François Berléand

En octobre, deux sorties de films en salles, pour le groupe Transpa, dont un photographié par un membre de l’AFC et quinze tournages de longs métrages, fictions TV et de plateformes, dont sept photographiés par des membres de l’association.

Du 7 au 11 septembre prochain aura lieu à La Rochelle la treizième édition du Festival de la Fiction TV dont Kodak demeure l’un des partenaires privilégiés.
Au programme : une compétition officielle riche de neuf téléfilms unitaires, huit téléfilms " comédies ", cinq séries de " prime time ", cinq programmes courts en série et six " web fictions " qu’aura à départager un jury présidé cette année par le comédien François Berléand. Cette année le festival a souhaité mettre en avant le regard porté sur la société contemporaine et à valoriser la comédie !

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)

"The Deal" is a series that recreates a recent historical event by showing the inner workings and behind-the-scenes of an international negotiation on the shores of Lake Geneva. Steeped in the atmosphere of realistic spy series and films (including "The Bureau"), where the plot is conveyed largely through the relationships between characters rather than through action per se, it is also a kind of closed-door drama set in a luxury Swiss hotel. The setting is reminiscent of Edward Berger’s recent film Conclave, in which other international negotiations were taking place within the Vatican. Adrien Bertolle is the director of photography for this six-episode series, directed by Jean-Stéphane Bron, co-produced by Arte & Gaumont, and in international competition at Séries Mania. (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)

For his first TV series in 20 years, British director Joe Wright (Atonement, Pride & Prejudice, Anna Karenina) has chosen a kind of first-person narrative to depict the rise of fascist power. Taking distances from the pure historical reconstitution seen in Darkest Hour, his previous biopic about Winston Churchill, Wright’s series "M" plays out almost like a hypnotic and relentless show, with Luca Marinelli, now bald headed, regularly addressing the camera (Best actor Prize in Lille 2025). Once again is cinematographer Seamus McGarvey, BSC, ISC, ASC, behind camera. A longtime friend and collaborator of the British filmmaker, for this series. (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)

After Jeune femme (Caméra d’or at Cannes in 2017) and Petit frère, French filmmaker Léonor Serraille now offers a portrait of a young man, portrayed by Andranic Manet, who plays the lead role. Ari is a character full of contradictions who is navigating between malaise and hope, and who suddenly discovers a role in his life that he hadn’t anticipated. Sébastien Buchmann, AFC, is responsible for the images in this film, produced by Arte as part of a series on youth. (FR)

Certainly one of the standout series of Series Mania 2025, "Querer", co-written and directed by Spanish filmmaker Alauda Ruíz de Azúa, gives voice to women facing domestic violence and paints a stark portrait of contemporary Spanish society and family dynamics. Told over four episodes (filmed in 11 weeks), each serving as a chapter in a long and painful struggle for this mother (portrayed brilliantly by actress Nagore Aramburu), the series is also a visual gem, where every frame and especially every camera movement seems meticulously composed and designed to serve the story. We spoke with Sergi Gallardo, the cinematographer of this series, which won the Grand prize in Lille. (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)

En octobre, deux sorties de films en salles, pour le groupe Transpa, dont un photographié par un membre de l’AFC et quinze tournages de longs métrages, fictions TV et de plateformes, dont sept photographiés par des membres de l’association.

Du 7 au 11 septembre prochain aura lieu à La Rochelle la treizième édition du Festival de la Fiction TV dont Kodak demeure l’un des partenaires privilégiés.
Au programme : une compétition officielle riche de neuf téléfilms unitaires, huit téléfilms " comédies ", cinq séries de " prime time ", cinq programmes courts en série et six " web fictions " qu’aura à départager un jury présidé cette année par le comédien François Berléand. Cette année le festival a souhaité mettre en avant le regard porté sur la société contemporaine et à valoriser la comédie !