Photo by Erofili Moraiti

Nelisa Alcalde is a UK based cinematographer born in the South of Spain. She is a member of Illuminatrix-Rising. 

Nelisa Alcalde mastered the craft of cinematography at FAMU, the world-renowned film school in Prague, where she obtained her MFA and specialised in shooting with analogue 16mm and 35mm film.

While studying for her master’s, Nelisa worked as a camera assistant on large-scale productions such as The Painted Bird, A Boy Called Christmas, and The Last King. These and other independent productions taught her the value of professionalism and collaboration within the camera team and across departments.

One of her 35mm student exercises, Persephone, directed by Dora Šustić, won Best Student Cinematography at the European and New York Cinematography Awards in 2020. It also won Best Student Film at Moscow Shorts 2019 and the Continental Film Festival 2020.

Nelisa lensed and co-directed Isabel’s Independence, the BBC Scotland/Scottish Documentary Institute-funded mid-length documentary that was broadcast on the BBC. She went on to share a cinematography credit with Tom Duncan on another BBC documentary, Growing Up Green.

Her 35mm graduation film, Honey Bunny Duracell, depicting the story of three-time Czech National Boxing Champion Lenka Kardová, won the Best Cinematography Student Award from the Czech Society of Cinematographers (AČK) and was nominated for the Cassarotto & Ramsay Award at the Watersprite Student Film Festival 2023. It also received the Best Documentary Paper Bird Award at the LJMU MA Festival and was recognized as the Best Documentary at the International Sport Film Festival in Slovenia.

Currently, Nelisa is part of the BSC Mentoring Programme withBenjamin Kračun BSC and has previously completed a ScreenSkills Mentoring Programme with Vanessa Whyte BSC, further enriching her expertise and industry insight.

CV

EQUIPMENT

1x Brain
(with different set ups and moods depending on the project)
2x Eyes
(with an array of ways of seeing depending of the feeling)