festivals

When he is asked about his best memory from Three Billboards Outside Ebbings, Missouri, British cinematographer Ben Davis tells us about his first meeting with Frances McDormand who very seriously said to him: “You know, Ben, I want you to film me like John Wayne in this film.” This film is therefore an authentic Western, with a sheriff, a small town, and an avenger, all of whom are seeking redemption. He discusses the film of Martin McDonagh (In Bruges, 7 Psychopaths), which was a great audience success at Camerimage.

Director Roland Joffé shot his latest film, dedicated to the life of Reverend Desmond Tutu (played by Forest Whitaker), in a working South African prison. American cinematographer William Wages, ASC, explains the reasons he chose the new Panasonic VariCam LT in a filmed interview.

Director Xavier Legrand, winner of many awards, including the Grand Prix of the Clermont-Ferrand Festival and of the César for Best Short Film in 2014, is back with his first feature-length film, Jusqu’à la garde. After winning the Silver Lion and the award for best first film at the Venice Film Festival, this restrained film continues the story from his short film. Xavier Legrand and his producer Alexandre Gavras did something uncommon by deciding to work with the exact same team from the short film. While we await the film’s release in France on 7 February 2018, the film continues to meet with enthusiasm as it makes the rounds of film festivals, and will be screened at Camerimage. Nathalie Durand, AFC, takes this opportunity to discuss shooting the film with us. (FR)

Land of Souls, the François Girard’s film, is a lyrical celebration of Quebec’s history through three vignettes into three of the province’s historical epochs during an archaeological dig on a football pitch. The images filmed by Nicolas Bolduc, CSC, create continuity in a film whose many plot twists and characters might leave the viewer a bit perplexed… (FR)

The AFC will be represented at the 25^th Annual Camerimage Festival in Bydgoszcz, Poland, by four films in its selection, the attendance of a dozen of its members, a Master Class, and the publication of a daily newsletter containing news from its members and the highlights of this annual rendezvous for cinematographers.

This year at Camerimage, CW Sonderoptic will be presenting the newest Leica cine lens products, including their now-delivering Leica Thalia large format lenses and the high-speed and compact Leica M 0.8 lenses.

Lee Filters was founded in 1967 and is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of colour media for the film, television and entertainment industry.

RED and its staff will be present at Camerimage 2017.

I’m at Bitola, in Macedonia, for a Festival dedicated to cinematographers everywhere in the world: the “Manaki Brothers” Festival. In 1905, these two brothers began to film daily life in the Balkans. I’ve been here for a few days and here are my first impressions.

The career of cinematographer Jeanne Lapoirie, AFC, has been shaped by her relations with very different directors, from Téchiné to Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Ozon to des Pallières, and Israeli directors Ronit and Sholmi Elkabetz. She designed the lighting on the first two films by Robin Campillo, Laurent Cantet’s set designer and editor. Her first feature-length film, The Returned, was made into an eponymous television series that has become a legend in both France and the United States. After directing Eastern Boy, Robin Campillo made his début at Cannes in the official competition with 120 Beats per Minute. (BB)

During the closing ceremony of the 70^th Cannes Film Festival on Sunday, 28 May, the jury, presided by Pedro Almodóvar, announced the winners of the 2017 festival. The Golden Palm was awarded to Ruben Östlund for The Square, cinematography by Frederik Wenzel. The Grand Prize was awarded to 120 Beats per Minute by Robin Campillo, cinematography by Jeanne Lapoirie, AFC, and the award for Best Director went to Sofia Coppola for The Beguiled, cinematography by Philippe Le Sourd, AFC.

British cinematographer Ben Richardson was discovered by international audiences in 2012 when his film Beasts of the Southern Wild received a Golden Camera Award at Cannes. Since then, he has signed off on a number of feature-length films. He is back this year on a Taylor Sheridan (author of the screenplay of Sicario and Hell or High Water) film, Wind River, a wintertime thriller filmed in the snowy Utah countryside. (FR)

After Snow Therapy in 2014, Swedish director Ruben Östlund returns to Cannes this year with The Square, cinematography by his compatriot Frederik Wenzel. A film that discusses the loss of confidence through the main character who is involved in the contemporary art world. The director’s style includes some unexpected camera movements…

In a filmed interview (in French), Manu Dacosse, SBC, tells us about the making of The Double Lover, his first project with François Ozon. A psychoanalytical thriller reminiscent of the films of both David Cronenberg and Brian de Palma.

Todd Hayne’s new opus, produced by Amazon Studios, is a screen adaptation of a 2011 Brian Selznick novel. The writer and illustrator specialized in children’s books also authored the screenplay of Martin Scorcese’s Hugo Cabret. This film tells two parallel tales, one set in 1920 and the other in 1970, and was photographed by Edward Lachman, ASC. The New York cinematographer was offered a trip to Cannes by his producers and confides to us in this filmed interview his thoughts about the film’s image, his love for 35mm film, and shares some observations regarding the future of cinematographic narration…

For her latest feature-length film, American director Sofia Coppola decided to make an adaptation of Tomas Cullinan’s novel The Beguiled, which tells the story of an enemy soldier’s unexpectedly imposing himself on a boarding school for young girls in the middle of the American Civil War. A remake (but not quite) of the earlier adaptation by Don Siegel in 1971 starring Clint Eastwood in the role of the soldier. For the new version, women are given the primary emphasis and make up a prestigious casting around the character of John Mac Burney (Colin Farrell). Philippe Le Sourd, AFC, was director of photography for this Louisiana-filmed movie. (FR)

Director of photography Agnès Godard, AFC, has collaborated with Claire Denis for almost thirty years, since her first feature, Chocolat, in competition at Cannes in 1988. Director and cinematographer met on a Wim Wenders shoot, where Denis was the assistant director, and Godard the assistant to legendary cinematographer Henri Alekan.
Claire Denis believes “the image speaks to us, first and foremost”. In Let the Sunshine In, which opens the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes, Agnès Godard accomplishes that aim, with a pearly, radiant image rendering Juliette Binoche (even more) beautiful. (BB)

Leica Camera AG returns for the second year as official partner of ‘La Semaine de la Critique’ at 2017 Cannes Festival. Leica Camera and its affiliate CW Sonderoptic are proud to congratulate the winners of the Semaine de La Critique short film competition and recipient of the ’Leica Cine Discovery’ prize for the second time in succession.