TIFF 2024: 90 Cinematographers Explain How They Shot Their Features

‘Aberdeen’

Category: Discovery
Format: 4K ProRes / 3.3K Anamorphic 
Camera: ALEXA 35
Lens: ARRI Master Prime anamorphic, Zeiss Supreme prime radiance, Angenieux 17-80

Jesse Wicklund: ‘Aberdeen’ was shot with two formats portraying two different time periods: One in the 1970s and another in the 2020s. We utilized an anamorphic 2.39:1 image capture for the ’20s and spherical 1.85:1 image capture for the ’70s. I thought it would be interesting to portray two different eras in a person’s life with aspect ratio and lenses as opposed to color — which we do lean into, but not in an overly dramatic/distracting way.

During the process of finding the look, I tested multiple sets of anamorphic and spherical glass. Eventually we landed on the Master Prime anamorphic and Zeiss supreme radiance spherical lenses. The Master Prime anamorphic allowed us to utilize a clean, sharp image at any stop without having to worry about introducing unwanted characteristics. I wanted to get as close as I could to an image that felt as though we were looking through a window at somebody’s life, and the Master Prime anamorphic lenses allowed us to do that. The Supreme Prime radiance lenses provided a beautiful impressionistic look that wasn’t overly distracting and still felt grounded in reality, the lushness of those lenses I felt complimented the innocence of our titular character in her adolescence during the ’70s.

These lenses coupled with the ALEXA 35 allowed me immense flexibility with capturing the images that we did with mostly available light. Our film Aberdeen would not have been possible without these tools given our restrictions and tight schedule, I knew I needed tools that were going to help protect me and the final image in post. The speed of the lenses and the dynamic range/color of the ALEXA 35 proved to be a magic combination, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the results we got.

‘Addition’

Category: Centerpiece
Format: 2.8K ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA LF 
Lens: Panaspeeds

Gin Loane: I needed a kit that would work well in low light wide open. The superspeeds allowed us to move fast, which is important on a five-week shoot. We could be reactive to whatever natural light was presenting itself and augment to suit.

I chose a working LUT that had good contrast and changed the color temperature of the camera and lighting to reflect what was going on in the scenes. We fluctuated between being restrained and observant when Grace is trying her best in the real world and then switching to a more subjective style when hooking into Grace’s struggle with her obsessions.

‘All We Imagine As Light’

Category: Special Presentations 
Format: 3.4K ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA Mini was the primary camera. We shot some additional footage with the Canon c300 mkiii and the Canon C70.
Lens: Cooke s4i

Ranabir Das: I find the ALEXA Mini to be the most flexible camera amongst the top-range cameras. The shoot was primarily hand-held and the Mini seemed like the obvious choice. Coupled with the Cooke s4i’s, we were able to achieve a soft, more filmic look. Large parts of the shoot was at night and we were very happy with the results we got in low light conditions.

‘Anora’

Category: Special Presentations
Format: 35mm
Camera: ARRICAM LT
Lens: Lomo Round Front Anamorphics, Lomo 40-120 zoom

Drew Daniels: ‘Anora’ is about a sex worker who lives in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, also known as Little Odessa, so it felt like an obvious choice to shoot the film on vintage Soviet glass. We shot mostly on Kodak 500T and 200T, and we often pushed and pulled the stock 1-2 stops and even used an ARRI flasher to achieve a wintry, soft look. I did whatever I could to get the right feel in the image, which often meant under-exposing the negative and beating it up a bit. Sean and I both love the American independent films of the ’70s, so we tried to use the tools they would have had during that time period to give it a rougher, but still beautiful look.

‘April’

Category: Centerpiece 
Format: 35mm 
Camera: ARRICAM LT
Lens: ARRI Master Prime 18mm

Arseni Khachaturan: Our aim was to create a tactile experience for the audience. We really wanted to see the world through the eyes of our main character and also experience it. When we were scouting for the film, Dea and I would drive across the region where the film was shot: Highways, through endless fields, village roads… we saw the vast beauty of the place where Nina lives and where she performs clandestine abortions. We wanted to bring the viewers very close to this world.

When working with Dea, we usually like to shoot most or the entire film — with just one lens. This constraint, or a rule, that we establish for ourselves helps to commit to a certain point of view, very specific perspective that we craft throughout the film. We decided to mainly work with natural light. All the night scenes are shot in blue hour. Exteriors in the film consist of shots of bright days and blue nights. The lenses we chose, Master Primes, were good for this reason, as they are fast and allowed us to really push the exposure to the limit without any need for additional lighting.

This helped to achieve stark contrast between days and nights — as Nina is constantly on the move traveling to the homes of her patients or cruising the streets at night looking to pick up strangers for intimate encounters.

‘The Assessment’

Category: Special Presentations
Format: 2.8K ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA Mini
Lens: LEICA SUMMILUX

Magnus Nordenhof Jønck: When I first read the script and talked it over with Fleur, it was the human drama set within the sci-fi world that I felt attracted to. In between the lines, there was a sense of isolation and loneliness in the characters and in the landscape of the film that was very interesting and somewhat felt like a visual key. The story is set in a future where climate change has destroyed the world as we know it today. It’s about a couple who want to have a child, but they can only do so if they get approval from a state assessor. This forces them — and the assessor — to really examine their relationships themselves and question who they are on a deeper level.

Choosing the right lenses was about finding a balance between the human intimacy of the story and its sci-fi components. The Summilux lenses felt right. They gave us a modern, contemporary look while offering a soft, almost vintage quality — without the additional layers that older glass can sometimes introduce.

The decision to shoot on the ALEXA Mini was driven by both artistic and practical considerations. Filming in the rugged terrain of Tenerife we needed a camera that could handle natural light, magic hour scenes, a lot of handheld work in confined spaces, strong harsh sunlight with hard shadows and night scenes lit with only practicals.

On top of that the ARRI sensor’s ability to capture colors, especially reds and yellows, was important, since those colors were key to the set design. Additionally, my familiarity and trust in the ALEXA system was important, especially with our tight schedule and remote locations.

‘Beloved Tropic’

Category: Centerpiece
Format: 3.4k Open Gate ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA Mini
Lens: Zeiss Super Speeds T1.3

Nicolás Wong, CCR: I wanted soft but reliable lenses that were also small and light. Super Speeds were the right choice for they excel with faces and have a smooth focus drop off. They have just the right amount of character while still being fairly faithful to reality.

‘Better Man’

Category: Gala
Format: 4.5K Arriraw
Camera: ALEXA Mini LF 
Lens: Gecko-Cam GENESIS G35 VINTAGE ’66 PRIME LENSES and Sigma Classic primes 

Wilson Erik: It was important to make the camera react to the action as instinctively as possible, so having as many eccentricities and flares as these lenses gave us, forced the camera work to be totally in the moment of the scene. I had feared that we would have to shoot the whole movie clean and add visual character later considering the form of the main character, but our genius VFX super and producer from Weta saw our initial lens test with as many flares and aberrations we could possible manage, and fully bought into the visual language we set out to achieve.

The same ethos applied to lighting, where we would add practical lights to a set only when needed, and traditional movie lights were used only when recreating natural and practical lighting conditions on a set.

‘Bird’

Category: Special Presentations 
Format: 16mm
Camera: ARRIFLEX 416
Lens: Ultra 16 Primes, Canon 10-180mm zoom 

Robbie Ryan: The Zeiss Ultra 16 range of lenses are the sharpest for 16mm, so that is a no-brainer when shooting on 16mm. I like using the zoom, as there was quite a bit of tracking after scooters, so the zoom was a quick way of reframing and giving energy, which is a big factor in Andrea’s filmmaking. 

‘Bonjour Tristesse’

Category: Discovery
Format: ARRIRAW 4.6K OG + 16:9
Camera: ALEXA 35
Lens: Cooke S4, Canon FD TLS 45mm, Bausch & Lomb Super Baltar TLS, Angenieux Optimo 24-290mm 

Maximilian Pittner: Durga and I wanted something timeless but disorienting which informed a lot of the choices we made on lighting, movement, and framing — especially for the part that plays in the south of France. There was something interesting to me in using the main location in Cassis like a studio and we went for something more stylized for our daytime interiors, which we wanted to feel quite dark compared to the harsh sun and the punchy blue outside, as well as the night exteriors. We went for 1.66:1 as our aspect ratio, which also felt like a fitting frame into a heightened world we wanted to create.

For the second part of the movie, which plays in Paris, we changed lenses from Cooke S4 to B&L Super Baltars and muted the look we made together with MELS and colorist Jérôme Cloutier to have the image feel more tactile and real. We also used more of the sensor of the ALEXA 35, which I cropped for the first part to have a slight change in the characters’ perception.

‘Boong’

Category: Discovery
Format: 2.8K ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA Mini
Lens: Hawk C series Anamorphic 

Tanay Satam: Working with the ALEXA and hawk C series was a choice I made based on the narrative of the film. ‘Boong’, being based on a young boy’s journey, I wanted a more simplistic approach to the visual storytelling and the ALEXA is my go-to for when I want the image to feel natural and real. The hawk anamorphics have an old-time quality about them, making them my preferred choice to lend that “stuck in time” essence to the film (also, I just love shooting anamorphics). I wanted the film to feel intimate, personal, and moving all the while, maintaining the childlike intrigue for the audience. 

‘Bring Them Down’

Category: Special Presentations
Format: ARRI Pro Res 4444 XQ
Camera: ALEXA Mini
Lens: Master Anamorphic

Nick Cooke: ‘Bring Them Down’ was a fast-paced shoot that involved running up and down mountains multiple times, filming all the way. Chris’s favorite lens was a 180mm, and the entire film was shot handheld. So, a lightweight camera package was needed. Ireland in January can be cold and wet, and I was familiar with the ALEXA Mini and wanted the reliability of a tried and tested camera body. Personally, I love the Master Anamorphics, especially when shooting close to wide open. They don’t scream “anamorphic,” yet they have a distinct quality, avoiding the flare that most anamorphic lenses would create with headlights, head torches, and small light sources, which would have been too distracting for most of our scenes.

‘Can I Get a Witness’

Category: Special Presentations
Format: ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA 35
Lens: Atlas Orion anamorphic

C. Kim Miles, ASC, CSC, MYSC: There are multiple reasons we chose the ALEXA 35 for the project. I had very early involvement with the camera when it was introduced, and had very much enjoyed using it on a previous movie. The exposure latitude that it offers is unparalleled, and we knew that we could rely on that dynamic range to help mitigate lighting requirements on our limited timeframe and budget. Additionally, the texture files that ARRI offers allowed us to select and bake a nice replication of film grain into the image. The Atlas lenses are favorites of mine, having used them on multiple other projects. The combination of modern resolving power, wide maximum aperture and close minimum focus are paired with beautiful classic anamorphic flare characteristics and falloff really helped drive the narrative of the movie. 

‘Conclave’

Category: Special Presentations
Format: 8K, 7K, 6K, Redcode Raw. aspect ratio 2.40:1
Camera: Red Raptor VV
Lens: Blackwing Tribe7 (T Tuning), Angénieux 19,5-94 Optimo, Angénieux Ultra 12x 36-435 Optimo

Stéphane Fontaine: We tested lots of different lenses and eventually picked the Tribe7 (T Tuning). One of Edward’s favorite lens was the 27mm which we ended up using for our close-ups. Combined to some diffusion filters, they had an interesting level of gentle softness. As for the zoom lenses, we used them for some very specific narrative moments. 

‘The Courageous’

Category: Discovery
Format: 4K ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA 35
Lens: Cooke Panchro/i Classic S35

Andi Widmer: The relationship between human (culture) and nature plays a central role in the film ‘The Courageous’ — not explicitly but implicitly. The place of action is embedded in a wild, lusty nature, which functions as a reminder of human freedom beyond social conventions. The director and I chose an organic look for this setting. The most powerful tools to create this kind of look are texture and color. I experimented a lot with creating textures with digital sensors. The ALEXA 35 was the first camera that allowed me to easily create the suitable texture in camera directly from the sensor data. That’s why I chose this camera and shot the whole movie with the texture G522 Soft Nostalgic.

The main character Jule, a freedom-loving woman and loving mother, acts repeatedly contradictorily and the view of her oscillates between sympathy for her difficult situation and a lack of understanding for her actions. It was important to us not to expose her to rejection. That’s why we opted for a soft, warm image. To create this, I chose the Cooke Panchro Classic lenses. They have a soft sharpness, are pleasantly warm and their bokeh is finely divided and differentiated, making the foliage of the omnipresent trees tangible without playing it into the foreground. The wind, which blows often and strongly in the Lower Valais, where we shot the movie, has played its part in the strong presence of nature. However, this is a happy coincidence for the film and not a deliberate choice.

‘Crocodile Tears’

Category: Centerpiece
Format: 4.5K ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA Mini LF 
Lens: Anamorphic/i FF

Teck Siang Lim: ‘Crocodile Tears’ centers on the relationship between a mother and her teenage son, who live in a forgotten crocodile park, now just a shadow of its former self. The real locations of Jonggol and Cikarang inspired director Tumpal to write the script, making it essential for us to capture the textures and the passage of time these places represent. After careful consideration, we chose the 2.39:1 aspect ratio to best convey the connections between our characters, the crocodiles, and their environment.

Tumpal drew inspiration from Andrew Wyeth’s paintings for texture and from the eerie, atmospheric lighting in the works of Ben McLaughlin and Thijmen van Kooij for the surreal night scenes. This emphasis on texture and atmosphere led us to opt for large-format cinematography to fully utilize the image sensor and capture these details for the big screen. The choice of anamorphic lenses was crucial, and we selected the Cooke 1.8x FF anamorphic lenses for their warm contrast and minimal distortion, which are often issues with most S35mm anamorphic lenses. These lenses allowed us to frame our characters without distortion while providing a pleasant softness at the edges when shooting with a wide aperture. This created the surreal and organic look we envisioned for the film.

Shooting almost wide open during the night scenes further transformed the locations, adding a layer of surrealism. The lack of close focus introduced a sense of space between the camera and our characters, which supported our approach to filmmaking, giving the actors freedom in their blocking.

Given the vast range of Southeast Asian skin tones, it was crucial to accurately represent our actors’ skin tones, reflecting their social background, occupations, and origins in the film. The warm contrast of the Cooke optics beautifully captured the delicate nuances of these varying skin tones.

‘The Cut’

Category: Special Presentations
Format: 16mm and 35mm
Camera: ARRIFLEX 416 and ARRICAM ST/LT
Lens: On 16mm we used Arri Ultra 16 and Arri Master Primes. On 35mm we used Optica Elite S-7 anamorphic lenses and a Cooke 36-200mm anamorphic zoom lens. 

Sean Ellis: The film takes place in the present and the past. 16mm black and white was used to show the boxer’s past while 35mm 4 perf anamorphic was used to show his present plight.

Much of the film takes place in a hotel room in Las Vegas and with only a 25 day shooting schedule, it was important to move fast. The Cooke 18-100 zoom was converted into a 36-200mm anamorphic zoom and sat on the camera 80% of the time. This enabled us to do quick size changes and also zoom within a take to give the shot a sense of movement.

Kodak stocks 7203, 5203, 5213 and 5219 were used and flashed with an ARRI Varicon. Cinelab U.K. provided the dailies and deliverables in 4K.

‘Dead Talents Society’

Category: Midnight Madness
Format: ARRIRAW
Camera: Red V-Raptor, Red Monstro
Lens: ARRI signature 18 21 25 35 47

John Hsu: We wanted to create a softer and rough texture to focus on the main character’s expression and clumsiness; also a lot of wide angle close-ups to emphasize the characters’ loss of reality. 

‘The Deb’

Category: Gala 
Format: Digital ARRIRAW 4K 
Camera: Alexa Mini LF, large sensor camera
Lens: Panavision H Series large format spherical lenses

Ross Emery: We chose the combination of ALEXA LF cameras and Panavision H series lenses for their rather beautiful combination of a sensor with great latitude and color rendition. We wanted our cast to look as good as could be with natural attractive skin tones. The H series lenses are an older lens from Panavision that have a really nice contrast and just enough softness to render really nice images on close ups without looking too vintage. Australian light on exteriors can be very harsh and we didn’t want to make that harder with a too sharp lens.

The ARRI Mini LF was a great camera to choose as we need a lighter weight option with so much movement with the dance routines and general staging which had continuous movement.The dance number were primarily covered with steadicam or trinity with Tim Walsh our operator rehearsing and working very close with the choreographers to incorporate the camera movement with the dances.

Showing the location of rural Australia in a more gentle way to suit what is a very funny, gentle story was well served by these choices, I believe, and want to thank Panavision for supplying and backing the tools we use.

‘Diciannove’

Category: Discovery
Format: 35mm
Camera: ARRICAM LT 3perf
Lens: Suprime prime t 1.5 

Massimiliano Kuveiller: The Supreme Prime T 1.5 lenses were the perfect choice for our film. These lenses allowed us to achieve very sharp and clear images, capturing even the most subtle nuances of emotions in each scene. The large T 1.5 aperture was particularly useful in low-light conditions, helping to create an intimate and evocative atmosphere that reflected the character’s inner world.

The lenses maintained consistent quality in all shots, from close-ups that highlighted the protagonist’s expressions to wider angles that situated the character within the environment, ensuring a uniform and coherent look throughout the film. This made it easier to visually connect the scenes in a natural and fluid way.

Additionally, the Supreme Prime lenses offered natural color rendering and minimized distortion, giving the film a realistic yet elegant appearance. This visual quality enhanced the emotional impact of the story, making it more engaging. The Supreme Prime T 1.5 lenses provided the quality and flexibility needed to effectively tell the story in a visually captivating way.

‘Do I Know You From Somewhere?’

Category: Discovery
Format: 8K Blackmagic RAW
Camera: Blackmagic Design URSA Mini Pro 12K 
Lens: Rokinon Xeen

Lance Kenneth Blakney: In terms of balancing the price point and visual quality, the Blackmagic Design Ursa Mini Pro 12K, combined with various PL Rokinon Xeen prime lenses, ended up being the perfect match to achieve my desired feel for the film. I aimed to create a look that wasn’t rooted in a crisp, modern style.

When telling a story with elements of magic realism, I believe it is important to create a world that supports optical escapism. Combining the lenses with Tiffen Pro-Mist filters (along with a couple of inexpensive glass prisms to help keep our VFX in-camera) allowed the visual language of the film to be clearly established, which subtly guides the audience through the inter-dimensional story unfolding in front of them.

‘Don’t Cry, Butterfly’

Category: Centerpiece
Format: Canon XF-AVC YC422 10bit-410 Mbps
Camera: Canon EOS Cinema C70
Lens: Lomo CKBK Superspeed Modernized T1.3 & Tokia 11-16 T3

Nghia Ngo Minh: For me, to make a good film, it’s really important for everyone in crew to find the best way to work together. And for my role as cinematographer, after shooting many shorts, series, and feature films, I understood what would be a good fit for this shoot. I needed something small but solid, powerful, handy, and, most importantly, something that wouldn’t go over the budget for shooting and post-production. The Canon EOS camera was the right fit, since Linh and I had used the EOS C700 before in our short film ‘Sweet and Salty.’ The C70 is newer and nailed what we needed it to do; I’m really happy that I chose it.

The challenge was that it’s a digital camera so basically when we took it out with a new lens, everything would be sharp and have a “digital” look; that’s not the best for my style. The film’s story takes place everywhere in Vietnam, so I had to adjust this digital camera to bring out all the lively imagery over the course of a 28-day shoot with many tiny locations. We chose a set of Lomo Superspeed CKBK Modernized T1.3. They’re fast, light, and we shot most of the film with the 28mm, which is an unusual focal length for us but it turned out to be a really amazing, light, and powerful combo with the Canon C70. We created our LUT in just a few days based on our previous work with Eugene, our colorist. We had LUTs for each set and locations so we could see how the picture would turn out.

‘Don’t Lets Go To The Dogs Tonight’

Category: Gala
Format: OCN 6k and 8K – full frame 
Camera: Sony Venice 1 and 2
Lens: Blackwing7 – Tribe7 – B variant 

Willie Nel, SASC: Set against the backdrop of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in the late 1970s, this film tells a poignant story through the innocent and revealingly honest eyes of an 8-year-old farm girl. My goal was to craft a visual experience that authentically reflects the time period while capturing the timeless and relatable emotions of the characters. To achieve this, we used the Sony Venice 1 and 2 cameras, known for their exceptional image quality, and paired them with vintage-inspired Blackwing7 – Tribe7 lenses in the B variant, meticulously designed by Neil Fanthom and his team. These lenses added a layer of artistic depth, blending nostalgia with modern cinematic techniques.

Embeth Davidtz, who both directed and starred in the film, was a joy to collaborate with. Our working relationship was both rewarding and deeply rooted in trust. The film’s script inspired cinematic choices that allowed us to create invisible cinematography — subtle yet powerful — ensuring the truthful representation and unfolding of this heartbreaking character drama.

‘Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight’ draws inspiration from the purity of a child’s perspective, juxtaposed with the wisdom of countless lifetimes, crafting a narrative that resonates deeply with audiences across generations.

‘Else’

Category: Midnight Madness
Format: 3,4K ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA Mini
Lens: Zeiss UltraPrime / Revolution CineMagic / 8mm Century Nikon / Babylens / Laowa 24mm

Léo Lefevre: ‘Else’ needed a special look from the first page of the script. After testing various cameras and lenses, we spent a few days in a grading room with our colorist to determine how far we could push the look on set and how much further we could take it during post-production. Ultimately, we felt that the ALEXA Mini offered a much more organic feel compared to the Sony Rialto. Due to their compact size, minimum close-focus distance, and the variety of lenses available in the set, we decided to use the Zeiss Ultraprimes as our go-to lenses for the shoot.

To achieve the ‘Else look,’ I opted to use a strong Fog filter on the lenses and pushed the ISO between 1600 and 2500. Thibault Emin wanted the cinematography to start off colorful and glossy at the beginning of the story, then gradually desaturate into black and white, and finally transition into various monochromatic tones. To help us visualize the cinematographic journey on set, we created five different LUTs.

We also employed a variety of lens systems, including boroscopic, periscopic, and endoscopic setups, utilizing the Revolution CineMagic Lens System combined with mini-PL lenses, our Ultraprimes, and the Laowa 24mm. This allowed us to dive deeper into the macro world of ‘Else.’ For flashback scenes, we used a custom plastic BabyLens system, and for certain scenes, we even shot with an amateur handycam.

Throughout the entire process of preparing and shooting ‘Else,’ my goal was to enhance Thibault Emin’s powerful vision through bold artistic choices and unconventional technical solutions. Working with a skeleton crew, we spent 28 days locked in a studio, and I hope the madness that consumed us during that time will resonate on screen for the audience!

‘Elton John: Never Too Late’

Category: Gala
Format: 4K
Camera: Sony FX6, Sony FX9
Lens: Leica R primes, Angénieux EZ1 & EZ2, Angenieux Optimo 24-290mm 12x Zoom

Jenna Rosher: In capturing intimate verite moments with Elton, I needed a camera set up that was super lean and operator-friendly as I wouldn’t have an AC assisting me. For me, the Sony FX6 is that camera. It has a small profile allowing me to tuck into corners of a room on my monopod rig, as well as shoot in low light scenarios with its impressive 12,800 base ISO capability. The Angenieux EZ1 and EZ2s have become my verite zoom go-tos with their exceptional image quality and creamy, prime-like finish. The Leica R’s gave me those extra stops in more controlled environments with low light. For the concert footage, we shot on Sony FX9’s in Super 35 with the Angenieux Optimo 24-290mm 12x Zoom. This setup gave us the reach we needed in capturing Elton and the band onstage. 

‘Emilia Perez’

Category: Special Presentations
Format: Sony XOCN XT 8k
Camera: Sony Venice 2, ALEXA mini (some scenes in Mexico), RED Komodo (some scenes in Mexico)
Lens: Blackwing Tribe 7 T-Tuned (Main set). Arri Signature Prime 12mm, Angenieux Ultra 12x Angenieux EZ-1 and EZ-2 Arri T2.1 (some scenes)

Paul Guilhaume, AFC: The film is hybrid in the ways it’s built and also in the way it’s shot. So we mixed formats, technologies, lenses (from 12mm to 800mm). 80 percent of the time, we were shooting in a studio, and some scenes required a lot of light. Being able to film at 3200 ISO means needing only half as much light. I knew the Venice sensor and had seen what my colorist, Arthur Paux, was able to do with it. During our grading we mainly focused on creating an organic texture.

For the lenses, we compared anamorphic (on a Super 35 sensor to stay light) and the spherical Blackwings T-Tuned on a large sensor. Those tests showed that anamorphic was too prominent for that project. The Blackwings had a modern yet organic look. We loved their unique blue/yellow fringing and the flares they can produce when needed. I also had a single 47 X-Tuned in the set for more expressivity when necessary.

‘Escape From the 21st Century’

Category: Midnight Madness
Format: 3.4k ARRIRAW, Sony 4k 6:5 X-OCN XT
Camera: Sony Venice, ALEXA Mini
Lens: JDC Cooke Speed Panchro Series 2 & Series 3, Atlas Orion anamorphic lens

Saba Mazloum: ‘Escape from the 21st Century’ is a film centered on time travel between 1999 and 2019. To vividly contrast these two periods, director Li Yang and I selected specific aspect ratios and lens choices to reflect the different atmospheres of each era. For the 1999 segments, we chose a 4:3 aspect ratio since it invokes the nostalgic feel of last century TV shows, combined ALEXA Mini with Cooke Speed Panchro s2s3 lens to achieve a film-like, nostalgic warmer tone quality.

In contrast, the 2019 sections of the film are designed to reflect a grim and oppressive future. Our initial idea was to use a 2.35 ratio with Atlas Orion lens on the Sony Venice 1, where a sharper and cleaner look was needed with the unique bokeh flare characteristics. Its high resolve and excellent low-light performance were particularly valuable for the predominantly night scenes. However, this approach did not achieve the sense of confinement and dread we aimed for. When switching from the 4:3 to the 2.35 ratio, the frame actually appeared wider, which did not effectively convey the claustrophobic atmosphere needed to represent the bleakness of the future.

To address this, Li Yang proposed using a rare 3:1 aspect ratio. This extremely narrow ratio created a more compressed visual space, enhancing the feeling of confinement and discomfort. This choice was crucial because the characters in the film, upon traveling to 2019, encounter a future that is starkly bleak and dystopian. The narrow aspect ratio visually reinforces their sense of entrapment and the oppressive nature of the world they find themselves in.

As a cinematographer it’s quite rare, and a joy, to frame with that narrow aspect ratio. It’s always a blessing to work with directors, who are willing to take huge risks, to bring out the highest potential of the script to the screen.

‘The Exiles’

Category: Centerpiece
Format: ARRIRAW 4.6K Open Gate (1.66:1 Extraction Ratio)
Camera: ALEXA 35
Lens: Leitz Hugo Primes

Diego Cabezas, AEC: I met Belén Funes for the first time while working on a series and that’s when I started to get to know her way of approaching stories. She analyzes and works on the details meticulously but giving all the necessary space so that the interpretation becomes emotion, it’s a delicate balance but very real and natural when achieved. Later, during the prep of ‘Los Tortuga’ (‘The Exiles’), I understood that the cinematography work had to function above all as the support so that this emotion could emerge, so I thought that I needed a camera and lens setup that would allow me to be flexible and fast in different conditions.

On the other hand, and although we couldn’t shoot on celluloid, we wanted the texture of the image to be as organic and raw as possible, so we chose to shoot with the ALEXA 35 and its extended range in highlights, we test the different textures it offers and we decided to apply the Custom Nostalgic texture in camera. We combined this setup with the Leitz Hugo lenses and realized that the image they create is something we have been watching for years in modern photojournalism with the Leica M series lenses, so we got an image that feels familiar and close to us but at the same time is very strong, without sweetening or stylizing, an image with a powerful character but completely natural. This worked to elevate the story to the tone we wanted to achieve, a story of a mother and daughter who have lost a loved one and along the way they search for each other, each in their own way.

‘Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara’

Category: Centerpiece
Format: 4.3k 16:9UHD | PRORES 4444
Camera: ALEXA Mini LF 
Lens: Tribe7 Blackwing7 ‘T’ tuning, Angenieux EZ Zooms,

Ava Benjamin Shorr: ‘Fanatical’ is a story told in the faces of Tegan and Sara, their management, and the vast web of fans and catfishing victims. Director Erin Lee Carr told me we were documenting a troubling yet delicate story and she expressed a desire to feel that tension by having images that felt dramatic but also compassionate. As the cinematographer, I sought tools to express those things. I wanted the images to feel somber, to mirror the feelings of the subjects who’d be airing their deep emotional wounds on camera.

I chose the ALEXA Mini LF because I was after an image with a slightly lifted black level and more in-camera grain to create an inherent texture in the image. I’m particularly fond of the placement of the stops in the exposure curve for this camera, over say a newer camera like the ALEXA 35. To me, the perceptual texture conveys timelessness and relatability.

In regards to lenses, I had shot with the Blackwing 7’s several times before, and I knew the T tuning was the right fit for us. Their softer contrast helped create that airier atmosphere I was after. I’ve also noticed the set adds perhaps the faintest brown/green in the shadows, which reminds me of the colored shadows of paintings. No matter how dark we went with the images, I always wanted some amount of detail, texture, or color present.

‘The Fire Inside’

Category: Special Presentations
Format: Venice 6K
Camera: Sony Venice 
Lens: Panavision Custom Panaspeeds

Rina Yang, BSC: When it initially went into production right before the pandemic, the film was to be shot on the ALEXA, but when it restarted after a two-year hiatus and I came onboard, I decided to switch to the Venice — since we had a lot of house interior scenes, I wanted to use a bigger sensor, and also the ability to go small with the Venice Rialto for the boxing matches were a plus. I customized the Panavision Panapeeds further to emphasize the warmth and rainbow flares, as well as the softer highlights/increase in spherical abbreviations — rather than sharp and ‘perfect’ modern lenses, I wanted the lenses to be unique and resilient, just like our main character, Claressa Shields.

‘Friendship’

Category: Midnight Madness
Format: ARRIRAW 3.4k
Camera: ALEXA Mini
Lens: Angenieux Optimo 24-290 & 28-76, some Zeiss Master Primes

Andy Rydzewski: This is a movie about the messiness of life and Andy DeYoung, the director, encouraged me to create dirty, non-digital feeling images to support that. This was music to my ears, as I find clean digital imaging to feel plastic, artificial & often soulless.

Despite its age, I believe the original ALEXA Mini is the best looking digital camera out there. The way the sensor “breaks“ and the way it renders motion are beautiful. It frustrates me that it’s not allowed on many of the streamers because of arbitrary 4k requirements. They are handcuffing themselves by not allowing this camera to shoot their originals. We shot the entire movie at 2000 ISO to push the sensor and bake in noise. We also wore a Soft FX1 filter throughout, along with occasional additions of very light Glimmer Glass.

I originally planned to shoot most of the film on Master Primes, but we only used those for certain, specially chosen scenes. Andy and I both fell in love with the long end of the Optimo 24-290 and it became our hero lens. We were doing some form of zooming in virtually every scene- almost every shot. It was exciting to be shooting a comedy with visual grit, constant zooms and living in the 100, 200, almost 300mm range.

‘Front Row’

Category: Centerpiece
Format: 2.8K 2.39 ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA Mini
Lens: Cooke Panchro/i Classic 18,25,32,50,75,135mm

Mohamed Tayeb Laggoune: I chose this camera because it offers a very large dynamic range; when working with director Merzak Allouache, we shoot quickly and don’t have a lot of time to light. I also like this camera’s rendering, which feels very film-like. The ARRIRAW allows for flexibility in post-production, and of course, the robustness of the ALEXA reassures me, given the weather conditions. Merzak wanted saturated images, a warmth that attests to the beautiful climate we have in Algeria. But he did not want a postcard effect, which would’ve been cliché. So to avoid that, I lit all the exteriors only using natural light, reflectors, and cutters. I am quite happy with the result, despite having to deal with unpredictable weather and a short four-week shoot. We had a small, very motivated team that made the difference.

‘The Girl With the Needle’

Category: Special Presentations 
Format: 4.5K Open Gate ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA Mini LF 
Lenses: Leitz HUGO

Michał Dymek: We chose the ALEXA Mini LF because its visuals best suited our approach in which we wanted to pull the viewer into a film with the feeling of a scary fairytale. It was visually inspired by an old photograph from the early 20th century and documentary photos related to the story of one of our main characters.

We chose the 3:2 format, also known as 1:50 — which is a format taken/borrowed from still photography. To shoot in this aspect ratio, we chose the most extensive mode in ALEXA, i.e. open gate — guaranteeing the maximum resolution of our image. During preparations, we also considered other formats, but 3:2 turned out to be the best. It helped us to show more of the architecture in the frame, which is meant to be overwhelming in our film. Through vertical framing, I wanted to create an all-encompassing feeling that alluded to our protagonist’s emotional state. I am a fan of using the character of Large Format cameras, which provide standard optics with additional space and air in the frame in close-ups.

Another strong statement was the decision to use black and white; during the first reading of the script, I didn’t see a single second of the color film in my head. Black and white was in the DNA of this story. Usually, black and white builds the viewer’s distance from the film being watched. It creates an image of an inaccessible world from a bygone time that no longer exists. We wanted to change this feature of black and white and work in such a way that the world presented in this film was as sensual and perceptible as possible on the screen. Black and white helps you easily travel back in time when making a historical film.

All formal assumptions were very important to us, however the most important thing for me and Magnus, when working together, is to remain honest to the emotions embedded in the script. The form, lighting, and camera work were subordinated to the emotional path of our main character.

‘Gülizar’

Category: Discovery
Format: 4K 17/9 X-OCN ST
Camera: Sony Venice
Lens: ARRI Master Primes, Cooke 25-250mm MK3 Zoom Lens

Kürşat Üresin: ‘Gülizar’ is the third film that me and Belkıs have worked on together. As we did in her previous films, we had long discussions about the visual form that we would create.

Our principal decision was to follow Gülizar’s emotion throughout the film. We decided on the Sony Venice for its colors, single stop NDs and dual ISOs; it’s a fast and easy-to-work-with camera, very sensitive. The Master Primes at a T1.3 open helped me make this decision. I thought modern lenses with a grainy film stock would strike a good visual balance and give me the most flexibility on set. The last touch was a Tiffen Black Pro-Mist 1/8 filter to have a little more character, and low contrast, for a rear special flare and add a bit of timeless feel. Sometimes I used a Cooke 25-250 zoom lens for zoom-in scenes.

‘Happy Holidays’

Category: Centerpiece 
Format: 3.2K ProRes 422HQ and RAW
Camera: ALEXA Mini 
Lens: Angenieux EZ1 Zoom Lens

Tim Kuhn: Scandar Coptis’ unique approach to filmmaking had a big impact on how “Happy Holidays” was shot. Before shooting, he went through a long process with non-actors where he helped them fully embody their roles, making them feel like the characters were extensions of their personalities. It was mandatory to keep an authentic feel to the world we created. We avoided anything that might make it seem like a film set. We didn’t use traditional film lights or even a boom microphone and worked with a very small crew.

The movie was filmed chronologically, using two handheld cameras that closely followed the characters. We captured moments as they naturally happened. A dinner scene was filmed during an actual dinner, which could take up to four hours. This method made each take unique and impossible to recreate. The cast reacted spontaneously to events without knowing the script or plot details. Their reactions guided us through the scenes.

Since we had to rely on our instincts and film for long hours nonstop, we needed a setup that was easy to operate, reliable, and lightweight. At the same time, we wanted the film to look cinematic, with pleasing skin tones and a muted color palette. So we had to get as many information to postproduction as possible. It was also important to be able to film long takes and change the focal length easily.

After a lot of testing, we chose the ALEXA Mini and the lightweight, fast Angenieux EZ Zoom lens. The Mini’s small size and dynamic range gave us the flexibility to handle scenes that were always changing due to performance, lighting, and contrast. This setup, along with light fixtures hidden in the location, gave us the flexibility we needed in postproduction. We aimed for the look of 35mm film, focusing on the complexity of the characters’ skin tones to reflect their emotions and state of mind. This level of detail wouldn’t have been possible without the ALEXA.

I loved embracing this adventure, finding ways to keep the film authentic, almost like real life for the cast, and still resulting in a cinematic experience. It was challenging but incredibly rewarding.

‘Harvest’

Category: Special Presentations 
Format: Super 16mm Kodak 200T
Camera: ARRIFLEX 416
Lens: ARR-Optex 4mm, -ARRI/Zeiss Ultra 16 Primes 9.5mm to 18mm, -ARRI/Zeiss Ultra Prime 20mm to 85mm, -Canon 7-63mm Zoom S16 -Canon 11-165mm S16 Zoom S16 

Sean Price Williams: The film takes place some centuries ago. I couldn’t really see the period as electric and digital. Plus, the Scottish land and sky calls for film, and I wanted the darkness of night to really go dark.

‘K-Pops’

Category: Special Presentations
Format: 2×1 ratio 6K
Camera: Sony Venice 1
Lens: Large format panavision lens

Edward J. Pei, ASC: The 2×1 ratio gave us the most screen space for dance scenes. The goal of the photography in this film is to make it upbeat and fun to watch. 

‘The Last Showgirl’

Category: Special Presentations
Format: 16mm Film
Camera: ARRI 416
Lens: 16mm bespoke Auto Panatars

Autumn Durald Arkapaw, ASC: For ‘The Last Showgirl,’ we really wanted to shoot 16mm film but I couldn’t find a set of 16mm lenses that I liked. After speaking to my team at Panavision, Dan Sasaki and Mike Carter, we decided to create a new set of 16mm anamorphic 1.4 squeeze lenses. I’ve worked with Dan on my last four films and he’s amazing at modifying them for my taste and love for vintage anamorphics. Gia and I appreciate a softer more textual image so it was important that we used lenses that were dreamy and had their own unique character. The combination of these lenses and the 16mm film stock allowed us to tell our story in a very distinctive way. It added a pronounced emotional quality to the image and accentuated the beauty of our evocative characters. It was also important for us to follow our characters with a handheld camera and always capture the emotion in their eyes.

‘The Legend of the Vagabond Queens’

Category: Centerpiece
Format: 5.9K XF-AVC, Canon Log2
Camera: Canon C500, Canon C70, Panasonic GH5
Lens: Canon Cine Primes

Leo Purman: We needed to find a balance between the best looking camera we could get for our budget, while also having something that could work in the remote areas we were shooting with a long battery life and economic record times. The Canon C500 Mark II also gave us a wide dynamic range, which was essential as we shot almost exclusively with natural or existing light sources. Finally, the camera and lens combo was fairly compact. Shooting entirely on location, the small build of the camera allowed us to get the lens in places necessary for the narrative, and provided flexibility to pivot shots when spur of the moment changes occurred on set. The film’s script was written as a collaboration of real stories and true events that our collective experienced. We wanted a camera and lens pair that could support this collective voice, and minimize the gap between the communities of Lagos and the viewers seeing it on screen. 

‘The Life of Chuck’

Category: Centerpiece
Format: ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA 35
Lens: ARRI Alpha Anamorphic, ARRI Signature Primes

Eben Bolter ASC, BSC: Because of its unique structure, ‘The Life of Chuck’ gave us an opportunity to experiment with the visual language of storytelling. Through the three defined acts, told in reverse order, figuring out how best to represent memory and imagination on camera became our priority. The movie begins at the end with ‘Act Three,’ a story within a story representing the culmination of Chuck’s life. We used a wide-screen 2.39:1 aspect ratio on expressive Alpha anamorphic prime lenses in combination with a cinematic, desaturated palette, to visually lend a grand backdrop against a couple quietly reconnecting during the apocalypse.

For ‘Act Two’ we wanted to visually celebrate the joy of living, so we contracted our aspect ratio to 2:1, and chose a colour palette influenced by 1950s technicolor musicals. ‘Act One’ tells the story of Chuck’s younger life so we further contracted the aspect ratio, to 1.85:1, and shifted to Signature Prime spherical lenses, using wider focal lengths in closer proximity to Chuck, so as to experience the world from his perspective. We leaned into a nostalgic ’90s palette for ‘Act One,’ and used ARRI’s impression optical filters to add varying degrees of distortion to the edge of our frames.

‘Linda’

Category: Discovery
Format: 4.6K ARRIRAW 
Camera: ALEXA 35
Lens: Zeiss Super Speeds 

Marcos Hastrup: ‘Linda’ is about a girl who temporarily goes to work in a high-class home as a house cleaner, replacing her friend who had an accident a few days earlier. In prep conversations with the director Mariana Wainstein, we felt that it would be interesting to shoot the film entirely handheld, in order to blend this sort of rigid household and family that she would be entering all of a sudden with her more careless attitude. We also liked the idea of the camera following the characters loosely but choreographed, in tighter shots rather than letting the action unfold in wider shots, to discover the scene and surroundings as it unfolds. Whenever possible, we would try and let the scene play out for as long as possible in one shot, to achieve this natural realism we were after.

Most of the movie takes place in this household, with big windows all around. We decided it would be good to go with the extra latitude of the ALEXA 35, knowing that we would sometimes be shooting in high contrast moments of the day, shooting interiors where we also interact with the exterior, and not being able to control these massive windows. As always, we were on a very tight schedule, so it was crucial to adapt as much as possible to the natural light, which is my preference always, but of course this meant we had to run!

‘Little Jaffna’

Category: Centerpiece
Format: 2.8K ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA Mini 
Lens: Atlas Orion Anamorphic Primes

Maxence Lemonnier: Working in anamorphic quickly became necessary to encompass the many characters that make up the ‘Tamil gangs’ who accompany the main character throughout the narration. Initially isolated and distant, Michael soon finds himself surrounded and connected, through the image, framing, and depth of field, to this new Tamil community he is discovering.

I wanted a damaged image, with chromatic and geometric aberrations, with a single goal: to derealize the image. The choice of costumes and sets, even though we shot in real Parisian neighborhoods, aimed to move away from realism and at times brush up against the boundary of the dreamlike.

The choice of Atlas Orion Anamorphic Primes, combined with the softness of the ALEXA Mini, allowed me to achieve this result. The aberrations of the lenses vary greatly depending on the aperture used, which helps create a more chaotic and less uniform image. The work done in color grading, with the addition of halation and grain, helped finalize this aesthetic approach.

‘The Luckiest Man In America’

Category: Special Presentations
Format: 4.6K ProRess 444XQ
Camera: ALEXA 35
Lens: Carl Zeiss Super Speed

Pablo Lozano: For ‘The Luckiest Man in America,’ we aimed for a “classic look” that would immerse the audience in a nostalgic, timeless atmosphere. We chose the ALEXA 35 and Carl Zeiss Super Speeds because they allowed us to capture the rich textures and soft focus reminiscent of classic cinema. This combination helped us achieve the right look we needed to evoke the period and enhance the film’s emotional depth.

‘Matt and Mara’

Category: Centerpiece
Format: 6K REDCODE HQ
Camera: RED Komodo
Lens: Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM

Nikolay Michaylov: The Komodo was the perfect camera for this film because of its incredibly small form factor. All of Kaz’s [Kazik Radwanski] previous work has been predominantly handheld and performances are improvised. Oftentimes, I was shooting 30-plus minute takes, and so keeping the camera as light as possible was integral to our shooting process. Camera movement is also mostly improvised and so I am often shooting in 360-degree scenarios. It was important to allow our leads, Deragh Campbell and Matt Johnson, free rein in any space so that they could give their best performances. There were certain lighting compromises that were necessary to preserve these performances and so in those instances where I couldn’t modify the existing light I was very impressed with the Komodo’s ability to maintain a usable image.

Our nimble production model made us rely almost entirely on using our own equipment. We’ve shot all of our previous films with L-Series lenses and it’s a tradition we opted to continue with for this film because of Kaz’s preference for sharpness and resolution.

‘Measures for a Funeral’

Category: Centerpiece
Format: 4K Prores 4444 XQ
Camera: ALEXA 35, RED Komodo, RED Monstro
Lens: Cooke Speed Panchro S2

Nikolay Michaylov: ‘Measures For a Funeral’ is the final chapter in the Audrey Benac journey. The only aspect ratio Sofia [Sofia Bohdanowicz] hadn’t experimented with so far was 2.39:1. After some extensive testing, we decided not to shoot with anamorphic lenses due an array of limitations it would have on our relatively modest production. We opted for Cooke Speed Panchro S2s (TLS rehoused) because these lenses still had interesting fringing on the edge of the frame and swirly bokeh that Sofia and I both loved. The Panchros offered a perfect combination of character and fidelity that the other lenses we tested couldn’t produce while paired with a digital sensor. This was important for us because the focus of this film is Audrey, who is often framed in the center, but the world around her seems to be in complete chaos. These lenses really brought out this feeling.

Shooting on the ALEXA 35 was a dream camera because of our aforementioned limitations. We were a small crew that was traveling between two continents and 3 countries and often in locations where control of lighting was not possible or limited. This camera’s dynamic range is unmatched and it allowed us to make some unorthodox decisions while shooting on location.

There is one steadicam sequence in the film that starts outside of a historical home of where the legendary violinist Kathleen Parlow lived. The camera starts on a conversation between three characters outside of her home and tracks into a dark and derelict interior. The exposure difference between the interior and exterior was something like 4.5 stops. I’m not a huge fan of iris pulls and so (with blessing from my colorist Mathieu Marano) I opted to overexpose a large chunk of this sequence (with dialogue) and ramp the exposure in our color grade. The final shot is seamless. Even while shooting with a Prores codec, there is no noticeable deterioration in color quality with the adjusted exposure and I was able to maintain my preferred depth of field for this shot!

‘Misericordia’

Category: Centerpiece
Format: Red 8K
Camera: Red Raptor
Lens: Zeiss Supreme 

Claire Mathon: We did tests and we liked the softness of the image combined with the precision and the definition. I liked the richness of the colors of the autumn in our forest as the warm incarnations of the actors in interiors. I shot the night scenes around iso 3200 to be able to shot at the very end of the dusk and to mix it sometimes with the torchlight. For the daylight scenes in the forest, I used the lens rather closed to enhance details and depth in the image. I tried to give a high presence of nature during both night and day. I liked the texture and the roundness. 

‘The Mother and the Bear’

Category: Centerpiece
Format: ARRIRAW 3424×2202 resolution (3,4K) Aspect ratio was 1.78 (16×9)
Camera: ALEXA Mini 
Lens: Cook S4 uncoated

Inti Briones: The light in Winnipeg is usually clear — I would like to say transparent. Although there is a lot of snow, the sun peeks out frequently, and the city is quite welcoming. For Johnny [Ma], the story needed something colder and more opaque; therefore, the image could not be so radiant. Sara arrives in an unknown place, and the story must look for that subjective feeling of our protagonist, who arrives in a hostile, strange context. We must ask ourselves the same question she does: “What place is this that my daughter has chosen to live in?”

The Cook S4 uncoated lenses combined very well with the smoothness and excellent response in the range of colors and grays of the ALEXA Mini camera. Subtly, that place should also allow us to intuit that this look, with fear and ignorance, doesn’t let her see a city that can offer interesting surprises.

For our story, the snow and the cold needed to be a state of mind, and the spaces had to contrast, in many cases, with the emotions of our characters. Later, in the adventure of a very practical mother, the space began to transform into a dissonance regarding the subjectivity with which she arrived. Surprise! The cold and the snow can finally be a good context for the love of a mother, couple, and community. Now, the softness and response of color and grays in our camera and optics bring a sweet and warm touch that subtly shows that something has changed in our way of seeing things.

‘My Father’s Daughter’

Category: Discovery
Format: ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA LF (main) / ALEXA 35
Lens: Canon K35

Anna Myking: ‘My Father’s Daughter’ is a film that blends quirky humor with realism and drama. We decided on a look that both feels a little old and a little new, both comedy and drama.The Canons K35 lenses bring an appealing softness and nostalgic feel that we believe enhances the movie’s theme. A lot of the tension and humor in the movie arises from the clashes between the present and the past. The lenses beautifully evoke a connection to bygone eras. We opted for the ARRI LF paired with K35 lenses to maximize the advantages of a full-frame setup, offering a wider image with a shallower depth of field. Providing us with selectivity while creating additional room for combining more action within a single shot. We added an ALEXA 35 camera, primarily to sit on the gimbal as a b-camera on the move, but also enabling us to shoot directly towards the midnight sun.

‘My Sunshine’

Category: Centerpiece
Format: ARRIRAW 3.4K Open Gate, 3.2k ProRes 4444, BlackmagicRAW Ultra HD
Camera: ALEXA Mini, AMIRA, BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K
Lenses: ARRI Ultra Prime

Hiroshi Okuyama: “My Sunshine” is a skating film set in a snowy countryside. Since this project began with limited funding, there should have been only few options to choose a camera, but before shooting, I decided to submit this project to the Asian Project Market held at the Busan International Film Festival and won the ARRI Award, so they provided me with the opportunity to film this using an ARRI camera, which I was already familiar with. The ARRI camera was extremely stable, both in the snow and on ice, and there was never a moment when I felt uneasy. The wide latitude of the camera allowed me to control the grading of snowy landscapes, which are prone to white-outs.

Drawing my childhood experience of learning figure skating for 7 years made it possible to shoot the skating scene by bringing the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera with Ronin to the ice rink while I skated so that it was possible to capture characters with a documentary-like flexibility and dynamism. As both a director and a cinematographer, the ARRI camera and the Blackmagic camera have always been reliable partners for me; they give me the mobility I need to shoot the images I envision.

‘Nightbitch’

Category: Special Presentations
Format: 4.5K ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA Mini LF 
Lens: Panavision T-Series Anamorphic, ATZ2 75-210MM Zoom, ATW2 37-85MM Zoom

Brandon Trost: This film was a very unique tonal challenge. Is it a family drama? Body horror? Comedy? The truth is that ‘Nightbitch’ is all of these and Mari [director Marielle Heller] and I poured over the correct approach. Firstly, we knew that we wanted to shoot anamorphic for the cinematic quality and general feeling. There was a need for flexibility to allow for some moments of fantastical storytelling and vignettes that we wanted to approach optically, but our primary focus was to lean into the harsh realities of motherhood, warts and all.

We tested a few different lens sets at Panavision and found that some of the older and more vintage lenses were too soft feeling for this. We learned that we wanted to really punch the image with detail and lean into a realistic optical look without any sort of softened veil. Mari and I go through this process for each film we’ve done. There is always a lens choice made for what ‘feels’ correct for character and story and it’s a fun instinctual process that breathes. Ultimately, we found that the Panavision T-Series lenses gave us the sharpness we wanted, the flexibility we required, and the scope that we were after.

‘Nutcrackers’

Category: Gala
Format: 35mm
Camera: ARRICAM LT and ARRICAM ST
Lens: Leica Summicron Prime.

Michael Simmonds: Filming ‘Nutcrackers’ was about redefining simplicity. We used a major motion picture film camera and a tripod, no cranes or dollies. We wanted to have fun shooting this film and not just execute a preconceived plan.

‘Oh, Canada’

Category: Gala
Format: 4.6K ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA 35, ALEXA Mini LF Monochrome
Lens: TLS Wonderspeeds, Arri Rental ALFA Anamorphics

Andrew Wonder: For me, cinema comes from the dirt, the air, and the sea. When we stop capturing images of images and start capturing images of the world, we open ourselves to creating new cinema. When I read the script for ‘Oh Canada,’ I saw more of my mentor than I had in any of his other films. My goal was to bring a sensitivity to his filmmaking, to reveal the gentler side of his filmmaking.

From our first makeup test, I saw a willingness in Richard Gere to be vulnerable. When he asked how I was going to light it, I told him that I would let the light flow from light to shadow in every frame, giving him the freedom to decide how much of himself he wanted to reveal. My gaffer, John Raugalis, always says we should bring the light the scene needs, and this film was an exercise in honoring that—letting natural light and the actors’ performances guide us. You can’t capture life without capturing skin, and that’s why I choose ARRI. They make tools with intention, capable of being pushed with filtration and exposure like no one else. I trust them to reveal the world in the way I see it.

The scene I’m most proud of is Richard’s death. I would pace the parking lot every night, thinking about how to push our filmmaking, and when it came to that scene, I knew it had to be special. I wanted to capture his performance as naturally as possible — like the way he was discovered — in the magic of sunset. It was a true collaboration with the whole team and I’m so proud of the result because it felt as real as Richard’s performance.

‘On Becoming a Guinea Fowl’

Category: Special Presentations 
Format: 3.4K Open gate mode
Camera: ALEXA Mini
Lenses: Panavision P-Vintage 

David Gallego: In this second collaboration with director Rungano Nyoni, our approach to the visuals started from the search for an emotional state experienced by the main character and is affected by the discovery of a childhood trauma that has been silenced by cultural canons. According to this premise, darkness was the central axis of the narrative decisions that we made — from the darkness itself, everything that has not been possible to decode as a society and where silence has taken over fear.

For this reason, we needed to have a Hi Speed ​​Vintage optic from Panavision, which has an appropriate character and texture to allow us to see those characteristics of the same optic in the dark and give relevance to the blacks, since the practical lights were going to become unique lighting sources in certain spaces. The combination with ALEXA mini allowed us to record the skins at these low light levels.

‘On Falling’

Category: Discovery
Format: 4.6K 3:2 Open Gate: 4608 x 3164 Prores
Camera: ALEXA 35 & Red Komodo
Lens: Vantage One Spherical Primes

Karl Kürten: The visual aim of ‘On Falling’ is to combine authenticity with aesthetics. We knew that we wanted to tell the story as freely as possible using a documentary approach from the perspective of our main character Aurora. A small camera with a super fast lens (T1.0) was our first choice. This setup helped us to find new perspectives in small spaces and gave us the option to be close with the actors. We mainly used one lens (32mm) to maintain a consistent perspective through Aurora’s eyes.

‘On Swift Horses’

Category: Special Presentations
Format: 8K Large Format RED R3D 
Camera: RED Raptor XL
Lens: two sets of detuned Panavision Panaspeeds 

Luc Montpellie: So much is unsaid in ‘On Swift Horses.’ The film takes place in the ’50s, way before society knew how to speak about sexual fluidity. Although it was necessary to re-create this time in history to set the scene culturally, it was important that the images were never romanticized to the point of emotional disconnection.

I was inspired by a lot of documentary photography from the that decade. The immediacy to many of the images I came across became a touchstone for the film. I wanted the audience to feel they were experiencing the character’s lives in real time, which meant creating a window that felt old, yet relevant to present day. I chose to accentuate this collision of ideas by shooting the film on a Large Format Digital Sensor, using vintage lenses. The sensor provided true to life color reproduction while the vintage lenses took the edge off the sharpness and introduced chromatic aberrations that helped create a sense of randomness to the light. It was my hope that finding honesty in the photography would enable us to move freely between intimate and poetic moments in the film.

‘The Paradise of Thorns’

Category: Discovery
Format: ARRI 4444 
Camera: ALEXA 35
Lens: Orion Atlas Anamorphic 

Tang Tawanwad Wanavit: In ‘The Paradise of Thorns,’ we try to create a visual language that is simple but mysterious. This was done mostly with the contrast of colors. The rural areas of Thailand usually only have access to certain types of colors, and these colors are the bright factory colors, it contradict well with the colors of nature, creating a confusing but focused color sets for the audiences — which was something I enjoyed shooting. There was a lot of room for improvisation for the characters due to the high dynamic range. Many of the scenes were special because the actress and the actors had that freedom to travel where they feel like despite the harsh lighting condition of Thailand’s bright noon sun.

The ALEXA 35 was the perfect camera for the job. We needed that extra dynamic range for the beautiful landscape of Thailand’s bright ambiance. There were many scenes where we shot in a dark indoor space and the camera captured the bright outdoor scenery; after all, the Durian farm is as important as the characters. Also, simple cinematography was the plan from the beginning. The things we looked for are simple panning and tilting to reveal the story with almost everything in focus. We tried to avoid shallow depth of field and it works great with the anamorphic characteristics.

We tried to make the image look as if there were no cinema lighting, so we motivated the lighting from practicals most of the time. The problem we faced most of the time was low light, but the camera was amazing in low light conditions due to the dual ISO operation system, so it was brilliant to work with.

‘The Party’s Over’

Category: Discovery
Format: 2.8K ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA Mini 
Lens: Elite 100, 75, 40, 25 Cooke 50 

Joachim Phillipe: We wanted to have the feeling of a classical film to provide a visual contrast to the ‘unconventional’ mind of the main character. Elite lenses are great to add character to the footage and to make it a little less perfect, to counteract the sharpness of high-resolution digital cameras. The images they produce feel soft but sharp at the same time. We did not have many elements we had to cover in this story: Just three characters, a house, and a beautiful garden. We needed to see the looks of the characters, their eyes, their expressions in focus, while making them feel enveloped and trapped by an exuberant garden. These lenses provide a beautiful background blur that brings the story into a quasi-fairy-tail-ish universe and enhances the mix of harsh reality and delusion described in the script.

‘Paying For It’

Category: Platform
Format: Digital, ARRI ProRes XQ 4.3K
Camera: ALEXA Mini LF 
Lens: Tribe7 T-Tuned

Gayle Ye: Our film had the task of translating a graphic novel set in the ’90s in real tight locations. We chose the ALEXA Mini LF for its incredible color science, nimble ergonomics, and large format field of view. We paired the Tribe7 lenses with our camera, as they gave us the perfect amount of character and a subtle vintage look — we didn’t want our period piece to feel too heavy handed.

‘Pedro Páramo’

Category: Platform
Format: ARRIRAW 4.6K Spherical
Camera: ALEXA 35 
Lens: Panavision VA Primes

Nico Aguilar, AMC and Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, AMC: We sought a visually naturalistic environment within a narrative that presents decidedly surreal elements. However, just as the novel does not highlight the strange and supernatural moments, we wanted the lenses, lighting, and camera language to witness these events as if they were part of the ‘normal’ world. In the story, time is presented non-linearly, with the past and present appearing to coexist. Instead of relying on strong visual cues to separate time periods, we used LUTs (color grading) to subtly differentiate them while keeping the camera and optics consistent.

While scouting, we decided on a 2:1 aspect ratio because it provided a balanced view of Mexico’s horizontal landscapes, its architecture, and the towns we were shooting in. This aspect ratio also preserved enough vertical space to make room for the characters’ spiritual lives above them.

Through extensive camera tests we were able to understand how each tool impacted the story. Finding a balance between texture and technical versatility was crucial. Optically, we aimed to avoid anything too sharp or overly stylized, as extremes could distance the audience from the film. We also needed a camera capable of handling the extreme lighting conditions we created, often using period-appropriate lighting sources, like single candle lights, window light or harsh sunlight.

Our goal was always to present the truest form of the novel’s story and the time period, fully immersing the audience in Rulfo’s worldview through our own imagination.

‘The Penguin Lessons’

Category: Gala
Format: ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA 35
Lens: Zeiss Master Prime 

Xavi Giménez: It is very simple and subtle cinematography. Of course, there’s a lot of emotional light work but we were trying to hide de presence of a director of photography behind the camera. The focus was naturalism and emotion.

The frame ratio: Our first idea was to shoot the movie in 1:2.35. We wanted to show, in magical way, the big Argentinian landscapes but the difference in between the penguin and the actor made us decide to shoot the movie in 1:1.85. From the very beginning, we realized how beautiful this frame ratio worked for the movie, and also helped it to feel like a European movie.

‘The Quiet Ones’

Category: Discovery
Format: 4K ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA 35, Sony A7s
Lens: Cooke s7 primes, K35 25-120mm zoom

Adam Wallensten: Frederik and I wanted ‘The Quiet Ones’ to have a realistic and gritty tone but still be colorful and playful in how we choose to tell the story with the camera. We like to work with contrasts and juxtaposition in our storytelling. Very bright scenes up against very dark ones. Chaotic handheld in between slow scenes with a fixed camera.

In terms of equipment I choose to shoot on ALEXA 35. It was my first time using the camera and although it being a bit larger and heavier than the ALEXA Mini which I normally use, I was super pleased with the choice. The dynamic range is excellent and it really helped out in some of the night scenes shot on location where we had to film large areas without having the possibility to light everything. It also produces the most beautiful dailies I have seen. We sometimes also used a Sony A7 still camera for mounted car shots.

We switched between using Cooke s4 prime lenses and a K35 zoom lens. I love a slow zoom and together with a dolly or slider it gives me so many interesting ways to stage a scene. The main character in the film is not very talkative and I feel that a zoom can help to translate a characters emotions. Several scenes in the film is held in one shot without cuts just because the combination of zoom and camera movement can keep creating new compositions within the shot.

Initially we had planned on doing a DFD-transfer to 16mm (digital to film) in post which we have done to great success on another project. But after doing some testing we decided that we preferred sticking to the digital file. We simply lost too much definition, especially in the wide shots and together with colorist Hannibal Lang we could instead create and control the perfect final image.

‘Quisling: The Final Days’

Category: Special Presentations
Format: 4K ARRiRAW
Camera: ALEXA 35
Lens: Zeiss super speed

Jonas Alarik: We were looking for a unique and a bit elevated look for the film to express the mind and situation of the time and characters in the film. A look for the man whose name became the expression for traitors of the world. The ALEXA 35 has an extraordinary capacity to handle light in a natural and generous way. It’s a great tool to start with no matter where you are heading. Zeiss super speed lenses I always liked. They had the right balance and speed that I was looking for in this feature.

‘Really Happy Someday’

Category: Discovery 
Format: ARRIRAW, 4K UHD 3840×2160
Camera: AMIRA 
Lens: We used the Sigma Art series lenses. 18-35mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm

J Stevens: It was important for me for the film to feel very naturalistic and voyeuristic at times. Our inspirations were ‘Ratcatcher,’ ‘Sound of Metal,’ and ‘Beach Rats.’ The entire movie was handheld and I pulled my own focus so for me the form factor of the camera was incredibly important and I seem to be the odd person out but I love how the AMIRA feels on my shoulder. The Sigma Art Primes are photography lenses but since I was pulling my own focus it wasn’t a problem. I love how shallow the depth of field is and how close you can get with each of them as this was a very intimate film. We shot in small shooting blocks over the course of a year so it was also important to have lenses that were always available! And since these were my personal lenses we knew we’d have them every block.

The cinematography was a huge piece of our storytelling, we wanted to get the technical out of the way as much as possible to allow our actors freedom and we wanted to juxtapose long wide shots where as an audience member you’re just an observer with extreme closeups that put viewers in our lead characters head space. I then got to work with AJ McLauchlin at REDLAB for color and he understood the look we were going for instantly and elevated what we captured without imposing anything onto the footage. I feel very proud of what we pulled off with this film.

‘Relay’

Category: Special Presentations
Format: 4.6K ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA 35 
Lens: Anamorphic Master Primes

Giles Nuttgens: As good as any other.

‘Rez Ball’

Category: Special Presentations
Format: 4.6k ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA 35
Lens: C-Series Anamorphic, Panafocal Zoom, VA Spherical Zooms

Kira Kelly, ASC: The decision to shoot anamorphic was made early on in prep. Sydney [Freeland], our director, loved the horizontal frame for the landscape of the Rez so we could shoot an endless horizon that could, at times, communicate a feeling of hopelessness and, at other times, create a feeling that anything was possible for our characters.

The C-series were my first choice of lenses for Rez Ball. You really can’t beat the texture and the flares of the C’s. There’s a softness, a creaminess, that’s created where I didn’t need to depend on filtration at all. Those paired with the Alexa 35 was a dream package for me.

Since so much of the film takes place on basketball courts I knew I would need other zooms besides the gorgeous Panafocal zoom and the 10:1, which are both anamorphic, on the 3 and 4 camera game days. To free up the camera movement for the games we worked with more light weight spherical VA zooms from Panavision with anamorphic flare attachments built by Dan Sasaki.

The hope was that the kinetic, fast pace camera work of our basketball set pieces would flow seamlessly into our more lyrical, contemplative world of the court.

‘Riff Raff’

Category: Special Presentations
Format: 8.2k / X-CONT ST / 17:9 / 1-2:39 aspect ratio
Camera: Sony Venice 2
Lens: Super speeds, Angenieux EZ short zooms and 12-1 Panavision zoom

Xavier Grobet, ASC: I chose the super speed lenses for their classic look and practicality, I used the EZ zooms most of the time as I incorporated zooming in the language of the movie that we decided to shoot hand held and studio mode depending on the scene.

‘Sad Jokes’

Category: Discovery
Format: 16:9, 4K Apple Pro Res HQ, Slog 3
Camera: Sony A 7 III
Lens: We used Zeiss Compact Primes, mostly the 50 mm, sometimes 85 mm and 35 mm.

Michael Bennett: For our third film together, Fabian [Stumm] and I chose a reduced and stylistically clear visual language with a timeless film look. The camera takes on a more observational role and, as a narrative stylistic device for the scenes, provides them with the space and framework to unfold in. We chose a non-explanatory camera which takes its time and plays with moments hidden from the screen. We found the quite neutral Zeiss lenses very suitable for this, especially the 50mm. We opted for a quiet, mostly static camera. Shots that are unobtrusive in a certain way and yet allow the viewer to sink into a long image. Tracking and condensed shots have a content-related reason and are chosen very sparingly.

In terms of lighting, we mainly worked with available light and small equipment. As with ‘Bones and Names,’ our approach was once again to work in a small team to allow for intimacy and concentration during the shoot. Especially for pure daylight shots with a special light direction, the images have to be carefully prepared by all departments, as the shooting slot is often very short with moving light.

The color mood was to be rather timeless. That’s why we decided on a rather cool, slightly saturated look. Colors and blacks should come naturally, and we worked with a Fuji LUT as the basis.

‘The Salt Path’

Category: Special Presentations
Format: 1.85 and 2.39
Camera: ALEXA 35 
Lens: Cooke S4

Hélène Louvart: For ‘The Salt Path,’ the filming took place mainly on the road in the south of England. We chose to shoot with the Ronin and DJ Force and I framed with the pan bar. I chose the ALEXA 35 mm to obtain the best result for the highlights, especially when we frame the sea with the sun backlit. We used the Cooke s4 to get some softness in the skin tones. And it was a spring shoot, we wanted to get saturated colors, mostly for the green grass.

‘Santosh’

Category: Centerpiece 
Format: 3.8K ProRes
Camera: ALEXA Mini LF 
Lenses: ARRI Signatures Primes

Lennert Hillege: We aimed for a genuine and unembellished appearance, avoiding lenses that caused flares or added a romantic feel to the image. The use of a large format helped us avoid using overly wide lenses. Our goal was to capture a perspective that didn’t demand too much attention yet allowed for authenticity to shine through.

‘Saturday Night’

Category: Special Presentations
Format: Super 16 film
Camera: ARRI 416
Lens: ARRI Master Primes, Canon & Fujinon Zooms

Eric Steelberg: The movie is in real time: 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of the show. Creating an immediate immersive interpretation was paramount. Nothing was able to put us in the time and place of a Saturday night in 1975 like 16mm film with its texture and ability to capture drama and emotion.

‘The Seed of the Sacred Fig’

Category: Centerpiece
Format: XAVS-I 422 10bit, 4k DCI
Camera: Sony FX6(main camera) and Sony FX3( car shots and gimbal works)
Lens: Selected Canon FD, Nikon AI-S, Carl Zeiss Jena and a set of vintage Russian lenses with moment 1.33X anamorphic adapter

Pooyan Aghababaei: This movie was filmed secretly in Iran. We did not have the ability to use heavy and powerful lights because it might lead to the discovery of the project and its agents to be arrested by government forces. Therefore, I chose a camera that has a very high sensitivity and can achieve the desired result with a much lower amount of light. The moment 1.33x anamorphic adapter allowed me to use the visual character of vintage lenses and combine them. For example, I could have made a more suitable choice among several lenses with the same focal length but with different visual characters according to the sense of the sequence.

‘7 Days’

Category: Centerpiece
Format: 3.8k 4:4:4
Camera: ALEXA Mini LF 
Lens: Sigma Primes 20mm , 24mm , 35mm

Mathias Neumann: The whole movie is shot handheld and so the ALEXA Mini was the perfect camera for ‘7 Days.’ I could play with the actress, with no need for marks or camera rehearsals. We shot very freely and therefore we could react spontaneously to what felt right while shooting. The large format enhanced the high quality cinematic look, including in low light situations. Therefore, it was an artistic choice and also helped with the low lighting budget. 

‘Shell’

Category: Special Presentations
Format: ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA Mini
Lens: Panavision E series and Primo anamorphics

Drew Daniels: The director, Max Minghella, referenced many erotic thrillers and horror/action films from the ’80s and ’90s. I noticed that many of these films were shot by cinematographer Jan De Bont, who was a Panavision regular, so I looked into it and found that he used Cs, Es and Primos. We did a few tests and we loved the distortion and flares and overall vibe of these lenses. I tried my best to lean into the stylized lighting of Brian De Palma and Paul Verhoeven films and used primarily hard light and took some fun swings with camera movement. One thing that was important to Max and I was to have no rules, no dogma, and just do what felt right.

‘Shepherds’

Category: Special Presentations 
Format: 4.5k ProRes 4444
Camera: ALEXA Mini LF 
Lens: Canon K35

Vincent Gonneville: We chose the ARRI Mini LF primarily for its exceptional ability to capture natural tones and its realism in character portraits. The camera’s large-format sensor also allowed us to truly showcase the breathtaking landscapes of the French Alps.

For lenses, we opted for the Canon K35s, which offered the perfect blend of lightweight design, fast aperture, vintage texture and warm flares. These lenses were ideal for our needs, particularly with the agility required for documentary-style filming. The K35s enabled us to work efficiently during the long, Steadicam-intensive sequences of the sheep transhumance, sparing my back from the strain and allowing us to keep up with the pace of the shoot.

‘Sketch’

Category: Special Presentations
Format: 2.8k Prores 4444 XQ
Camera: ALEXA Mini 
Lens: Cooke Anamorphic/i S35

Megan Stacey: Seth (Worley, the director) has always described ‘Sketch’ as ‘Jurassic Park’ meets ‘Inside Out.’ It’s a magical, funny and sometimes scary story that’s meant to feel larger than life. We decided to shoot anamorphic because we wanted people to know right off the bat that they were about to go on an early-Spielberg-type adventure. I think people just have an automatic emotional reaction to the wide screen and the fall off that communicates that you’re watching something epic.

The Cooke Anamorphic/i S35s were perfect for us because they have all the modern luxuries of a new set of anamorphics but are designed with the softness, warmth and subtle distortion of an older set of lenses. They also have Cooke’s /i Technology which enables the lenses to communicate with the camera and record important lens data. This allowed us to easily give our VFX and post team much more information about our focus and t/stop.

We also had a lot of camera movement planned so it was important to keep in mind the overall size of the build. I think I’ve shot more on ALEXA Mini than any other camera out there. It makes a great image, it’s the right size and was the right price for our budget. Our 1st AC, Josh Boyd, did a great job keeping our ALEXA Mini compact so we could easily hop from one heroic push-in to the next.

‘Superboys of Malegoan’

Category: Gala
Format: Open gate 4.6K ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA 35
Lens: Cooke s5i

Swapnil S. Sonawane, ISC:  The pairing of a brand-new sensor from ARRI in the ALEXA 35, which has the gorgeous ability of capturing both extreme highlights and deep shadows, with the slightly older glass in the Cooke s5i lenses felt like the perfect combination to tell this story, which is set in the small town of Malegaon in India and spans from the mid ’90s to late 2000s. We shot quite deep focus throughout the film to get in all the details, because of the incredibly accurate production design pulled off by Sally White. Along with the wardrobe team lead by Bhawna Sharma, painstaking effort was put into the color palette, so for me it was quite a delightful shoot!

I think the best cinematic decision for ‘Superboys of Malegaon’ was to go with the aspect ratio of 1:66. Since we shot on a majority of real locations, spaces were crunched, so 1:66 gave us the ability to see ceilings and floors in spite of that… since it’s taller than the usual cinema aspect ratios of 2:35 and 2:39. It’s worked well for the mid shots too; we totally concentrate on the characters and the drama.

Full credit goes to Reema Kagti for being game for 1:66 as it’s not the most conventional choice. In fact, she was very involved in all cinematic decisions and made sure we were covered from all sides. Before locking on Cooke, we did test both sphericals & anamorphics lenses; with the actors in Hair Makeup & Wardrobe on the actual locations. We watched the results together on the big screen before taking the decision on the lenses and the aspect ratio. I could feel right from there that she has her finger on the pulse of her story, and that this was going to be a ‘super’ film!

‘The Swedish Torpedo’

Category: Centerpiece
Format: Super 16 Film
Camera: ARRIFLEX 416
Lens: Zeiss super speeds

Hannes Krantz: We wanted the visuals to portray a world that was raw but also beautiful, so we filmed on 16mm with high asa. It is raw but also naturally beautiful. I chose the lenses mainly for practical purposes as they were light and bright, but I also liked the character, gave depth to the image.

‘Takin’ Care of Business’

Category: Gala
Format: Full Frame UHD
Camera: ALEXA Mini LF, Canon C500ii, Z-Cam F6
Lens: Vintage Leica R primes, L-series Canon Zooms

Luke Geissbühler: Capturing our film required many diverse modalities: Vérité for capturing candid moments with the family, as well as formal interviews, and covering live concerts. So we used an array of cameras best suited to each application with overlaps with the B and C cameras for practical reasons, but also to lend visual continuity while offering a diversity of images and flexibility of use.

The delightful late-1970s Leica Rs were perfect for achieving an aged, soft, flattering look but sharp enough to make use of our high resolution cameras, throwing in a little natural vignette to focus the eye. The L-Series zooms offered the stubby, resilient flexibility that we needed in tight spaces and on stage with terrific color rendition and speed. Keeping the cameras in full frame mode allowed us to fully utilize the Leica R primes with all of their delightful artifacts that only become more pronounced on the edges when shooting full frame.

The ARRI Mini LF was our gold standard camera for which to match the Canon C500ii that we used principally. The Z-Cam full frame 6k camera was a surprisingly perfect, compact camera that we could match, but still shoot from the hip and stay low profile so our subjects could be as natural as possible and we could be on stage without much distraction.

Flying with a kit that can capture a concert with a tiny crew was no small task. We even employed a little Lumix GH5 at times for lock-offs because as much as I want to discount that little guy, it always looks great. Each camera had its own strong suits and weaknesses that we knew intimately and used to our advantage in the many environments that faced us. The result lends a diversity of feel and texture to this exciting portrait.

‘They Will Be Dust’

Category: Platform
Format: ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA Mini 35
Lens: ARRI SIGNATURE PRIME, ANGENIEUX OPTIMO 24-290 

Gabriel Sandru: We where looking to work with fast lenses that perform well in low light and high contrast situations. Another aspect was that they should be soft and smooth in skin tone, but not vintage. It was also important that we could combine the signature primes with an Angenieux prime zoom. Combining these lenses with the ALEXA Mini 35 and the nostalgic texture setting was the perfect choice for us.

‘To A Land Unknown’

Category: Centerpiece 
Format: 16mm
Camera: ARRIFLEX 416 plus
Lens: ARRI/Zeiss Ultra 16 prime lenses 

Thodoras Mihopoulos: The narrative negotiates a theme that is universal and timeless in many respects, so together with the director, we choose film as a format. The aim was to achieve a rough quality in the cinematography, reminiscent of documentary works from the ’70s and early ’80s, so we decided on 16mm.

It was agreed that the camera position will stay on the side of the actors, led by their action, and emotions and the editing will be based on a minimal structure. The handheld perspective was an organic addition, in the way 16mm and documentary aesthetics blurred. A large part of the scenes is done with natural light only, which is a style that characterizes most of my works. Also, a key element was the Athenian light in combination with the close ups on the actors, which provided us with a unique film quality in the image. This was acknowledged during our camera tests, where I could see the director smiling behind his monitor.

‘U Are the Universe’

Category: Discovery
Format: Open Gate 3.4K Arri Raw
Camera: ALEXA Mini 
Lens: Cooke s4i

Nikita Kuzmenko: Our story is set in space in the near future. The art concept is based on futuristic design, but we’re incorporating vintage textures into our spaceship to avoid an overly modern and crisp sci-fi look. After numerous tests, we found that the ALEXA Mini Classic is the perfect camera to capture this vintage space in a future time zone. The Cooke S4 lenses also pair perfectly with the ALEXA Mini Classic, offering an ideal balance between a vintage look and a modern feel.

‘Under The Volcano’

Category: Centerpiece
Format: 4.5k OG 3:2 Arri Raw OG
Camera: ALEXA Mini LF 
Lens: Olympus OM

Nikita Kuzmenko: Shooting in the beautiful land of Tenerife, the ARRI LF parred with Olympus OM lenses allowed us to capture every detail of our story precisely, from all the actors’ emotional performances in different weather and light conditions to the absolutely magical colors that Tenerife has. After many lens tests, we found that Olympus lenses had the right combination of characteristics we’d been looking for in glass for this film: Vintage, but with a still modern feel, color rendering, and of course beautiful flares. 

‘An Unfinished Film’

Category: Centerpiece
Format: ARRIRAW 4K
Camera: ALEXA Mini LF, Panasonic AJ-upx360mc, iPhone
Lens: Zeiss Supreme Prime

Jian Zeng: This is a film about a special period. People cannot meet each other face to face. Screen recordings of cideo call with mobile phones thus become an important image throughout the film. Using different cameras works as a transition between the mobile phone images and the good quality ARRI imagery.

‘Universal Language’

Category: Centerpiece
Format: Super 16mm
Camera: ARRIFLEX 416
Lens: Zeiss 16 super speeds, 11-165mm Canon zoom

Isabelle Stachtchenko: Matthew’s work seems inextricably tied to 16mm so it was an inevitable choice (to my great delight). We both have an innate love of 16mm and the texture it brings to an image. What I love about 16mm is it instinctually brings you to somewhere that isn’t quite aligned with reality because you can feel the medium; on a sensory level you know you’re being transported somewhere else.

We really wanted to create a silent character with the camera, pointing the viewer towards details that don’t necessarily seem to be central in that moment: a distracted child in the classroom not listening to their teacher. For this, we used a zoom that went to a longer focal length because we often had locations where we knew we would want to get as close as possible to our characters even though we were, for example, on the other side of a highway from them. We are often far from our characters, who are lost in an architectural maze of beige and gray. I wanted to be able to sometimes be close to them yet keep a physical distance, which such a telephoto zoom allowed us.

It was also important to have the super speeds on hand which were perfect for our architectural shots throughout the film. Although I have great affection for the zoom we used, it did have many aberrations, especially on the longer end. We spent much time lugging the camera up scaffolding so we could get perfectly rectilinear shots. We wanted to create a sort of rigid geometric world with the available architecture — a true ode to the brutalist wonders of Winnipeg and Montreal.

‘Unstoppable’

Category: Centerpiece
Format: Sony X-OCN XT
Camera: Venice 2
Lens: Angenieux Optima Primes

‘The Village Next To Paradise’

Category: Centerpiece 
Format: 2.8k ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA Mini
Lens: Zeiss Ultra primes

Mostafa El Kashef: Shooting in Somalia is really hard and a tough thing to do. We were shooting in high temperatures and in extreme wind and I needed a camera that could sustain itself and that is durable and could take extreme situations without failing. I also had very little light; that’s why I wanted a camera with a high dynamic range that would help me in low light places and also to compensate when shooting external shots. I don’t think there’s a camera that could deliver such quality and durability in such a location like the ALEXA. The director and I needed a camera that would give us the image we wanted but at the same was handy and wouldn’t break. 

‘Viktor’

Category: Platform
Format: 4K 
Camera: Canon EOS C500 Mark II
Lens: EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM

Olivier Sarbil: Filming in a war zone as a one-man crew — managing sound, directing, and cinematography in such a challenging and stressful environment — I needed a small, lightweight camera that would become an extension of my body. I chose the Canon C500 Mark II. I stripped it down and paired it with a Canon  24-70mm lens, which I used for 95% of the film.

Whether shooting handheld or on a tripod, this minimalist kit allowed me to capture raw, human moments amidst the chaos with minimal intrusion and without the need for extensive setups. The visual grammar of the film developed organically as I got to know my main contributor, evolving naturally as our connection deepened. To convey isolation and the emotional journey of our main character, one key rule was to stay on Viktor, fully immersing viewers in his world. Despite my limited resources and manpower, and the incredibly tense environment in which I worked, my goal was always to find the beauty amid the horror.

Viktor likes to take pictures in black and white because he feels it brings out a deeper sense of fairness and balance in the world. This perspective is one of the reasons I chose to film in black and white—to reflect Viktor’s way of seeing and experiencing life. Another strong reason for using black and white is Deafness reflects a greater dependence on visuals, using gestures, body language, and facial expressions. When the world is flipped to black and white, the image gains a transcendental quality that draws the gaze to facial lines, shapes, light, and expressions in a way that might be missed in a color film.

‘Went Up The Hill’

Category: Special Presentations
Format: ARRIRAW 4.6K 3:2 OPEN GATE
Camera: ALEXA 35
Lens: Cooke Speed Panchro S2 and S3

Tyson Perkins: The look of ‘Went Up The Hill’ emerged through a process of elimination undertaken by the film’s incredible Sam Van Grinsven and I during the course of our early testing. Sam selected a small number of photographic references (Bill Henson and Antoine D’Agata amongst others) that formed the basis of the look he wanted to achieve with the camera. These stills had a luminosity and texture to the skin that was really important to Sam as the film focused so heavily on the two lead actors, Vicky Krieps and Dacre Montgomery.

Using these images and Sam’s desire to shoot as a square, sort of portrait type aspect as a base, we cast a wide net and hope some of those almost indescribable qualities we loved from the photo imagery would emerge in the test images. Amongst about 12 different sets we looked at, the vintage Cooke Panchro S2 set that we looked were the immediate winner. They have a beautiful softness in the centre and a wonderful, chaotic out of focus fall off that looked stunning in the aspect we ended up choosing, 1:66:1.

The camera was chosen in a similar fashion. Our shooting location had floor to ceiling windows that played open throughout much of the film – so dynamic range was specifically important to us on the project. The ALEXA 35 really stands out in that particular area. Of course, it is incredible in many other ways! The Super35 sensor paired beautifully with the old set (with the wides slightly newer to cover). It is a combination I hope to use many times in the future!

‘When the Light Breaks’

Category: Centerpiece
Format: 16mm 
Camera: ARRIFLEX 416 Plus
Lens: ARRI Ultra 16 & Zoom Angenieux 11.5-138mm

Sophia Olsson: This is our fourth feature together and we’ve (almost) always shot on film, ever since film school. Film is the best visual choice for this story and matches Runar’s way of working. In the film we follow our young main character Una closely over the course of a very long day, from one sunset to another. A day where her life changes drastically through a great loss. We felt that shooting 16mm on Kodak 250D with its medium grain and ARRI Ultra16 lenses (to not loose too much of the sharpness) was the best combination to match the tone we wanted for the film.

‘William Tell’

Category: Gala
Format: ARRIRAW large format
Camera: ALEXA Mini LF 
Lens: Zeiss Supreme primes 

Jamie D. Ramsay: Ostensibly, this film is about the weight of the oppression caused by foreign occupation on your homeland. This being a global eternal theme, I wanted to create a scale and heaviness that I felt I would achieve shooting on large format. The ability to isolate multiple characters in mid shots gave me the opportunity to add intimacy as a contrast to this scale. 

‘Will & Harper’

Category: Gala
Format: Prores 3.2k, Canon RAW 4k, 5k RED
Camera: AMIRA, Canon C300, RED Komodo
Lens: Cooke Panchros, Cooke 20-100

Zoe White: ‘Will & Harper’ is a road movie and a buddy movie. We used Komodos on the hood of the Jeep Wagoneer they drove, because they’re so small and riggable. We wanted to roll for long takes to cover Will and Harper chatting as they drove on highways, so it was all about how to do that safely and solidly. When we weren’t in cars, Devon Catucci operated his steadicam with an ARRI AMIRA on a prime, to give us unbroken, graceful follow shots. I danced around Devon on a Canon C300 with the 20-100 zoom and an easyrig, capturing details and closeups to complement Devon’s wider frames. There’s a lovely, nostalgic feeling that the Panchros bring, and they’re very small and lightweight, so they were the perfect lenses for all the different applications and environments we were expecting to encounter while bringing a soft, cinematic look to the story.

‘The Wolves Always Come at Night’

Category: Platform
Format: 4K 422 HQ ProRes 
Camera: ALEXA Mini LF 
Lens: Richard Gale Clavius Primes

Michael Latham: When discussing ‘The Wolves Always Come at Night,’ Gabrielle [Brady] had expressed the desire to capture the film in the most organic and filmic manner possible, reflecting the worn and textured landscape we would be photographing. In testing I found ARRI’s older ALEV3 sensors to produce the most organic feeling images to my eye. I paired the ALEXA Mini LF with vintage Russian optics rehoused by Richard Gale, the Clavius Primes. This lens set created a beautiful soft, flarey and expressive image whilst maintaining a simplicity and neutrality that was timeless like the landscape itself.