Álex Catalán began his professional career 35 years ago as a press photographer. He attended film schools in Madrid, London, Los Angeles and La Habana and worked for 12 years as camera operator and lighting technician for TVE (Spain National Broadcasting Company).
From 2000 on, he focused on professional cinematography and has shot since then 32 long feature films as director of photography, receiving 8 Goya nominations for After, Unit 7, Marshland, A Perfect Day, 1898, Yuli, While At War and Prison 77.
In 2014 he received the Jury Prize for best cinematography in the 62 edition of the San Sebastian International Film Festival and, in 2015, the Best Cinematography Goya award, both for Marshland.
In 2021 received the RTVA Career Award and, in 2011 and 2015, the CEC Medal, from the Spanish Cinematographic Writers Association for Even the Rain and Marshland, as well as 5 Teo Escamilla Awards for the best technical-artistic contribution, awarded by the Andalusian Cinematographic Writer’s Association. In Mexico he won the Best Cinematography Award in the Guadalajara 24th International Film Festival for Camino and, at New York 2013, the Tribeca Film Festival special mention for the cinematography of Unit 7.
