AFC films in festivals

For A Prayer Before Dawn, the latest film by Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire (author of the much remarked-upon 2008 film Johnny Mad Dog), David Ungaro, AFC, immersed himself into the universes of prisons and of Thai boxing. This powerful punch of a film is on the true story of Billy Moore, a young delinquent from Liverpool, who was imprisoned in Thailand’s Klong Prem prison for drug trafficking. Thai boxing gradually helped him to survive and get out of this hell alive... A look back on this film shot between Thailand and the Philippines, and which will be screened this year during Cannes’ Midnight Screenings. (FR)

Some directors are regulars on the Croisette and Arnaud Desplechin is one of them, as this is his 7^th time at Cannes, this year with Ismaël’s Ghosts, the film chosen to open the 70^th annual Cannes Film Festival, and whose director of photography was Irina Lubtchansky.

Once again this year, the films screened at the Cannes Film Festival made by our member cinematographers will be the sign of our association’s presence at this great festival of cinema. This year is the 70^th annual Cannes Film Festival, and fourteen “AFC” films will be screened (barring an error or oversight on our behalf) in the various sections and in either of the Croisette’s theatres.

For his seventh feature film, the Belgian director Joachim Lafosse meets again the cinematographer Jean-François Hensgens, AFC, SBC, with whom he already worked on Avant les mots, Our children and The White Knights.

Following 17 Girls, which garnered attention at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, Delphine and Muriel Coulin are once again in selection for Un Certain Regard with Stopover. This film explores a little-known facet of the French Army: the decompression sessions that take place at the end of each mission and allow soldiers to return to “normal” life, far from the theatre of operations. Their faithful cinematographer, Jean-Louis Vialard, AFC, explains the challenges of this film that was principally shot under the sunlight of the Island of Rhodes.

Peter Suschitzky, ASC, was awarded this year’s Pierre Angénieux ExcelLens in Cinematography Prize at Cannes. This was the opportunity for us to meet with David Cronenberg’s faithful fellow traveller for a filmed interview in English. His high-profile filmography also contains a few cult classics like The Empire Strikes Back, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Mars Attacks.

Somewhere in Canada’s Great North, Sam and Lucy are passionately in love with each other. But when she decides to leave their small town for her studies, Sam considers breaking up. Their love will be put to the test… In this video interview, Cinematographer Nicolas Bolduc, CSC, discusses the cinematography of this romantic story filmed at -40°C with snowmobiles, a rifle, the aurora borealis… and a whisky-loving white bear.

Natasha Brier was very much in view at Cannes in 2014 for her work on the Australian suspense film The Rover, and she is back at Cannes this year with Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn. The Neon Demon is set within the fashion industry, and portrays Elle Fanning in the role of a young woman who arrives in Los Angeles to work as a model. The ambiance mixes horror and sophistication for a film that seems to be one of the craziest by the director of Drive, which won the award for Best Director at Cannes in 2011. (FR)

Upon graduating from La fémis in 2006 Julien Poupard designed the lighting on a number of short films and was noticed for his work on Party Girl, awarded a Golden Camera at Cannes in 2014. He is a faithful collaborator on first films and for young directors – for example 40-Love by Stéphane Demoustier, or Les Ogres, by Léa Fehner – now he is back with Divines, the first feature-length film by director Houda Benyamina, in selection at the Directors’ Fortnight.

Quebecer André Turpin combines the roles of director of photography, director and screenwriter. Endorphin, his last film, was recently released in Canada. His career as a cinematographer relies on his loyal collaboration with Denis Villeneuve for August 32^nd on Earth, Maelstrom (Jutra for Best Cinematography) and Incendies (Genie and Jutra Awards for Best Cinematography). Since Tom at the Farm, André Turpin has been working with the young Quebecois director Xavier Dolan. He was the cinematographer for It’s Only the End of the World, the sixth feature by the most prolific director of this 69^th annual Cannes Film Festival, in competition for the Golden Palm. (BB)

Nicole Garcia ’s latest feature is an adaptation of the eponym novel written by the Italian Milena Agus: From the Land of the Moon. While she is no stranger to the Croisette with films like 15 Août, The Adversary, According to Charlie, From the Land of the Moon is in competition for the 69^th Festival’s Palme d’Or. For the cinematography of her 8^th film, Nicole Garcia called upon Christophe Beaucarne, AFC, SBC, and loyal partner of Jaco Van Doermel, Mathieu Amalric or Anne Fontaine. (BB

Filming nature and man’s relationship to it is one of the bases of Alain Guiraudie’s filmography. After Stranger by the Lake, which won the prize for Best Director at Un certain regard at Cannes in 2013, the director shot his fifth feature-length film in the Lozère, the Marais Poitevin, and Brest. Staying Vertical, a movie about wolves, paternity, and loss of status is in competition for the Golden Palm at the 69^th annual Cannes Film Festival this year.

After working on Camille Claudel 1915 and Le P’tit Quiquin, cinematographer Guillaume Deffontaines, AFC, once again teams up with Bruno Dumont on Slack Bay, in Official Compeition at the 69^th Cannes Film Festival. Guillaume Deffontaines has worked with the Larrieu brothers and Michel Leclerc a number of times, and recently filmed David Oeloffen’s movie Far From Men.

Robbie Ryan made a dazzling appearance in 2009 with the magnificent Fish Tank, directed by Andrea Arnold, and following a successful career shooting UK short films.
In 2011, he was won the Bronze Frog at Camerimage for Wuthering Heights, also directed by Andrea Arnold; they again have a film at Cannes this year. He has also shot three films for Ken Loach recently, and just finished the shoot of Yeh Din Ka Kissa (dir. Noah Baumbach) in New York – so definitely a DoP to watch…

The films photographed and projected on the screens at the Cannes festival by Directors of Photography who are AFC members will once again highlight the presence of our association at this great celebration of cinema. For this 69^th edition, sixteen “AFC” films from all sections will be screened in one of the many theatres of La Croisette.

One of the opportunities the Cannes Festival offers in it’s Cannes Classics program is to revisit its classics, and this 69^th edition will allow you to discover Close Encounters with Vilmos Zsigmond, a documentary film by Pierre Filmon that retraces the life of the director of photography from the streets of Budapest to Hollywood. Film personalities and renowned directors of photography intervene and interview him in order to trace a portrait of a complete artist.

Three exciting events have just happened concerning British (and francophone) cinematographer Peter Suschitzky, ASC, who attended the Cannes Film Festival to present Matteo Garrone’s new film Tale of Tales, to serve as a member of the jury of the Critics’ Week, and to teach a Master Class under the aegis of Sony available on the Internet on 21 May. David Cronenberg’s loyal partner discusses the creation of this fantasy film inspired by traditional Italian folk tales. (FR)

To be a member of the jury of the Caméra d’Or... What an honour, what a privilege! So, for all of you who have not had that pleasure, here is my diary from my time as a member of the jury of the Caméra d’Or award.