Iskra Valtcheva

A native of Bulgaria, Iskra Valtcheva is a versatile cinematographer with a unique perspective on visual storytelling, and excellent work ethic. Her cinematography credits include award-winning projects that have screened on HBO (Southern Rites, dir. Gillian Laub), PBS (Tattooed Under Fire, dir. Nancy Schiesari), the Sundance Channel (Kids Green the World, dir. Amy Grappell), and at numerous festivals worldwide including Cannes and SXSW (Love, Sadie, dir. Naiti Gámez). The short Fatakra, dir. Soham Mehta, won the 2011 Student Academy Award, and Red Wednesday, dir. Nazanin Shirazi, was a 2008 AMPAS nominee.

Iskra has shot on location in Ethiopia, Zambia, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, and most recently – along the Camino de Santiago in Spain, where she lensed the feature-length documentary Strangers on the Earth, dir. Tristan Cook, while walking the 800km pilgrimage.

Iskra holds a B.A. in Art from Williams College, MA, and an M.F.A. in Film Production from the University of Texas at Austin. While at UT, Iskra was nominated for the 2007 John Alonzo, and the 2009 Bud Stone ASC Student Heritage Awards in Cinematography.