Camerimage

Pierre Aïm undertook a very realistic reconstruction of Sarajevo for Sympathy for the Devil, the first film by Guillaume de Fontenay (Quebec director who started his career in the theatre). The film, released in Paris in late 2019, was selected at Camerimage this year in the “Director’s Debut” competition. Here, he discusses his influences for this film, fake wartime reporting and cigar smoke…

Marcel Zyskind is a Danish cinematographer who has often worked with British director Michael Winterbottom. He has also shot several documentaries, clips and advertising campaigns. He became close with Viggo Mortensen during their shared experiences on The Two Faces of January, a film by Hossein Amini (the screenwriter of Drive), and the international star actor chose him to be the DoP for Falling, his first film as a director, in Camerimage’s Main Competition. This is a film that constantly oscillates between past and present in order to portray the complicated relationship between a son and his father. (FR)

The Camerimage Festival (which will be called the EnergaCAMERIMAGE festival for another 3 years since Energa is its “strategic” sponsor) has announced that it will hold its 28^th Annual Festival from 14-21 November 2020 and has provided information about how it will be organized in a hybrid fashion, both in Toruń (Poland) and online. Moreover, this year’s festival will honor Philippe Rousselot, AFC, ASC, who has been nominated for many prizes and who received an Academy Award®, a BAFTA Award, and three Césars.

I was a member of the jury for the Directors’ Debuts Competition, which features first and second films, at Camerimage this year, alongside Rob Epstein (Jury President), director, screenwriter, and producer, and Jan Roelfs, production designer, who received the Camerimage Award for Production Designer With Unique Visual Sensitivity this year.

On 13 November, at 11:15 a.m., Screening Room 6 of Torun’s Cinema City was full with expectant faces and latecomers continued to quickly make their way past the stage well after the event had begun, to be sure not to miss the talk by Julie Grünebaum, Éric Guichard, and Julien Poupard. Julie was slotted to speak about Chant d’hiver and Dzma, Eric about Saisons and Donne-moi des ailes, and Julien about Misérables.

The Filmlight seminars are always a big hit, and the length of the queue to enter the auditorium makes one fear the worst! Philippe Ros, AFC, on behalf of Imago’s Technological Committee, introduced the seminar by reminding the audience of the Federation’s work on textures, which is available on Imago’s website. The famous FilmLight seminar duo was at the controls: Daniele Sirugusano, Color Scientist, and Andreas Minuth, Colorist.

Ian Lowe, Senior Sales Manager for Dolby Laboratories, presents what HDR is in Dolby’s view, how to create a program that can be released in SDR and HDR, followed by a discussion with Alex Gascoigne, colourist with Technicolor, and Tina Eckman, of Dolby.

Because students from the ENS Louis-Lumière and La Fémis attended Camerimage this year, the AFC offered them the opportunity of contributing in one way or another to the articles that are published on our website and broadcast via our newsletters. Camille Aubriot, of the ENS Louis-Lumière, discusses the image bank created by cinematographer Lawrence Sher, ASC, whose project moved her because in it, she found a response to some of her desires and unanswered questions.

Because students from the ENS Louis-Lumière and La Fémis attended Camerimage this year, the AFC offered them the opportunity of contributing in one way or another to the articles that are published on our website and broadcast via our newsletters. After relaying his general impressions of the festival, Hovig Hagopian, of La Fémis, goes more into depth on two selected short documentary films which left a mark on him, since this is the topic of his final project for his degree.

With her first film, entitled Swallos, director Carlo Mirabella-Davis portrays a young woman suffering from a compulsive eating disorder. But this is also the story of a young woman searching for freedom and truth in a very artificial world. American cnematographer Katelin Arizmendi invites us backstage…

Because students from the ENS Louis-Lumière attended Camerimage this year, the AFC offered them the opportunity of contributing in one way or another to the articles that are published on our website and broadcast via our newsletters. Simon Gouffault and Olivier Ludot, of the ENS Louis-Lumière, have written a thoughtful piece on cinematography based on the screening of two television series, asking how far it’s possible to go.

After he had worked for Jean-Claude Larrieu as his assistant operator, Larrieu encouraged Romain Alary to work on a project as a cinematographer. Since the early 2010s, he has worked on the cinematography of several advertisements and clips for brands such as Hermès, Cartier, Fendi, Renault and Honda. "Give it Up", by San Zhi, is his first music video, created in partnership with his cousin Antoine Lévi. A very personal project entirely shot with a small crew. (FR)

Our lens tests were finally screened at Camerimage, which is where cinematographers from across the globe meet. Even in French, I use the English word “cinematographers” at this event because it’s so precise and convenient, and we are so happy to experience this moment together.

As students from the ENS Louis-Lumière attended Camerimage, the AFC offered them the opportunity of contributing in one way or another to the articles that are published on our website and broadcast via our newsletters. Inaugurating the column dedicated to them is Margot Cavret, of the ENS Louis-Lumière, who was the first to answer our call with a personal reflection on the work that Eric Guichard, AFC, and his crew did on Seasons.

Since the opening of Camerimage 2019, in Toruń (Poland), on November 9^th, we have published every day written or filmed interviews with directors of photography about their work on a film selected in one or other of the sections of the Festival, in both French and English. Here are the links to read or watch each of them in English.

The great Italian cinematographer discusses examples of films from throughout his extremely prestigious and varied career from the perspective of his relationship with their production designers. Amongst the films discussed: Michael Apted’s Nell, Sam Raimi’s The Quick and the Dead, and Michael Mann’s Insider and Manhunter.

The partner of directors such as Peter Greenaway (Murder by Numbers, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover), Andrew Niccol (Gattaca, S1m0ne), and Oliver Stone (Alexander, World Trade Center), Dutch production designer Jan Roelfs is at Camerimage 2019 to receive the special annual prize for Unique Visual Sensitivity. He tells us about his perspective on working with cinematographers on projects and shares a few memories from the shooting of his greatest films…

Tristan Chenais works in both France and the UK, where he studied at the National Film and TV School. It is there that he met director Richard Hall, with whom he has been working ever since on advertisements and music videos. "New Start", for singer Moss Kena, is one of them, produced by Riff Raff Films, one of the most prestigious advertising and music video firms in London.