In 1990, Axel Block won the German Movie Award and Bavarian Film Award for his cinematography in the 1989 documentary American Beauty Ltd.. Having already received the Promotional German Cinematography Award in 1984, Block was honored for his lifetime achievement in 2011."Unverwechselbare Bildsprache": Der DEUTSCHE KAMERAPREIS 2011 ehrt Axel Block, WDR press release, May 19, 2011.
