---
name: "Alar Kivilo"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/alar-kivilo"
fi1m_id: "alar-kivilo"
imdb_id: "nm0457886"
tmdb_id: 21039
wikidata_id: "Q2636922"
roles: ["Cinematographer"]
born: "17 February 1953"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 3
average_fi1m_score: 66
average_over: 3
updated: "2026-09-22T21:39:48.147130+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Alar Kivilo

## Identity

Alar Kivilo

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/alar-kivilo
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** alar-kivilo
- **IMDb ID:** nm0457886
- **TMDB ID:** 21039
- **Wikidata ID:** Q2636922
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alar_Kivilo, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2636922, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0457886/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/21039

Cinematographer. Born 17 February 1953 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

## Details

- **Work:** Cinematographer
- **Born:** 17 February 1953, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- **Active:** 1998–present
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1990s 86 (1), 2000s 52 (1), 2020s 61 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 66 to 64 across 3 titles
- **Score spread:** 1 at 80+, 1 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 3, Crime 1, Sci-Fi & Fantasy 1, Sport 1, Thriller 1
- **Screen time:** 4 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $326m across 2 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alar_Kivilo, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2636922, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0457886/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/21039

## Streaming the US now

- **Apple TV:** [*Foundation*](https://film.one/tv/foundation.md) (61)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Alar Kivilo is a Canadian-Estonian cinematographer. Born on 17 February 1953 in Montréal, he graduated from York University in Toronto with a degree in film. He began his career shooting documentaries, short films and commercials in Canada before moving to the United States in 1997.

Kivilo’s feature credits as director of photography include *A Simple Plan* (1998), *Frequency* (2000), *Hart’s War* (2002), *The Ice Harvest* (2005), *The Lake House* (2006), *The Lookout* (2007), *The Blind Side* (2009), *Bad Teacher* (2011) and *The Lucky One* (2012). He has also worked on television films and series such as *Taking Chance* (2009), for which he received an ASC Award.

He is a member of the American Society of Cinematographers and an honorary member of the Estonian Society of Cinematographers.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, theasc.com, alarkivilo.com.*

## On Fi1m (3)

- *Foundation* (2021), Fi1m 61, Cinematography, Director of Photography — [page](https://film.one/tv/foundation.md)
- *The Blind Side* (2009), Fi1m 52, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/the-blind-side.md)
- *A Simple Plan* (1998), Fi1m 86, Cinematography, Director of Photography — [page](https://film.one/film/a-simple-plan.md)

## Complete filmography (35)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Space Oddity* (2023), Director of Photography
- *Foundation* (2021), series, Director of Photography — Fi1m 61, [page](https://film.one/tv/foundation.md)
- *The Broken Hearts Gallery* (2020), Director of Photography
- *Nappily Ever After* (2018), Director of Photography
- *The Wedding Singer's Daughter* (2018), Director of Photography
- *The Land of Steady Habits* (2018), Director of Photography
- *Fifty Shades Freed* (2018), Additional Director of Photography
- *Story of a Girl* (2017), Director of Photography
- *Fallen* (2016), Director of Photography
- *The Choice* (2016), Director of Photography
- *The Lucky One* (2012), Director of Photography
- *Bad Teacher* (2011), Director of Photography
- *The Blind Side* (2009), Director of Photography — Fi1m 52, [page](https://film.one/film/the-blind-side.md)
- *Taking Chance* (2009), Director of Photography
- *Year One* (2009), Director of Photography
- *The Lookout* (2007), Director of Photography
- *The Lake House* (2006), Director of Photography
- *The Ice Harvest* (2005), Director of Photography
- *Normal* (2003), Director of Photography
- *Hart's War* (2002), Director of Photography
- *The Glass House* (2001), Director of Photography
- *Frequency* (2000), Director of Photography
- *Deep in My Heart* (1999), Director of Photography
- *A Simple Plan* (1998), Director of Photography — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/a-simple-plan.md)
- *Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault* (1996), Director of Photography
- *Gotti* (1996), Director of Photography
- *Friends at Last* (1995), Director of Photography
- *Young at Heart* (1995), Director of Photography
- *Choices of the Heart: The Margaret Sanger Story* (1995), Director of Photography
- *Avalanche* (1994), Director of Photography
- *Heads* (1994), Director of Photography
- *Vincent Price's Dracula* (1986), Director of Photography
- *Boys and Girls* (1983), Cinematography
- *984: Prisoner of the Future* (1982), Director of Photography
- *Pleasure Palace* (1973), Assistant Camera

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/alar-kivilo