Peter Hutton (filmmaker)


Peter Barrington Hutton was an American experimental filmmaker, known primarily for his silent cinematic portraits of cities and landscapes around the world. He also worked as a professional cinematographer, most notably for his former student Ken Burns, as well as cinematography for Lizzie Borden's "Born in Flames," Sheila McLaughlin and Lynne Tillman's "Committed," assorted films by artist Red Grooms and Albert Maysles' The Gates.

Early life and education

Born in Detroit, Michigan, Hutton studied painting, sculpture, and film at the San Francisco Art Institute.

Career

In 1987, Hutton was awarded Best Cinematography for his work on Phil Hartman's feature film "No Picnic" at the Sundance Film Festival.
In 2011, the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress selected "Study of a River" as one of 25 films annually chosen. He taught filmmaking at CalArts, Hampshire College, Harvard University, SUNY Purchase, and Bard College, where he served as the director of the Film and Electronic Arts Program since 1989.
Much of Hutton's career was influenced by his time in the merchant marine.
Hutton's films are distributed by Canyon Cinema in San Francisco and Arsenal – Institut für Film und Videokunst in Berlin. In May 2008 the Museum of Modern Art in New York held a full retrospective of Hutton's films. His most recent work, Three Landscapes, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2013.
Hutton died of cancer at the age of 71 on June 25, 2016.

Selected filmography