Born in Czechoslovakia, Sova emigrated to the US in the mid-1960s. Early in his career, he shot the award-winning Short Eyes,” a 1977 film directed by Robert M. Young and starring Bruce Davison. The film was shot in a Manhattan prison and featured real inmates in the cast.
From there, Sova went on to shoot many of Barry Levinson’s early films, including Diner, Good Morning Vietnam, and Tin Man. He also was the director of photography on Mike Newell’s Donnie Brasco and worked with director Paul McGuigan on the films Gangster #1, The Reckoning, and Lucky Number Slevin.
His most recent work was on the documentary Driven to Abstraction.
He is survived by his son, Milan Joseph Sova. No memorial details have been announced.
I lost my best friend and hero today. Peter Sova was a master of Cinematography with the heart of a true artist and friend. Every day on set, even today, there’s always a moment when I think…what would Peter do? Forever thru’ your lens. P x pic.twitter.com/FiTLpGBTuq
— Paul McGuigan (@paul_mcguigan) August 28, 2020
