The IMAGO (European Federation of Cinematographers) Annual General Assembly (IAGA) 2009

by Richard Andry, AFC

[ English ] [ français ]

The IMAGO (European Federation of Cinematographers) Annual General Assembly (IAGA), organized with talent by our colleagues of the British Society of Cinematographers (BSC), was held from the 13th to the 15th of February 2009 at the British National Media Museum in Bradford, a charming UNESCO world heritage “cinematographic” town of West Yorshire, England.
AFC was represented by President Remy Chevrin, Robert Alazraki IMAGO Board Member and Richard Andry.
After an introducing welcome from IMAGO President Nigel Walters, BSC, the Assembly discussed numerous points (25 in the agenda) of more or less importance.

The vote on 2009 budget was the first major issue : it was including “honorary salaries” for the President & the Vice President in charge of the Website administration. Voting the budget in such a form would have been illegal, as IMAGO is under the French Association Law (“Loi de 1901” in French) which forbides the payment of any member of an association for his work for this association. This subject was at the origin of a debate, (which seems currently still open) on the principle : A member of Imago may be paid or not for his work for Imago ?
AFC position on this issue is clear and without any ambiguity : the associative commitment is based on the voluntary work. If the current and future development of IMAGO leads into an increase of the workload for the members of the Board, incompatible with the good progress of their DOP’s career, then it will be advisable to appeal to competent professionals in the concerned domains. As we spoke of moving the Registration of Imago in another country of the European Union, Belgium for example, where the laws seem different, we at the AFC remain watchful and will still fight to stop a member DOP getting money for his work in Imago.
After this “hot” debate, the 2009 budget was rectified and unanimously voted.

Another major founder principle was reaffirmed : the European specificity of IMAGO. The non European Societies are welcome as associate members but without power of decision nor financial participation. Japan, New Zealand and Canada were welcomed as new associate members, joining Mexico and Australia each of the two represented at this assembly by one of their members : Ron Johanson, ACS (Australia) and Antonio Riestra, AMC (Mexico).
A good news : our German colleagues (BVK) are back in IMAGO, welcome to them. Then came time for reporting the activities of the various committees :
- Norwegian delegate Rilv Haan, FNF, of the Technical Committee, reviewed the headways of the action led with the manufacturers with the aim of a total compatibility of the various systems of digital projection. In good progress. Great.
- The subject of Authorship rights in the various countries of the European Union was amply and brilliantly explained by Cristina Busch law counsellor of IMAGO, relayed by the Spanish representant Porfirio Enriques, AEC the Italian Luciano Tovoli, AIC and the Swedish Tony Forsberg, FSF, noticing that there is no possible harmonization within the framework of the European Union, this Authorship rights domain being regarded as a national competence.

After exposing the results of the various activities of the last year, and especially the great success of the Workshop organized by DDF (Denmark) in Copenhagen with the brilliant interventions by our colleagues Agnès Godard, AFC and Bruno Delbonnel, AFC. It was decided to support new master classes in 2009 : Bucharest at the end of May, Camerimage, eDIT Festival “The film’s maker festival” in Frankfurt at the beginning of October where the AFC will organize a workshop on “Day for night” effect and an event tribute around “Klimt”, a film photographed by Ricardo Aronovitch, AFC.
To get new financial supports the Assembly decided to hire a “sponsors’hunter”, Martin Hammond, BSC associated member, who organized so successfully the IAGA 2009 in Bradford.
The session ended by a “rendez-vous” taken for the IAGA 2010 in Estonia, the AFC proposed France and AIC Cinecitta for the following years. We deeply wish that this event can take place “Cape to East”, in Tallinn because our Eastern colleagues need a dynamic and concrete support.

We quitted after regretting that the representative of the Ukrainian Society of Cinematographers did’nt obtain in time a Britain entrance visa to attend our assembly.
The debates were moderated in a nice and effective way by our colleague and Dutch friend Bastiaan Houtkooper, NSC
On Sunday, we watched a beautiful Cinerama, three projectors, screening of an history of cinematography (which forgot the Lumiere brothers…). We finished back in 1909 to commemorate the first colour pictures projected on a British projector known as Kinemacolor and released with a live musical accompaniment.

Thanks to Nigel, Martin, BSC and to the National Media Museum Bradford.