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Home > Sangre Celestial > Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto praises mentor Nadine Markova
Podcast: Sangre Celestial
Episode:

Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto praises mentor Nadine Markova
Category: Arts
Duration: 00:00:00
Publish Date: 2025-08-02 16:00:00
Description: Cinematographer-turned-director Rodrigo Prieto is responsible for some seriously indelible imagery. This includes his work on Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain and Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon—both of which earned him Oscar nominations. Ready for even more wow factor? Around the same time that Prieto was crafting his Oscar-worthy KOTFM shots, he was also helping Greta Gerwig conjure the dazzling visuals of Barbie. Both films were released in 2023. In 2024, Prieto made his directorial debut with a fresh take on Juan Rulfo’s 1955 novel Pedro Páramo. More: Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto on his directorial debut, Pedro Páramo (The Treatment, 2025) For his Treat, Prieto reflects on the early days of his career by paying tribute to Nadine Markova , his late mentor. Markova was (among other signifiers) a New York native who relocated to Mexico City in the 1960s, eventually becoming deeply interwoven with the cultural fabric of her adopted environs. Known for her sharp humor and rebellious spirit, Markova made a name for herself in the 1970s with her striking portraits and commercial work, shooting for Playboy, National Geographic, People, Vogue, and Rolling Stone. In addition to her still photography, she directed and produced over 90 television commercials. Her energy and passion continues to inspire Prieto, shaping the ways in which he connects with filmmakers. This segment has been edited and condensed for clarity. The first thing that comes to my mind is Nadine Markova. She was my mentor [and gave me] my first job, really. She’s [since] passed away, but she was a still photographer in Mexico City when I got out of school. Actually, the film school I was in had closed. We did Super Eight [films] at that time, and had nothing suddenly. I found in the newspaper a clipping that said a photographer [was] looking for: “[An] assistant, must know how to type, have a car, and speak English.” So, I said, “Okay, I could do this.” What was inspiring to me was her energy. She had a way of approaching her work with love and just crazy energy. She was funny and she would be foul in the language. Especially as a gringa, you know? She was in Mexico City, an American woman [using] Mexican foul language. And that would make people laugh like crazy. That's the way she'd get models and actors to smile or whatever. She was a transgressor, in a way. She was just a funny, inspiring, hard-working, talented woman who was the first person that ever told me: “You have talent.” That's one thing I love about working with directors is that insane passion. She had that. It was almost an insanity. I thrive in that energy of going to places and figuring out technically how to achieve something that might be crazy. Every director I worked with: I'm thinking of Julie Taymor and the stuff we did on Frida and even on The Glorias… certainly Barbie with Greta Gerwig and with Alejandro González Iñárritu. The stuff we come up with, it's just exhilarating. And it's true, I hadn't thought about it but yeah, that's something that I'm very attracted to. And hopefully, as a director now on Pedro Páramo, I tried to carry that. [Actually] I didn’t try to, it's in me too, right? I brought that energy to the set as well.
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