AFC’s Conversations

Following the international success of It Follows, a conceptual horror-thriller portraying the lives of Detroit’s youth, David Robert Mitchell embarked on a much more ambitious project. At the center of the film is Los Angeles, like a labyrinth, and a young dilettantish fan of Nirvana. Malaise, enigmas, and suicide round off this portrait of an America that sparkles on its surface but whose darkness is reminiscent of David Lynch’s cinema. Michael Gioulakis, cinematographer of It Follows, joined ranks with the American director once again for this film, which is in Competition for the Palme d’Or.

Jean-Bernard Marlin garnered critical attention with his two short films, La Peau dure and La Fugue. He offered young cinematographer Jonathan Ricquebourg, AFC, the opportunity to film his first feature-length project, a rough-hewn film with non-professional actors. A graduate of the Ecole Louis-Lumière’s Cinema department (class of 2013), Jonathan began his career with Jean-Charles Hue on Eat Your Bones, a film selected in the Directors’ Fortnight and winner of the 2014 Prix Jean Vigo. Two years ago, he was at Cannes with Albert Serra, for The Death of Louis XIV, awarded the Prix Lumières in 2017. Once again, he is at Cannes this year for an adventure of cinema and light: Scheherazade, selected in the 57^th International Critics’ Week. (BB)

Although he is originally from Norway, Benjamin Loeb has been based in Vancouver for a number of years, and he works in North America and Europe. He has filmed a number of feature-length films sinceı2007 (Hello Destroyer, Wintermarchen), as well as several music videos, short films, and advertising videos. His work was selected in the Directors’ Fortnight with Mandy, a strange revenge film directed by Panos Cosmatos. (FR)

Polish filmmaker Pawel Pawlikowski is back after his highly-regarded film Ida, in 2013 (Oscar for Best Foreign Film) with Cold War, a love story set to a background of music and tension between East and West. His countryman and Oscar nominee Łukasz Żal, PSC, was the director of photography, again in black and white and 1.37 aspect ratio. The film is in the Official Competition for the 2018 Golden Palm at Cannes Film Festival. (FR)

For her first feature-length film as director, photographer Vanessa Filho was lucky enough to be able to convince Marion Cotillard to play the role of a young alcoholic mother who is neglectful of her seven-year-old daughter. Guillaume Schiffman, AFC, and his Easy Rig, shot this project from the eyelevel of a child. (FR)

Some cinematographers work with French directors as much as they do with foreign ones. Antoine Héberlé, AFC, is one of them. Throughout his career, which he began in 1993 with Laurence Ferreira Barbosa on Normal People are Nothing Special, he has worked with Laetitia Masson, Alain Guiraudie, Stéphane Briée, and also with Moroccan director Faouzi Bensaïdi, Palestinian director Hany Abu Assad, and Israeli directors Edgar Keret and Shira Geffen. This year, he is at Cannes for his work on his first Syrian film, My Favourite Fabric by Gaya Jiji, in selection in Un Certain Regard. (BB)

Engaged in a fierce battle against the industrialization of his beloved island, Halla, with his bow and arrows and his sticks of dynamite, could be compared to John Rambo (First Blood) in her mastery of guerrilla warfare against the system… With the exception of only one thing, however: she is an elegant chorus director from Reykjavik and her combat fatigues is his traditional Icelandic wool jumper.

Director Jia Zhangke is one of the most critically acclaimed Chinese director and the one best-loved by international audiences. He has already presented a number of films at Cannes (I Wish I Knew, A Touch of Sin, Mountains May Depart). He entrusted Eric Gautier, AFC, with the cinematography of his last feature-length film. Eric Gautier is the cinematographer of France’s greatest directors (Arnaud Desplechin, Olivier Assayas, Alain Resnais, Patrice Chéreau) and also shot Into the Wild, On the Road, and Hotel Woodstock for Ang Lee. He is accompanying Jia Zhang-ke on his walk up the red carpet at Cannes this year, where the film Ash Is Purest White is in official competition. (BB)

After having shot his last film in France, Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi decided on Spain for his latest film, a family thriller that is reminiscent both of classical tragedy and westerns. A family behind closed doors in a village of the sierra outside of Madrid, set amongst grape harvests, passions, and jealousies. The great Spanish (and French-speaking) cinematographer José Luis Alcaine is opening this year’s Competition at Cannes with this authentic firework display of actors and cinematography. (FR)

The video of Ed Lachman’s (ASC) Master Class is now online.
It was organized by the AFC in partnership with the ENS Louis-Lumière, and took place on Monday, 12 February 2018 on the school’s premises.
It was hosted by Caroline Champetier, AFC, moderated by François Reumont, and the conversation in English was interpreted by Massoumeh Lahiji.

Eric Gautier, AFC, answers a question regarding the potential paradox of filming a movie about a hypothetical apparition by the Virgin Mary with a smile and a recollection about the beginning of his adventure with Xavier Giannoli: “It’s a bit of a challenge to film the mystery of faith. The love of God is like any sort of love: there is no tangible proof, just the gift of oneself. Sincerity (and lies, like in other of Giannoli’s films) is at the heart of the story. The loneliness of the two characters, Jacques (Vincent Landon) and Anna (Galatea Bellugi) is the spark that sets the story in motion.”

For its second incursion into science-fiction after “Trepalium,” a television series it produced in the past, Arte France decided to hire Patrick Benedek and Claude Scasso to write a six-episode season on the theme of immortality and on transferring from one body to another. The series will be broadcast as of 16 November and the cinematography of the first season was directed by Pascal Lagriffoul, AFC. The first episode was selected at Camerimage in the Television Series’ Pilots competition. (FR)

Joe Wright’s film is a portrayal of Winston Churchill’s first, turbulent weeks as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (in May 1940), and provides an emotional portrait of an eloquent and superior man who was nonetheless riven with doubt. Gary Oldman’s imperial performance will certainly earn him a nomination in the 2018 Oscars. Cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel, AFC, ASC, discusses the shooting of this ode to the English language with us. (FR)

In his new company named “Les Tontons Truqueurs”, Christian Guillon has partnered with two other veteran film professionals, Maurice Prost and Jean-François Gouteix, the founders of Mikro Image. He’s still actively working as a producer and VFX supervisor, and consultant.

Every year, the Cinematographers’ Debuts selection holds a few good surprises in store. Last year, it was Juliette Van Doermael; this year, young Copenhagen DoP Maria von Hausswolff tore open the screen with (Vinterbrodre), a strange and pale film that portrays a group of lovelorn workers in a Danish limestone mine. The impressionistic screenplay was well-served by the graininess of the Super16 and an extremely impressive sound design. Director Hlynur Palmason and his cinematographer met during their studies and both work in the field of contemporary art (sculpture and installations).

On Body and Soul, a Hungarian film directed by Ildiko Enyedi, is also the third this year in the official selection to be set in an abattoir. Máté Herbai, HSC, shares his approach to working on this congenial and unusual love story between two wounded souls.

Jonathan Ricquebourg is the only French cinematographer officially competing in the feature-length fiction section of Camerimage 2017. Still Life, a first feature which was released a year ago in France, takes place in an abattoir. Animals and humans live side-by-side in a strange fable with infrequent dialogue. An original choice for this international selection that sometimes pits outsiders against internationally-recognized stars in the profession. (FR)

American director Alexander Payne chose a futuristic science-fiction universe for his latest film in which humans are able to shrink themselves to conserve the planet’s resources. Downsizing narrates the experience of an average American (Matt Damon) who gets caught up despite himself in this social and physiological process that completely changes his life. Phedon Papamichael, ASC, GSC, shares with us the secrets behind the “making of” of this bittersweet and highly-awaited comedy.