talents in the business." Guy goes on to note that, "next year, the Academy has one of their strongest chances yet to break that hex. That chance comes in the shape of Mandy Walker, the hitherto largely unheralded cinematographer of Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming epic 'Australia,' who received the Kodak Vision Award at last night's Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards."

To read the rest of Guy's insightful analysis - CLICK HERE