Next Shot

Shot on the island of Chiloé, in southern Chile, Brujeria is a fantasy film in which history and politics intertwine in an unexpected and very animalistic way. Set in the late 19th century, at a time when European settlers were arriving alongside the newly formed Chilean state, the script depicts the rebellion of a native teenager when her father is unjustly killed by his German employers. 
This is the second feature film by Christopher Murray, a filmmaker whose academic work in anthropology inspired the subject matter. The cinematography is by María Secco, AMC, who is originally from Uruguay but lives and works in Mexico City. We talk to her about the making of this spellbinding story, which has been selected for the "Contemporary World Cinema" section at Camerimage 2023. (FR)

Directed by Laure de Butler ("Syndrome E" for TF1 or "Irrésistible" for Disney), the "37 secondes" series tackles an unsolved mystery dating back to January 15, 2004, the sudden sinking of the trawler "Bugaled Breizh" in international waters south of Lizard Cape. Solidly documented and filmed at the scene of the tragedy, this 6-episode series produced for the Arte Channel has been selected in French competition at this year’s Séries Mania. Benjamin Louet, who shot the images, talks to us about the filming process, where history and fiction coexist intimately. (FR)

Shot over 80 days between November 2023 and April 2024, the new French mini-series on Apple TV+ recreates the Napoleonic era in a project that combines espionage, haute cuisine and politics. At the heart of the story, which evokes a pact with the devil, is an ambitious young chef who quickly achieves fame and success through his connection with Talleyrand. Matias Boucard, AFC, is the director of photography for this series - in association with Éric Dumont, AFC - directed by Martin Bourboulon (The Three Musketeers). Laurent Héritier, as gaffer, took care of the many electrical setups on location around Paris and in the studio in Bry-sur-Marne. Premiering at the Séries Mania Festival, the series will be available on Apple TV+ in late April. (FR)

Directed by Kasia Adamik and Olga Chajdas, the series "Kabul" is a European co-production between France, Belgium, Greece, Germany, and Italy. This ambitious project portrays the evacuation of the Afghan capital during the American withdrawal in 2021. In the great Anglo-Saxon tradition of films recreating major historical events, the series offers a detailed reconstruction of the fall of Kabul. The Polish cinematographer Matteusz Wichlacz, PSC, a long-time collaborator of the two directors, was in charge of filming the entire series. We spoke with him about this spectacular reconstruction of Afghanistan—shot entirely in the suburbs of Athens—and "Kabul"’s participation in the official international competition at Séries Mania. (FR)

With humor, know-how and a disturbing quality, the fake Porsche advertisement “The Pisanos” produced by the Hungarian colorist László Gaál has become in recent days one of the stars of the AI ​​film generation on YouTube. Made entirely on the Google Veo2 engine to which he was able to have early bird access, this little film is featuring almost all the clichés of advertising (Tuscany, smiles, speed, etc.) Disturbing by its quality and especially by its making-off, this second part takes eventually the viewer by surprise when we suddenly learn that everything was (almost) false. Laszlo, who gives himself the pleasure of talking to the camera - in the only shot actually filmed . lends also his voice to the commentary. He talks to us (with his lovely Claude Monet t-shirt) about creation with this new tool. (FR)

Un nouveau produit au catalogue : le Vortex 24 de Creamsource, quatre longs métrages en salles, dont trois photographiés par des membres de l’AFC, deux séries télévision diffusées, dont une photographiée par un membre de l’AFC, sept fictions TV en tournage, ainsi que deux longs métrages photographiés par des membres de l’association.

Lucy Cohen’s first film is a summer portrait of a boy and a girl leaving childhood. Filmed in a village on the Cornish coast, with windswept cliffs, this very sensitive film is based on the relationships and unsaid things between adults and their children. British cinematographer Rachel Clark shot the film. It runs for the Golden Frog (Best image for a first film) at Camerimage 2024. (FR)

Telling the story of a kind of Amélie Poulain with sewing superpowers, Sew Torn is a bit of a UFO in this panorama selection of contemporary cinema. Coming from German-speaking Switzerland, where this film was shot in a peaceful town lost in an idyllic valley. Director of photography Sebastian Klinger comes to talk to us about this shoot where the actress is killed at least three times on screen, and where the influence of the Coen brothers sometimes hovers over the crazy situations and somewhat strange characters. (FR)

Entirely filmed on the small island of Mandø, located on the southwest coast of Denmark, Basque filmmaker Juan Palacios’ documentary is both a tender portrait of its inhabitants and a testimony to life continuing against all odds in the face of rising sea levels and climate change. Shot in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio by the director himself, the film resolutely oscillates between a documentary approach in its content and a highly cinematic stylization in its form. We revisit with him this exploit, which took several years, spanning from the pandemic to the initial interactions with the locals, the filming, and the finalization of the film. This documentary is in competition for the Golden Frog award for Best Cinematography in Toruń.

Julien Colona’s first feature film, Le Royaume, tells the story of a young girl who discovers her father’s true nature, and tries to love him at all costs. The relationship thus forged resembles a journey of initiation along the roads of the Isle of Beauty. A film with Corsicans, shot in Corsica, by a Corsican filmmaker. With cinematographer Antoine Cormier, we immerse ourselves in the making of this two-faceted thriller. Le Royaume is in the Un Certain Regard Official Selection at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. After three years as a camera assistant, Antoine Cormier went on to light short films, music videos and commercials. His passion : shooting on film. When he met Julien Colonna on a commercial, they shared a passion for doing "well with little". (BB)

A unique blend of Buster Keaton-style silent comedy and vampire film invoking Expressionism, "Sister Midnight" by Karan Kandhari is above all an original female portrait set in the slums of Bombay. Although the director is of Indian origin, he lives and works in England, and his directing style and use of music reveal his distinctly British sense of humor. Here are the secrets behind the making of this strange comedy, whose style alternates between the frenetic and the very calm, reminiscent of the rhythm of a Pixies song. The cinematography is by British-Norwegian director of photography Sverre Sørdal, and the film was shot on Kodak and Panavision.

Adapted from the latest novel by writer Pierric Bailly, Le Roman de Jim (published by POL in 2021) explores fatherhood outside of blood ties. The film was shot entirely in the Haut Jura, in the settings described in the book. The Larrieu brothers, Arnaud and Jean-Marie, - the directing duo who shoot all their films in the mountains, such as Peindre ou faire l’amour and Tralala – directed this melodrama. They called on cinematographer Irina Lubtchansky, AFC, to craft the visuals of this saga spanning 25 years. She reflects on this first collaboration with two directors who set the tone for French auteur cinema. With Le Roman de Jim, the Larrieu brothers return to the Cannes Film Festival in 2024, in the Cannes Première official selection. (BB)

C’est pas moi is a self-portrait by Leos Carax made up of recent footage, excerpts from his films, personal and public photographic archives, images found on the internet, titles and texts. Considering the variety of mediums used in the film, there is a paradox in the fact that the visuals are attributed to me. But I take it as a recognition of our bond to the images from his previous films, those shot for this 40-minute medium-length film, and perhaps also the will to integrate images from elsewhere into a present cinema. (CC)

A steroid-enhanced variation on a classic piece of fantastic literature (Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray or Balzac’s La Peau de chagrin), The Substance offers director Coralie Fargeat the opportunity to bring two 1980s superstars back into the limelight—and to pour thousands of blood gallons onto the Grand Théâtre Lumière screen. While homages to Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining and Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo are instantly recognizable, British cinematographer Benjamin Kračun also cites Roman Polanski’s Repulsion and Paul Verhoeven’s Total Recall, two other major studio films. He further explains how this strange film, which every single shot smells California , was entirely made in France, between Paris and Nice. The Substance is in competition for the 77th Palme d’Or. (FR)

Variation sous stéroïdes d’un classique de la littérature fantastique (Dorian Gray, d’Oscar Wilde, ou La Peau de chagrin, de Balzac), The Substance offre à la réalisatrice Coralie Fargeat l’occasion de repropulser en haut de l’affiche deux super stars des années 1980... et de déverser des milliers de litres de sang sur l’écran du Grand Théâtre Lumière. Si les hommages très affirmés au Shining, de Stanley Kubrick, ou au Vertigo, d’Alfred Hitchcock, se remarquent en un clin d’œil, le directeur de la photographie britannique Benjamin Kračun, BSC, cite également le Répulsion, de Roman Polanski, ou le Total Recall, de Paul Verhoeven, deux autres grands films de studio. Il vient également nous expliquer comment cet étrange film qui transpire la Californie a été tourné intégralement en France, entre Paris et Nice… The Substance est en compétition pour la 77^e Palme d’or. (FR)

After more than 10 years of absence, the filmmaker behind The Godfather and Apocalypse Now returns with an extremely personal project in which he has invested a significant portion of his fortune. This is Megalopolis, a fable aimed at younger generations that reinterprets classical texts from ancient Rome in the context of a futuristic city reminiscent at times of Batman’s Gotham. It is also a family film with many main roles, featuring extensive sets and special effects to immerse the audience in this anticipatory atmosphere. The film is shot by Romanian-born cinematographer Mihai Malaimare Jr., ASC, a loyal collaborator of the director for nearly 20 years. The film is in Official competition for the 77th Palme d’Or.

Opening Un Certain Regard competition, Icelandic director Rúnar Rúnarsson’s new film is about grief and lies. The young Icelandic actress and singer Elin Hall plays an ambiguous character, torn between the pain of losing her man and the impossibility of revealing him to others... Swedish cinematographer Sophia Olsson shot the film, which is almost entirely shot in Iceland’s capital, and whose iconic locations will undoubtedly evoke memories for lovers of this timeless city. (FR)

Part experimental film, part documentary, part fantasy, Camila Beltrán’s Mi Bestia portrays a young girl transitioning from childhood in 1990s Bogotá. Sylvain Verdet shot the images for this first original feature film, having previously collaborated on Beltrán’s short film Pacifico Obscuro four years prior. Mi Bestia has been selected at ACID. (FR)