Darius Khondji, AFC, ASC, retrospective at the Cinémathèque française

“Darius Khondji, quicksilver-process”, excerpts from the introduction to the retrospective by Bernard Payen

Cinematographers often say that they hope their work will remain invisible, since they want to serve the film and the director. More than anyone else, Darius Khondji the Modest will remind you of this. But, if one decides to lose oneself watching his cinematography of over sixty titles (both short and feature-length films), one cannot but contradict that desire. Darius Khondji’s photography marks us, touches us, and haunts us with the India-ink blackness of Trésor des îles Chiennes (F.J. Ossang, 1990) and of Seven (David Fincher), to the solar brightness of Stealing Beauty (Bertolucci) and the shadowy chiaroscuro of The Immigrant (James Gray). The marriage of Darius Khondji’s diverse influences engenders an image that combines the documentary-like realism of a Robert Frank with German expressionist cinema and Edward Hopper’s bold stylization. […]

Experimentation and risk-taking characterize Darius Khondji’s films, especially in his fruitful collaborations with Philippe Parreno : we remember his Zidane, a 21st Century Portrait (2006), co-directed with Douglas Gordon, a portrait of the football star filmed with seventeen cameras (16mm, 35mm, and HD) : “my main idea in terms of equipment was to have the most powerful zoom lenses available so we could get as close as possible to Zidane, so it would be like we were inside his head and could see through his eyes.” (AFC Newsletter, 2006). There were also a number of short films on artists’ works that the Darius Khondji Retrospective will project on the big screen. Alongside James Gray, audacious and unique images are also on the program. In The Immigrant, the fine and less sharp film, the old filtered lenses, and the decision to under-expose make this movie’s cinematography unforgettable. They have continued working together since then : The Lost City of Z will be released in France in March2017 and they are already preparing for their next film together.

• Read the full version of Bernard Payen’s introduction, in French, on the website of the Cinémathèque française.]

Programme

Events
- Conversation between Darius Khondji and F.J. Ossang, event moderated by Bernard Benoliel and attended by Caroline Champetier, AFC : Thursday, 23 March at 7:00 p.m. (following the screening of Trésor des îles Chiennes)
- Conversation between Darius Khondji and Philippe Parreno  : Saturday, 18 March at 2:30 p.m. (following the screening of Zidane : A 21st Century Portrait).

• More information available on the website of the Cinémathèque française.