festivals

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)

With seventeen films filmed by its members and screened on the Croisette (all sections), the AFC will once again be well-represented at the Cannes Film Festival this year. It will also be present in the jury of the Caméra d’Or award and by its daily newsletter. Over a dozen AFC cinematographers have already indicated that they will attend the Festival.

At the Cannes Film Festival 2018, for the 57^th edition of "La Semaine de la Critique", CW Sonderoptic-Leica is once again sponsoring the "Leica Ciné Discovery Price" and welcomes you from May 10 to 17 on the Nespresso beach.

The career of cinematographer Jeanne Lapoirie, AFC, has been shaped by her relations with very different directors, from Téchiné to Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Ozon to des Pallières, and Israeli directors Ronit and Sholmi Elkabetz. She designed the lighting on the first two films by Robin Campillo, Laurent Cantet’s set designer and editor. Her first feature-length film, The Returned, was made into an eponymous television series that has become a legend in both France and the United States. After directing Eastern Boy, Robin Campillo made his début at Cannes in the official competition with 120 Beats per Minute. (BB)

During the closing ceremony of the 70^th Cannes Film Festival on Sunday, 28 May, the jury, presided by Pedro Almodóvar, announced the winners of the 2017 festival. The Golden Palm was awarded to Ruben Östlund for The Square, cinematography by Frederik Wenzel. The Grand Prize was awarded to 120 Beats per Minute by Robin Campillo, cinematography by Jeanne Lapoirie, AFC, and the award for Best Director went to Sofia Coppola for The Beguiled, cinematography by Philippe Le Sourd, AFC.

British cinematographer Ben Richardson was discovered by international audiences in 2012 when his film Beasts of the Southern Wild received a Golden Camera Award at Cannes. Since then, he has signed off on a number of feature-length films. He is back this year on a Taylor Sheridan (author of the screenplay of Sicario and Hell or High Water) film, Wind River, a wintertime thriller filmed in the snowy Utah countryside. (FR)

After Snow Therapy in 2014, Swedish director Ruben Östlund returns to Cannes this year with The Square, cinematography by his compatriot Frederik Wenzel. A film that discusses the loss of confidence through the main character who is involved in the contemporary art world. The director’s style includes some unexpected camera movements…

In a filmed interview (in French), Manu Dacosse, SBC, tells us about the making of The Double Lover, his first project with François Ozon. A psychoanalytical thriller reminiscent of the films of both David Cronenberg and Brian de Palma.

Todd Hayne’s new opus, produced by Amazon Studios, is a screen adaptation of a 2011 Brian Selznick novel. The writer and illustrator specialized in children’s books also authored the screenplay of Martin Scorcese’s Hugo Cabret. This film tells two parallel tales, one set in 1920 and the other in 1970, and was photographed by Edward Lachman, ASC. The New York cinematographer was offered a trip to Cannes by his producers and confides to us in this filmed interview his thoughts about the film’s image, his love for 35mm film, and shares some observations regarding the future of cinematographic narration…

For her latest feature-length film, American director Sofia Coppola decided to make an adaptation of Tomas Cullinan’s novel The Beguiled, which tells the story of an enemy soldier’s unexpectedly imposing himself on a boarding school for young girls in the middle of the American Civil War. A remake (but not quite) of the earlier adaptation by Don Siegel in 1971 starring Clint Eastwood in the role of the soldier. For the new version, women are given the primary emphasis and make up a prestigious casting around the character of John Mac Burney (Colin Farrell). Philippe Le Sourd, AFC, was director of photography for this Louisiana-filmed movie. (FR)

Director of photography Agnès Godard, AFC, has collaborated with Claire Denis for almost thirty years, since her first feature, Chocolat, in competition at Cannes in 1988. Director and cinematographer met on a Wim Wenders shoot, where Denis was the assistant director, and Godard the assistant to legendary cinematographer Henri Alekan.
Claire Denis believes “the image speaks to us, first and foremost”. In Let the Sunshine In, which opens the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes, Agnès Godard accomplishes that aim, with a pearly, radiant image rendering Juliette Binoche (even more) beautiful. (BB)

Leica Camera AG returns for the second year as official partner of ‘La Semaine de la Critique’ at 2017 Cannes Festival. Leica Camera and its affiliate CW Sonderoptic are proud to congratulate the winners of the Semaine de La Critique short film competition and recipient of the ’Leica Cine Discovery’ prize for the second time in succession.

For her first feature-length film, Italian director Annarita Zambrano decided to make a film about the exile of a father and his daughter against the backdrop of the post-Red Brigade Italian political context of the 1980s. This story takes place between Italy and Southwest France, and was photographed by Laurent Brunet, AFC. It is in official selection at Cannes this year in the “Un certain regard” section (FR)

Robert Redford’s A River Runs Through It is the film that earned Philippe Rousselot, AFC, ASC, the Oscar for Best Cinematography in 1993. A restored version of the film is being screened this year at Cannes. This chronic of rural life in 1920s America depicts the lives of two brothers, played by Brad Pitt and Craig Scheffer. The cinematographer, who is currently preparing for the second instalment of David Yates’ Fantastic Beasts franchise, discussed this noteworthy film from his prestigious career with us. (FR)

Barbara, which isn’t a biopic on “La Dame en noir”, releases in theaters for the twentieth anniversary of the singer’s death. Mathieu Almaric shoots his sixth long feature film and comes back on la Croisette, where he won the “Prix de la mise en scène” in 2010 for Tournée. Christophe Beaucarne, AFC, SBC, Almaric’s Director of Photography for all his films, signs a glamorous photography and tries to transcend the image of the mythical singer, played by Jeanne Balibar. Barbara opens the Un Certain Regard for this seventieth Festival de Cannes. (BB)