Charles Arthur Sarroff is an Australian cinematographer and member of the Australian Cinematographers Society. He is known for his work on the Smile series of psychological horror films, including the 2022 film Smile and its 2024 sequel Smile 2, and for the 2025 neowestern film Broke.
Early life and education Sarroff grew up in Albury and attended Albury High School. He attended university at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and later attended the Australian Film, Television and Radio School. He was inspired at an early age from skateboarding films and the work of Spike Jonze.
Career Sarroff began his career in Australian film and television productions in the early 2000s. He has worked with directors including Parker Finn, Carlyle Eubank, Kelly Oxford, Bryce McGuire, and Larry Charles and is a frequent collaborator with director Natalie Erika James. During production of Night Swim, Sarroff utilized rehoused vintage Bausch & Lomb Super Baltar and Kowa Cine Prominar lenses. For his work on Smile 2, he drew inspiration from the photographs of Luc Kordas and Gregory Crewdson and the paintings of Edward Hopper.
Filmography Film Year Title Director Notes 2013 Burrow Natalie Erika James Canberra Short Film Festival 2015 Hope City Thomas Baricevic Palm Springs International Film Festival 2016 Zieri Cosmos Sam Kristofski Toronto International Film Festival 2017 Creswick Natalie Erika James New York Film Festival 2018 Drum Wave Sydney Film Festival 2020 Relic Sundance Film Festival Pink Skies Ahead Kelly Oxford South by Southwest 2022 Smile Parker Finn Paramount Pictures 2023 Dicks: The Musical Larry Charles A242024 Night Swim Bryce McGuire Universal Pictures Smile 2 Parker Finn Paramount Pictures 2025 Broke Carlyle Eubank Sony Pictures 2026 Saccharine Natalie Erika James Stan 2027 Possession Parker Finn Paramount Pictures Good People, Bad Things Ninian Doff MRC
Awards and nominations Sarroff has been recognized for the following films:
ACS Vic + Tas Gold Award for Cinematography in a Short Film, 2016, win, Creswick
ACS Vic + Tas Gold Award for Cinematography in a Feature Film ($3m and Over), 2023, win, Smile ACS Vic + Tas Gold Award for Cinematography in a Feature Film (Under $5m), 2025, win, Broke ACS Vic + Tas Gold Award for Cinematography in a Feature Film ($5m and Over), 2025, win, Smile 2
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