Eli Arenson (born 14 February 1988) is an Iceland based cinematographer. He is known for his work on Lamb (2021), The Deliverance (2024) and The Watchers (2024). Arenson received the Edda Awards for Best Cinematographer in 2022 for his work on the film Lamb.
Career Arenson began his career as a war photographer in 2006 before shifting into commercial and narrative films. He moved to Los Angeles in 2013 and graduated from the AFI Conservatory's MFA program in Cinematography in 2015, his thesis film All These Voices winning the student Academy Award in 2016.
In 2019, he filmed the A24 film Lamb which won the Cannes Un Certain Regard Prize of Originality (2021) and was shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (2022). In 2022, Arenson teamed up with director Lee Daniels to shoot his Netflix film The Deliverance (2024), which topped the global streaming charts upon release. In 2023, producer M. Night Shyamalan hired Arenson to film The Watchers (2024), the directorial debut of Ishana Night Shyamalan distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. In addition, he filmed the Cannes Film Festival Special Mention winning short film Fár (2023).
Arenson's work is characterized by its evocative and visually arresting qualities. His cinematography in The Watchers (2024) was praised for its atmospheric and minimalist approach, earning him widespread recognition. He has also collaborated on music videos and fashion projects with prominent artists, including Björk, A$AP Rocky and Kim Kardashian.
Awards and recognition Arenson received the Edda Award for Best Cinematographyin 2022 for Lamb, a film that was highly successful at the Icelandic Edda Awards, winning 12 awards in total. He also won the Esposimetro d'Oro for Best Cinematography in a Foreign Film at the Gianni Di Venanzo Award.
Filmography
Film Year Title Director Studio 2021 Lamb Valdimar Jóhannsson A24 2024 The Deliverance Lee Daniels Netflix The Watchers Ishana Night Shyamalan Warner Bros. Pictures 2025 The Damned Thordur Palsson Vertical TBA Foxfinder Aoife McArdle
Television Year Title Director Notes Studio 2021 Trapped Baltasar Kormákur, Börkur Sigthorsson, Katrín Björgvinsdóttir 3 episodes Netflix 2025 Vigdís Björn Hlynur Haraldsson, Tinna Hrafnsdóttir full series RUV
Music Video (partial list) Year Title 2024 Björk ft. Rosalìa "Oral" (Iceland) 2022 Björk "Sorrowful Soil" 2020Dominic Fike "King of Everything"Daya "Insomnia" 2019 Mark Ronson "Late Night Feeling" ft. Lykke LiDominic Fike "3 Nights" 2018 A$AP Rocky "Kids Turned Out Fine (LA) A$AP Rocky "A$AP Forever" ft. Moby (LA)
Commercials (partial list) Yves Saint Laurent, Estee Lauder, Jimmy Choo, Karl Lagerfeld, Nike, Adidas, Google, Facebook, CR Fashion Book, Vogue, Moccona, Nescafe
References
External links