Biog

Ula Pontikos, BSC is an award-winning cinematographer known for her artistic eye in telling stories with emotional resonance, as well as her accomplishments as a master technician. Originally from the seaside town of Gdynia, Poland, Pontikos developed a passion for photography and cinema from an early age, going on to graduate from the prestigious National Film and Television School in London.

Pontikos served as Cinematographer on the highly anticipated series "Blade Runner 2099" for Prime Video, starring Michelle Yeoh and Hunter Schafer, which is set to premiere on the platform in 2026.

Her feature credits include the psychological thriller "The Man in My Basement,"directed by Nadia Latif and starring Corey Hawkins, Willem Dafoe and Anna Diop. Produced by Disney's Andscape and based on Walter Mosley's novel, the film had its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival before releasing theatrically and on Hulu and Disney+.

On the television side, Pontikos received an Emmy® Award nomination for Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series and an ASC Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography of a Half-Hour Television Series for her work on Season 2 of "Russian Doll." In recognition of that work, she was also awarded the annual Sue Gibson BSC Award from NFTS in 2022. She was additionally cinematographer on multiple episodes — including the pilot — of"Three Women," based on Lisa Taddeo's acclaimed novel, for Starz.

Pontikos made her feature film debut on Andrew Haigh's acclaimed "Weekend,"which earned her Rising Star recognition from BBC Film in 2012 and was later selected by the Criterion Collection, with the HD digital master approved by Haigh and Pontikos. Subsequent credits include "Lilting," directed by Hong Khaou and starring Ben Whishaw, Cheng Pei Pei and Andrew Leung, for which she won the 2014 Sundance World Cinematography Award; and "Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool," directed by Paul McGuigan and starring Annette Bening, Jamie Bell, Vanessa Redgrave and Julie Walters. Based on Peter Turner's memoir, the film set a Guinness World Record for the largest cinematic rear projection used in a film at 1,283 square feet, and received three BAFTA Award nominations including Best Actress.

Pontikos is represented by Lux Artists in Europe and WME in the US and Match and Spark in Poland.