Luc Ung

Luc Ung is a Franco-Chinese cinematographer based in Los Angeles. His love for cinema finds its roots in the streets of La Rochelle, France, when a fortunate encounter with a man in the street led him to the La Rochelle International Film Festival (Fema).

Luc has been working as a freelance cinematographer for the past five years. As a Kriya Yogi and a Zen Buddhist practitioner, he has often been told by actors and directors that he is able to create a set environment that feels nurturing and safe for them to express themselves fully. Having learned to cook at a young age from his parents who were both chefs and restaurant owners, Luc believes that his cooking skills greatly informs his cinematography (a touch of salt here, a touch of pepper there; a touch of light here and a touch of shadow there!).

His creative influences include cinematographers Sven Nykvist, Darius Khondji, Mark Lee Ping-Bing; directors Ingmar Bergman, Céline Sciamma, Xavier Dolan, Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Lynne Ramsay; architect Frank Lloyd Wright and his parents’s cooking.

Some of his notable work include "Chicken" which premiered at Tribeca Film Festival in 2022 and won Best Student Narrative at NFFTY in 2023, “New Shoes” which premiered at the American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, “The Martyr of Hudson Yards” which premiered on NOWNESS ASIA and "Talk to me in Silence" which won Best Short Film at Los Angeles Short Film Festival and was nominated for Best Short Film and Best Director at Nice International Film Festival.

Languages spoken: English, French, Mandarin & Spanish