Stars of Tomorrow 2023: Tasha Back (cinematographer)

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2023 has been a busy year for cinematographer Tasha Back. Her DoP work with writer/director Adura Onashile on Glasgow high-rise indie drama Girl premiered at Sundance and opened Glasgow Film Festival.

Meanwhile, her second feature In Camera, written and directed by 2020 Screen Star of Tomorrow Naqqash Khalid and starring Nabhaan Rizwan, Amir El-Masry and fellow 2023 Star of Tomorrow Rory Fleck Byrne, was presented as part of the BFI’s Great8 showcase of emerging UK talent at the Cannes market and has its world premiere at Karlovy Vary Film Festival.

“One of the things that drew me to Girl was that it’s a very visually written script,” says Back, who also notes she and Onashile share a love of the early work of Arrival cinematographer Bradford Young, particularly his “strong use of colour” in Andrew Dosunmu’s 2013 indie drama Mother Of George. In Camera marks her third collaboration with Khalid, after two short films, who she describes as “a very original voice”.

Back grew up in Gloucestershire and, after gaining a BA in media arts at Royal Holloway, University of London, started in marketing at the BFI before working her way up in various camera departments, tackling everything from production running to clapper loading. “I really did start at the bottom,” she says.

A string of assistant camera credits, including World War Z and Hunger, led to second-unit work on The Marvels and Apple TV+ miniseries Masters Of The Air. She also made her presence felt in the art world, shooting the 2020 Turner Prize-winning ‘The Destructors’ for Imran Perretta.

Her television work includes Alibi’s Traces and Channel 4 single drama Adulting. “TV is really exciting now because there are some boundary-pushing series out there,” says Back. “Anything where you can create the look is interesting to me.” In addition to her fiction work, Back has also been shooting a documentary for Fremantle Documentaries’ production label Undeniable based on Ruth Wilson’s performance of The Second Woman at London’s Young Vic. She is also attached to a social drama feature with a planned shoot in Scotland this autumn.

“The thing that keeps you coming back to features, and particularly indie features, is the fact you do get creative input,” says Back. “You haven’t got as many cooks. There is a little bit more of being able to have your voice heard creatively.”

Contact: Molly Eaglesham, Lux Artists