Wright State alumna and faculty member Amy Faust receives Emerging Cinematographer Award

Amy Faust ’10 received the 2026 Emerging Cinematographer Award for her work on the short film “Photography.” (Photo by Erin Pence)

Amy Faust, a 2010 graduate and current instructor in Wright State University’s motion pictures program, has received the 2026 Emerging Cinematographer Award from the International Cinematographers Guild for her work on the short film “Photography.” 

Faust served as cinematographer on “Photography,” directed and co-written by fellow Wright State alumnus Adam White ’95. 

“What’s significant about the award for me is that it comes from a cohort of people that I truly admire,” said Faust, who was one of seven recipients honored at a ceremony at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles on Oct. 2. 

“I’ve entered for that award a couple of times,” said Faust. “It’s nice to have the recognition come to me for ‘Photography,’ something that we had such a beautiful time making.” 

Set against the backdrop of 1964 Manhattan, “Photography” is loosely based on famed LIFE magazine photographer Margaret Bourke White. The story centers on two female magazine photographers and whether the older and more experienced professional will decide to mentor the younger one. 

“The story to me is really personal,” said Faust, “because it’s about lifting each other up and it’s about when do you turn around and lend that hand down.” 

Faust is gratified by the overwhelmingly positive response from audiences to the relationship between the two female protagonists and the overarching theme of mentoring throughout the film. 

“That’s a comment on society today that this small, light, fun story about helping each other resonates,” she said. “Because of the kind of world we’re in, we’re not seeing as much of that.” 

As a Wright State student, Faust found her own mentor in the late Wright State professor and award-winning documentarian Julia Reichert. 

“When I’m teaching, I hear her talking. I can hear myself saying things to the students that she said to me,” said Faust. “I know she is proud of what we are building here in the Tom Hanks Center for Motion Pictures.” 

Faust knows that her late mother, Maria Deluca Cunningham, who passed away nearly 10 years ago, would be proud of all that she has accomplished so far. 

“She was married when she was 19 and didn’t get to do a lot outside of the home. She eventually became a real estate agent, but she always talked about how she felt like she never got a chance to be who she wanted to be,” Faust recalled. “When I started doing this work, she said, ‘I really admire how brave you are to make that choice to go off and do this thing.’” 

As one of three female cinematographers selected for this year’s award, Faust hopes to inspire the next generation of young women pursuing careers in the film industry. (Photos provided by Amy Faust)

Faust is one of three female cinematographers selected for this year’s Emerging Cinematographer Awards. As someone who is teaching the next generation of filmmakers, she hopes to show her students — especially the young women — that a career in the film industry is possible. 

“I’m trying to bring that message forward to our students that ‘you can do this. I’m a woman in the industry.’ I think it’s helpful to show them that it’s accessible,” she said. 

Faust also advocates for representation outside of the classroom. She serves on the board of the International Cinematographers Guild, her union, and she chairs two committees, the Health and Welfare Committee and the Central Region Women’s Committee. 

“Both of those are really dedicated toward lifting up underserved populations in our industry, because it’s certainly not the most diverse industry,” she said.  

Faust also teaches the importance of work-life balance to her students. As the mother of three children, including two children under 7, she understands the delicate balancing act of juggling work and family responsibilities. 

“Early motherhood is difficult, so it was a lot of steps back. ‘Photography’ is the first thing that I had shot in six or seven years as a cinematographer,” she said. “This film was very difficult for me to do. It was in my first year of teaching at Wright State. And I was living in a different city than where we were filming the movie.” 

Despite the challenges, Faust was able to bring her vision to life and help create a film that she can show to her own children one day. 

“It will mean a lot, especially for my daughter, Genevieve Maria Faust, to hear the story and be able to see it,” she said. “It makes me feel really proud, especially at my age, to be able to show that you can still do new things and you can still be evolving in your career.”