Award Central News

Dean Semler, lenser on the Mel Gibson pic, has received an American Society of Cinematographers nomination for the top feature film award, as have Emmanuel Lubezki ("Children of Men"), Dick Pope ("The Illusionist"), Robert Richardson ("The Good Shepherd") and Vilmos Zsigmond ("The Black Dahlia").

Winner will be announced at the org's awards cemermonies Feb. 18 at the Century Plaza Hotel.

ASC nomination is the eighth for Richardson, the third for Zsigmond, the second for Lubezki and Semler and the first for Pope. Zsigmond won in 1993 for the telepic "Stalin."

Richardson is the only U.S. native. Semler was born and launched his career in Australia, Zsigmond in Hungary, Lubezki in Mexico and Pope in England.

Dion Beebe won the ASC award last year for "Memoirs of a Geisha" and went on to win the cinematography Oscar.

"Apocalypto" has received Golden Globe and BAFTA noms in the foreign language category.