Camerimage

In the run-up to the release of Nosferatu, Robert Eggers’ new film, in cinemas in France from 25 December, cinematographer Jarin Blaschke spoke at a Camera image Master Class about his long collaboration with the director. From their first short films to the success of their feature films, the duo have cultivated a passion for images, leading them to make clear-cut decisions for each film, producing inimitable images that convey the message and emotions.

To mark the grand release of his first series on the Apple platform, the multi-Oscar-winning Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity, Roma, etc.) attended Camerimage to discuss his work and photographic choices with the audience. "Disclaimer" is a thriller in which a past event suddenly resurfaces, upending the very bourgeois life of the main protagonist (Cate Blanchett) and her family. Since its release in early November, the series has divided viewers and critics alike. Many argue that the two timelines explored by the filmmaker occasionally lack credibility and coherence, particularly with respect to the final resolution. Emmanuel Lubezki, AMC, ASC, and Bruno Delbonnel, AFC, ASC, shared the cinematography credits, each working on a specific part of the story. (FR)

Co-produced by Haut et Court and directed by Franco-British-Indian filmmaker Sandhya Suri, the film Santosh is a poignant portrayal of women (much like the other Indian film of the summer, All We Imagine as Light, also directed by an Indian filmmaker and winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes). Set in a rural region of northern India (Uttar Pradesh), this debut feature revolves around a young woman, the widow of a police officer, who inherits her late husband’s job due to a peculiar local administrative policy. She faces her new colleagues and is soon confronted with the complex contradictions of Indian society. Sandhya Suri and her cinematographer Lennert Hillege, NSC, presented the film at Camerimage and answered audience questions. The film won the Golden Frog Award for Best First Feature Film. (FR)

With Small Things Like These, Belgian filmmaker Tim Mielants tells the story of the late 80s, in working-class Ireland, giving a new point of view on the Magdalene Sisters affair (adapted in the past from Peter Mullan in 2002). We follow the life of a peaceful father of six daughters (Irish star Cillian Murphy) whose scars from the past suddenly resurface when the discovery of one of the young girls staying at the convent. Dutch DoP Frank van den Eeden, SBC, NSC, lensed the film, which is in competition for the Golden frog of Camerimage 2024. (FR)

With Conclave, German filmmaker Edward Berger (All is calm on the Western Front, multiple Oscars winner including Best cinematography in 2023 for James Friend, BSC), radically change the universe and decide to adapt a novel which tells how the election of a new pope is held at the Vatican. Served by a dazzling cast (Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rossellini...), the film navigates between investigation, alcove secrets and political campaign between cardinals. It’s Stéphane Fontaine, AFC (The Beat My Heart Has Stopped, A Prophet, Jackie...) who is behind the camera this time. He comes to talk to us about this rebuilt Vatican at Cinecittà, about faces and how to film them and about red color, which regularly cross the image. Conclave is presented in European preview at Camerimage and competition for the Golden frog in the Main competition (FR)

"Baby Reindeer" was undoubtedly one of the year’s most striking pieces in terms of writing, acting, and audience impact. In just a few months, it quickly became one of Netflix’s flagship series, largely due to its creator Richard Gadd, who also stars as the lead. Gadd bravely brings to the screen an extremely grave and personal episode from his own life in an unprecedented manner. This series is groundbreaking in its audacity, proving that even the boldest projects, initially seeming far from mainstream, can captivate the public. Here we reflect on the making of this series with Krzysztof Trojnar, who was the cinematographer for the first four episodes, directed by Weronika Tofilska. (FR)

For his first film as director (and co-operator with Nico Aguilar), Mexican cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, AMC adapts for the 3^rd time for the screen a so called unadaptable classic of Mexican literature. An evocation of Mexico during the revolutionary period which takes place over several eras with the dual recreation of a village and its ruins after its abandonment.
A strange 130 min Netflix experience which deals with surrealism, dreams and the nostalgia of an era. As in Toruń to present his film to cinematographers from around the world, the filmmaker talks to us about it and his transition to directing. (FR)

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)

On November 21 at Camerimage, the AFC will be hosting a seminar on the challenges of look development in digital cinema. Moderated by David Ungaro, AFC, this conference will be an opportunity for Olivier Patron, DIT, and Martin Roux, AFC, to present Diachromie and Diaphanie, two plug-ins they have developed with cinematographer Paul Morin, and to explore the transformation of a raw image into a rich, sensitive and striking composition.

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.

A chronicle of the female condition during the 18^th century, The Devil’s Bath, directed by the duo of filmmakers Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz, portrays the life of Agnes, a young peasant who discovers married life with her new husband. Filmed with great historical accuracy, this meticulous recreation of rural German customs during the Enlightenment is as chilling as it is haunting.
Austrian cinematographer Martin Gschlacht, AAC, brought this dark and cruel story to life. Based on a book and the analysis of trial records from 1701, the film is masterfully acted by the young Austrian singer Anja Plaschg ("Soap & Skin"). In this interview, we discuss this piercing production, filmed on location in the Austrian and German forests during the depths of winter. (FR)

Peter Biziou, BSC, was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award for his entire body of work at the Camerimage festival this year. A retrospective enabled all festivalgoers to discover or rediscover some of his biggest hits, and a conference about his career was held before a packed audience. This conference highlighted four key films from his body of work, and then the audience was given an opportunity to ask questions.

This year, Camerimage celebrated the 550^th anniversary of the birth of astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus at Toruń. Besides the exceptional showing of the painting Astronomer Copernicus or Conversations with God for the length of the festival, and two conferences on the theme of the connection between science and cinematography, the organizers also concocted a special retrospective of films that portrayed some of the most revolutionary scientists of the past century. On Wednesday, the film Radioactive was screened for the second time since it was first selected at the festival’s special session in 2019. This was the occasion for cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle, DFF, BSC, ASC, to present the film, whose theatrical release was interrupted by the quarantines of 2020.

In competition for the first time at Camerimage, Spanish director Juan Antonio Bayona (The Impossible, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and the Amazon series "Lord of the Rings") and his Uruguayan cinematographer Pedro Luque answered the audience’s questions after the screening of his new film, The Society of the Snow. (FR)

While Killers of the Flower Moon was being presented in the main competition, Barbie won the FilmLight Colour Award for Feature Film at the beginning of the festival. Rodrigo Prieto, AMC, ASC was the cinematographer for both of these films. He is currently in post-production for his first film as director, -Pedro Páramo-, and took a few days off to come to Toruń to accompany his films amidst this dual celebration. Yesterday, Friday, he answered questions from festival attendees following the screening of Barbie.

During the 31^st festival EnergaCamerimage held in Toruń (Poland), from 11 to 18 November 2023, we have published more than 40 written or video interviews (12 are in English, others in French), in which directors of photography speak about their work on the selected movies. Here are the links allowing you to read each of them.