AFC films in festivals

Cinematographer Rémy Chevrin, AFC, sat down with François Reumont to discuss his work on Christophe Honoré’s film Room 212. Here, we offer you a transcript of their interview.

Pierre Trividic and Patrick Mario Bernard have been directing films together since the 1980s. Their filmography reveals a taste for the strange and the fantastic, such as Le Cas Lovecraft (documentary), Dancing, L’Autre. With L’Angle mort, they offer us a cinema that engages simultaneously with political and romantic issues. We met Jonathan Ricquebourg, AFC, last year, to discuss Jean-Bernard Marlin’s vigorous film Sheherezade. Since then, he has also signed off on the image of Jean-Charles Hue’s Tijuana Bible, and is currently working with the Trividic-Mario Bernard tandem on their latest film, L’Angle mort. This film is presented by the ACID at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.

Following Winter Brothers for which she earned the award for First feature film at Camerimage in 2017, the young Swedish cinematographer Maria von Hausswolff again joined forces with Icelandic director Hlynur Pálmason on a drama that portrays a former police officer mourning the loss of his wife and who brings his young daughter along on an uncertain quest into the past. Alongside the impressive Ingvar Sigurðsson (for whom the film was written), the little girl (Hlynur Pálmason’s own daughter), and a visual landscape made up of gradients of fog and rain surrounding the coastal town of Höfn (which simply means “port” in Icelandic) in the south-western part of Iceland. (FR)

Cinematographer Claire Mathon, AFC, sat down with François Reumont to discuss her work on Mati Diop’s Atlantics. We are pleased to share with you a transcript of her words.

Reading the screenplay of Vif-argent (whose working title was La Nuit je mens), Céline Bozon remembers having particularly enjoyed the mix of genres between daily chronicle of Parisian life, romance story, and fantastic film. (FR)

Angenieux Official partner of Cannes Film Festival will pay tribute to cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel AFC ASC on Friday, May 24 during the 7^th edition of the ” Pierre Angenieux ExcelLens in Cinematography” ceremony.

The 72^nd Annual Cannes Film Festival will take place from 14-25 May, 2019. The official selection was announced on Thursday, 18 April by Pierre Lescure, President of the Festival, and Thierry Frémaux, its General Delegate, and includes nineteen feature-length films in competition, sixteen in “Un certain regard” and eleven out of competition and in the other sessions – not to mention Cannes Classics. Eight of these films were shot, and one was directed, by AFC member cinematographers.

After the announcement by the Cannes Film Festival of its official selection for 2019 comes the turn of the parallel sections – Critics’ Week, Directors’ Fortnight, and ACID – to unveil the list of films that they will screen. Four of them were shot by members of the AFC.

First of all, this is a magnificent experience that I recommend everyone who is able to take part in. It’s a huge dive into the world of cinema. I, who of late rarely go to see movies in theatres - yes, I’m a bit ashamed to admit it, but it’s the truth - truly enjoyed seeing movies on the big screen.

I was proud to be one of the 82 women who ascended the steps at Cannes, organized by the 50/50 for 2020 Collective, which is promoting more parity and equality (especially in terms of salaries) in the 7^th Art. 82 women to represent the 82 women selected in the Official Competition at Cannes since it began, versus 1,688 men. With only two Golden Palms awarded to women. A very beautiful, simple and moving text was read aloud by Cate Blanchett in English and reprised by Agnès Varda in French.

Laurent Tangy, AFC, began his career working on films such as Lars Blumer’s Mike and Alex Courtes’ The Incident. He went on to work with Cédric Jimenez on HHH and Johan Renck on The Last Panthers. He has just completed the cinematography on Gilles Lellouche’s latest film (and the first one he directed by himself), Sink or Swim, whose male cast is emblematic of French cinema. This film was presented Out of Competition at Cannes this year. (BB)

During the closing ceremony of the 71^th Cannes Film Festival on Saturday, 19 May, the jury, presided by Cate Blanchett, announced the winners of the 2018 Festival. The Golden Palm was awarded to Manbiki Kazoku, by Hirokazu Kore-Eda, cinematography by Ryuto Kondo, the Golden Camera to Girl, by Lukas Dhont, cinematography by Frank van den Eeden, and the CST’s Vulcain Award to Shin Joom-Hee, Art Director of Burning, by Lee Chang-dong, cinematography by Hong Kyung-Pyo.

When Andréa Bescond and Eric Métayer were awarded the Molière Award for Best Solo Performance in 2016 for Les Chatouilles, a play about sexual abuse of children, they didn’t know they’d be back at Cannes two years later with the eponymous film they co-directed. Surrounding themselves with a shock team for their first movie, they called on cinematographer Pierre Aïm, AFC, who had shot Maïwen’s Polisse, a film that strangely resonates with Little Tickles… The film is being presented in the Un Certain Regard section (BB)

About ten years after his graduation from the Image Department of La Fémis, cinematographer David Chizallet, AFC, was recognized for his work on his classmate Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s film Mustang. A loyal collaborator of Elie Wajeman (Alyah, The Anarchists), he has recently been trying his hand at comedy with Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache’s film C’est la vie!. He had the opportunity to participate in a new adventure thanks to the Chinese film Long Day’s Journey Into Night, directed by Bi Gan, in Competition at the 71^th Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section. (BB)

Julien Poupard, AFC, has lit a number of first films, including Claire Burger’s, Marie Amachoukeli’s and Samuel Theis’ Party Girl, Léa Fehner’s Les Ogres, Houda Benyamina’s Divines, and Morgan Simon’s A Taste of Ink. Then he met Pierre Salvadori, a seasoned director, and shot his last film The Trouble with You, selected in the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes. (BB)

Dominique Colin (I Stand Alone, L’Auberge Espagnole, The French Kissers) shot the first movie by young female Indian director Rohena Gera this year. It is in competition in the Critics’ Week. The film was entirely shot in Bombay, a city to which the Bollywood cinema industry is extremely important. A look at this love story in an upper-class apartment building between a maid and her employer. (FR)

Nicolaj Brüel is a Danish cinematographer who has shot a number of prestigious advertising campaigns for various sectors (automobiles, beauty products, food, etc.). He also filmed the television series “Legends of Cambria” (starring Colin Farrell) and Caradog W. James’ feature-length film The Machine, in 2013. This year, Italian director Matteo Garrone asked him to do the lighting on his new Napolitain opus Dogman. He spoke with us about audacity at Cannes this year, which he feels is an important part of creativity on set. (FR)

In addition to awarding the ExcelLens Prize this year, Angénieux has also decided to recognize the work of a young talent in cinematography. Cecile Zhang, a Chinese cinematographer and recent graduate of the Beijing Film Academy, is the recipient of the award. The AFC met her at Cannes.