A three-time Academy Award nominee, Laustsen is internationally recognised for his distinctive visual style and more than four decades of work in international cinema. He received Oscar nominations for Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water (2017), Nightmare Alley (2021) and Frankenstein (2025), and is widely known as the cinematographer behind John Wick: Chapter 2, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, and John Wick: Chapter 4, where his striking use of color, light and camera movement helped redefine the visual language of contemporary action cinema.

Throughout his career, Laustsen has collaborated with some of the world's leading filmmakers, including Guillermo del Toro, Christophe Gans and Chad Stahelski. His extensive filmography also includes Crimson Peak, Silent Hill, Mimic, The Brotherhood of the Wolf, and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

- Dan Laustsen is one of the great visual storytellers of contemporary cinema. His work combines technical mastery with remarkable artistic expression, making him a worthy recipient of the Golden Camera 300, - said the festival director Dimitrija Doksevski announcing the award.

He described the upcoming edition as the festival's most ambitious to date, adding that the organisers are preparing an expanded programme and record participation.

Established in 1979, the Manaki Brothers International Cinematographers' Film Festival is the world's oldest festival dedicated exclusively to the art of cinematography. The Golden Camera 300 Lifetime Achievement Award is among the festival's highest honours and has previously been presented to leading cinematographers including Vittorio Storaro, Roger Deakins, Anthony Dod Mantle, Bruno Delbonnel, and Darius Khondji.

The 47th edition of the festival will take place in Bitola, North Macedonia, from 19–25 September 2026.