
Renowned for her versatility behind the camera, Iris Ng combines patience, creativity, and technical expertise to transform a director’s vision into compelling on-screen storytelling. Iris has collaborated with award-winning directors on documentaries that have not only garnered international acclaim but have resonated deeply with audiences worldwide. Her diverse body of work also includes broadcast scripted series, shorts, and artist-driven films.
Inspired from a young age by the photographs and Super 8 films created by her grandfather, uncle, and parents, Iris developed a lifelong passion for capturing the essence of a moment. This early influence has shaped her distinctive style, which blends thoughtful composition with a deep sensitivity to the stories and subjects she films.
A graduate with a BFA in Film Production from York University, Iris also draws upon her background in visual arts to bring a conceptual, abstract approach to her projects. This unique perspective allows her to visualize a film’s emotional core before applying the technical expertise needed to bring the director’s vision to life.
Among Iris’s many notable credits are Stories We Tell (2012, dir. Sarah Polley), Twice Colonized (2023, dir. Lin Alluna), Strays (2021 – 2022, various directors) and Shirkers (2018, dir. Sandi Tan). Her work has been showcased at prestigious international festivals and exhibitions, yet her true goal remains channeling an experience to an audience, listening deeply to her subjects, and using cinematography as a tool for allyship regardless of the genre. Her focus on telling the stories of marginalized communities is central to her practice.
Beyond her creative work, Iris is deeply engaged in the film industry as an advocate for diversity and inclusion. She is a founding member of the Documentary Cinematographer’s Alliance, a member of IATSE’s C.O.R.E. (Committee on Racial Equity), and serves as Co-Chair of the Field of View Mentorship Committee at the Canadian Society of Cinematographers.
Most recently, Iris was one of five female-identifying cinematographers selected for the inaugural Cinematography Intensive, hosted by the Canadian Film Centre (CFC) and the Canadian Society of Cinematographers (CSC), with support from the Paul Bronfman Family Foundation. This comprehensive two-week workshop, in collaboration with the 2024 Norman Jewison Film Program residents, was designed to enhance narrative storytelling, teamwork, and technical skills while expanding professional networks. The CFC recently had the opportunity to sit down with Iris to discuss her experience in the intensive, her prolific career, and what lies ahead. Read the full spotlight below.
We’d like to start at the very beginning. What initially drew you to cinematography? Was there a singular moment of inspiration for you?
I was originally inspired by watching old Hollywood films when I was a kid with my Mum and paternal Grandmother. I remember seeing cinematographer James Wong Howe’s name on a few films where the lighting and camera perspective really stood out against others. In particular, the POV opening sequence of Seconds and the use of fisheye lenses during the film’s most disturbing scenes highlighted the camera as the tool that could elevate the experience of a story. That moment was very inspiring to me but there were many other moments since then that had steered me toward cinematography. My interest in stills photography and visual art which I studied in public school inspired me to consider something related to those disciplines even though I didn’t see myself as either. Somehow the time-based storytelling medium of filmmaking was for me.
Looking back on your career what would you say were the essential steps for you in getting to where you are now?
That’s a tough one. There are so many steps that it’s hard to discern which ones were essential, but in looking back I tend to think of the more personal than professional ones. I know my life would look and feel very different if my parents hadn’t sent me to a public school for the arts. The friends I had made and the creative environment during those years allowed me to aspire toward an unconventional career path and fostered a type of critical questioning and observation that informs my cinematography to this day.
When I was trying to start my freelance career, getting out from under some oppressive situations in my life was definitely essential. It was a leap that allowed me the space to take up new opportunities and without that step, it’s hard to imagine being able to build the necessary confidence to grow. At the same time, I would be nowhere without certain directors and producers taking a risk on me to work on real projects. Their trust in me was deeply meaningful at the time as it allowed me to finally see myself as a cinematographer. Since then, this risk-taking has been vital to expanding my scope on the part of my taking creative risks along with new collaborators taking risks by trusting me to work in new capacities. I hope to continue trying new things and growing in this way!

Can you tell us about your experience at the inaugural Cinematography Intensive and why given your vast experience you were drawn to attend?
It was described to me by Zoe Dirse as a chance for mid-career DOPs to hone their skills in narrative filmmaking, which is how I would self-describe. I’ve shot a range of projects and feel I have experience but also sense there is a gap in how my skills are perceived and how transposable they are to other genres. I saw it as a wonderful space to both push myself to try a different approach to image-making and also contribute to the unique projects that would undoubtedly come out of this program. It also was a great opportunity to meet talented creatives and to immerse myself in the craft. The most wonderfully unexpected and gratifying part of it all though, was how cohesive and supportive the cinematography cohort was with each other. Working alongside Kaayla, Paola, Emma, and Claire over the course of this program was the most valuable part of this experience!
You’ve worked on a wide range of projects from documentaries to narrative films – is there a through line in your work or do you approach each genre differently?
I would say that no matter the genre, I’m primarily focused on perspective in more ways than one. Thematically, I’m drawn to projects that center on some type of marginalization – projects that call attention to an unpopular perspective and the desire to shift it, or the filmmaker themselves having a traditionally marginalized voice, or both. I think there’s a through line in that sense. But formally, perspective is also a starting point in all of my work from which I can locate myself as the camera and draw inspiration for the visual approach.
I’ve generally aimed for my work to have a humanizing gaze to offer the viewer a direct lens through which to relate to the stories. However, I’ve been thinking lately more about how an untethered and unmotivated look can still serve the same purpose or whether I need to find different ways of finding motivation.
To answer your question, I don’t currently approach each genre differently.
What has been your experience navigating a field that has traditionally been male dominated? Do you have any personal recommendations on how the industry can move towards increased gender and racial parity?
It has been a dynamic experience for sure! When I was starting out, I just had to get used to being the only female in the room whenever I was in situations around a camera, whether it be at film school, on set, or at trade shows. I learned to navigate those spaces by heightening my technical language so I could be included in conversations. But even in spaces where I was not the only female, in job interviews or production meetings for instance, I knew that there was a general lack of trust and a doubt of my abilities. I quickly realized that working with people who understood my capabilities, who trusted my way of communicating, and weren’t gas-lighting me to fail was the only way to succeed. I also worked hard at proving myself physically which meant working out, holding the camera for longer than others did, and lifting really heavy things in front of directors.
(I will add that there was a sense of clarity in retrospect once I understood that my experience was intersectional and not just gendered).
Regarding having a more reflective industry of our society, an equitable lens has to be implemented system-wide, but in a manner that is thoughtful and careful. I think we all need to be more educated as to the systemic sources of inequality in our industry so that measures to give underrepresented people opportunities are not met with personal resentment or frustration. Ticking boxes and supplanting roles in front or behind the lens in order to appear to have diversity is unhelpful and has negative side effects on the ground, as I’m sure we’ve all witnessed first-hand. And I believe these meaningful shifts need to be supported at the executive levels to be effective. On the individual level, we need to have the compassion, patience, and mental energy to receive the education that will enrich our understanding of why these shifts are necessary.
A great tool, for example, as it pertains to education around working with Indigenous productions is the National Screen Institute’s / Shine Network Institute’s P.A.C.T., a free online competency course for the screen sector.


Iris filming The Last of the Sea Women
The technology available to cinematographers is constantly evolving. How do you balance staying on top of new trends while maintaining your own style?
There are so many great new technologies that enable us to capture images more easily and gracefully! I think I’ve generally navigated this world by moving with the large imaging shifts (dynamic range, sensor sizes, LED lighting), while being more discerning about the more specific technological advances (gimbals, smaller cameras), asking myself and the director, are they necessary? Or how can we use them differently and meaningfully? And given that certain devices take off with certain genres, do I want to associate our project with the predominant genre that uses this technology? Or, perhaps, how do we use those associations to our advantage? It still comes down to my focus on perspective and how new technologies can expand on it visually.
What advice would you give to aspiring cinematographers?
My general advice would be: Avoid having a fixed notion of your path. Don’t let it discourage or limit you from discovering ways of working that draw on your specific strengths as you develop your craft. And try to transcend that hierarchy of genres and the ways in which we typically think cinematography can be fulfilling.
Let’s all find our own ways to be useful through our work to the world around us and to our community by way of our backgrounds, our personal experiences, and our personal strengths.
What’s next for you? Are there any exciting projects you’re currently working on?
A lot of projects finished up this past year and I’m looking ahead to the projects on the horizon which are all exciting in their own way. I’m finishing a project that focuses on a very prevalent social issue with director Phyllis Ellis, doing a third-installment film for an exhibition with the Canadian Centre for Architecture, and I’m currently speaking with a few producers about their feature films. I’m not sure how it’s all going to shape up, but I’m definitely focused on expanding my scope and trying something new!
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