Next Shot

The Rotterdam International Film Festival, in association with the NSC (Netherlands Society of Cinematographers) celebrates the memory of great cinematographer Robby Müller every year by awarding the prize that bears his name to an up-and-coming filmmaker. In past years, recipients of the award have included Diego Garcia (a Mexican cinematographer who worked with Darius Khondji, AFC, ASC, on the series “Too Old to Die Young” in 2020, and Hélène Louvart, AFC, in 2023. This year, it is the turn of Belgian cinematographer Grimm Vandekerckhove to be recognized. We discuss this award with him, and particularly his work with Belgian director Bas Devos for whom he has shot two films (Ghost Tropic in 2019 and Here in 2023). (FR)

Le Festival international du film de Rotterdam, en association avec la NSC (Association néerlandaise des directeurs de la photographie), célèbre chaque année la mémoire du grand directeur de la photo Robby Müller en décernant le prix qui porte son nom à un cinéaste en devenir. Après Diego Garcia (directeur de la photo mexicain ayant notamment signé avec Darius Khondji, AFC, ASC, la série "Too Old to Die Young"), en 2020, ou Hélène Louvart, AFC, en 2023, c’est au tour cette année du directeur de la photo belge Grimm Vandekerckhove d’être honoré. On revient avec lui sur cette récompense, et sur son travail notamment avec le réalisateur belge Bas Devos pour lequel il a notamment signé l’image de deux films (Ghost Tropic, en 2019, et Here, en 2023). (FR)

En décembre 2023, un long métrage et une série en tournage pour Next Shot Group, et, sur les écrans, sept longs métrages, fictions télévision et de plateforme, photographiés par cinq membres de l’AFC.

Le département Caméra a déjà pris ses quartiers dans nos nouveaux locaux situés 1, route de la Révolte, à Saint-Denis, non loin de la Cité du Cinéma. Les départements Machinerie et Lumière suivront dans les prochaines semaines. Nous serons de nouveau tous réunis sous le même toit.

For his second film as a director, actor Viggo Mortensen tells a love story hindered by the Civil War. He stars alongside Vicky Krieps, in an atmosphere that blends classic and modern Western elements. Enhanced by intertwining editing of different time lines, and stunning cinematography by Marcel Zyskind, DFF, the film was shot on locations across Mexico & Canada. It’s presented out of competition during a special screening at Camerimage. (FR)

Christophe Honoré and Rémy Chevrin, AFC, are one of the most emblematic director/cinematographer couples in French "cinéma d’auteur". They have already shot nine films together and their faithful collaboration has been going strong since Seventeen Times Cécile Cassard, 24 years ago. Their next feature has already been wrapped and scheduled for release in spring 2024. Last year, they released Winter Boy, a film for which young actor Paul Kircher won the award for Best Actor at the San Sebastian Festival. A look back on the photographic challenges of this adolescent drama with the cinematographer who was selected out-of-competition at Camerimage 2023 in the Contemporary World Cinema section. (FR)

Kristoffer Engholm Aabo est un directeur de la photographie, basé à Copenhague, qui partage son temps entre le Danemark et la Norvège, où il a notamment fait des études de prise de vues. Ayant signé l’image de plus de 80 vidéos clips, il a aussi à son actif plusieurs films publicitaires (Porsche, Redbull, Carlsberg...) ainsi que des courts métrages de fiction. Sélectionné pour la première fois en compétition à Camerimage pour le clip "Crooks - Heart of Vengeance" du groupe Farveblind, il vient nous parler de cette étrange fausse bande-annonce d’un film de vengeance qui pourrait presque exister... (FR)

Kristoffer Engholm Aabo is a cinematographer based in Copenhagen. He divides his time between Denmark and Norway, where he studied cinematography. He has worked on the visuals of over 80 music videos and has also worked on a number of advertising films (Porsche, Redbull, Carlsberg, etc.) as well as short fiction films. Selected for the first time in competition at Camerimage for the music video "Crooks - Heart of Vengeance" by the band Farveblind, we meet to talk about this strange fake trailer, created for a revenge film that could almost be real... (FR)

With the death of cinematographer Romain Winding on Thursday 20th July 2023, the AFC has lost one of its most lovable members. He passed away at the age of 71 at his house in Chambonas (Ardèche, France). Over the course of nearly 30 years, Romain shot, with elegance, sensitivity and simplicity, around sixty feature films and made-for-television movies. Here, we retrace his steps.

After several documentaries on the Cambodian genocide, filmmaker Rithy Panh decided to venture into fiction, recreating the true story of journalists who got the only interview with the Khmer Rouge leader in 1978. This ambitious work combines scenes led by a prestigious cast, cutaway shots from archival footage, and long tracking shots of childlike models reminiscent of Michel Gondry’s style. The result is a strange film where naivety blends with historical reconstruction and characters sometimes happened to be on another planet. Aymerick Pilarski, AFC, lensed this show presented in the official Cannes Première selection. (FR)

Xavier Gens’ Sous la Seine has been available on Netflix since early June, and has since risen to become one of the most viewed programs on the platform. Meanwhile, the director, producers and the platform are being sued by another screenwriter who is claiming to have been the victim of plagiarism. This suspenseful film portrays the intrusion of a race of mutant sharks capable of adapting to fresh water and swimming up rivers, and has benefited from the fact that the Olympic Games are being held in Paris this year to generate buzz. Nicolas Massart, AFC, was in charge of the cinematography of this story, with many underwater scenes shot in the large European studio dedicated to this – Lites, in Brussels. (FR)

Selected for Berlinale 2024, Claire Burger’s Langue étrangère (Foreign Language) crosses paths between France and Germany through a first adolescent love story. Julien Poupard, AFC, reunites with the director (with whom he has already shot several films) to bring this story of sensual, amorous and political awakening to life between Leipzig and Strasbourg. The film is in official competition for the 74th Golden Bear. (FR)

The 2024 winner of the Pierre Angénieux Special Encouragement Award is of Estonian origin. She has been based in the USA for 12 years, spending time in China first, just after finishing high school. This was her first experience living abroad, where she studied, learned a bit of the language and shot her first documentary films. Kadri Koop is a curious young woman, with varied experiences around the world, now working between Europe and Hollywood, where she resides and tends to a beautiful vegetable garden under the Californian sun.
She’s here at Cannes to talk to us about images, faces and zoom lenses ! (FR)

Carried by a dazzling cast, with young Mikey Madison in the lead role as a stripper, Sean Baker’s Anora is a captivating film. Its writing is both simple and precise, steering the plot in one direction only to better surprise the audience and ultimately deliver a powerful final scene that is likely to go down in festival history. Shot like great American cinematographers of the 70s used to do (Kodak film, 4-perf Scope, zoom lenses, and negative flashing during shooting), this cinematic tour de force is truly one of the major events of the 77th edition of the Festival. Drew Daniels, who shot the film, explains that nothing replaces the thrill one can experience on such a film as a director of photography, making creative decisions live on set rather than relying solely on modern digital camera & post-production tools. (FR)

After a diversion through England to shoot Firebrand, which was selected for the official competition last year on the Croisette, Karim Aïnouz returns to his homeland to direct Motel Destino, a colourful erotic thriller shot very close to his hometown of Fortaleza, Brazil. It marks the third collaboration between the director and cinematographer Hélène Louvart, AFC, aiming to (re)create the visual universe of an unusual place and to convey the human relationships that take place there, filled with humour and tension. For the second year running, Karim Aïnouz’s work has been selected for the Official Competition, at the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival. (BB)

Julien Colona’s first feature film, Le Royaume, tells the story of a young girl who discovers her father’s true nature, and tries to love him at all costs. The relationship thus forged resembles a journey of initiation along the roads of the Isle of Beauty. A film with Corsicans, shot in Corsica, by a Corsican filmmaker. With cinematographer Antoine Cormier, we immerse ourselves in the making of this two-faceted thriller. Le Royaume is in the Un Certain Regard Official Selection at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. After three years as a camera assistant, Antoine Cormier went on to light short films, music videos and commercials. His passion : shooting on film. When he met Julien Colonna on a commercial, they shared a passion for doing "well with little". (BB)

A unique blend of Buster Keaton-style silent comedy and vampire film invoking Expressionism, "Sister Midnight" by Karan Kandhari is above all an original female portrait set in the slums of Bombay. Although the director is of Indian origin, he lives and works in England, and his directing style and use of music reveal his distinctly British sense of humor. Here are the secrets behind the making of this strange comedy, whose style alternates between the frenetic and the very calm, reminiscent of the rhythm of a Pixies song. The cinematography is by British-Norwegian director of photography Sverre Sørdal, and the film was shot on Kodak and Panavision.

Adapté du dernier roman éponyme de l’écrivain Pierric Bailly, Le Roman de Jim (paru chez POL en 2021), interroge la paternité en dehors des liens du sang. Le tournage s’est passé entièrement dans le Haut-Jura, dans les décors décrits dans le livre. Ce sont les frères Larrieu, Arnaud et Jean-Marie – le tandem de réalisateurs qui tournent tous leurs films à la montagne, Peindre ou faire l’amour, Tralala…– qui s’emparent de ce mélodrame. Ils font appel à la directrice de la photographie Irina Lubtchansky, AFC, pour signer l’image de cette saga qui s’étale sur 25 ans. Elle nous propose un retour sur cette première collaboration avec deux réalisateurs qui donnent le ton au cinéma d’auteur français. Avec Le Roman de Jim, les frères Larrieu sont de retour au Festival de Cannes 2024, en sélection officielle Cannes Première. (BB)