Nick Ut’s Pulitzer Prize–winning photo The Terror of War, sometimes referred to as “Napalm Girl,” is one of the most recognizable photographs ever taken. The Stringer, directed by Bao Nguyen (The Greatest Night in Pop) and playing the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s Premires sections, investigates the history of the photograph and contests its authorship. Nguyen also served as one of three cinematographers on the film, alongside Andrew Yuyi Truong. Below, the three of them answer discuss establishing a consistent visual language and connecting the themes of secrecy and discovery with shadow and light. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer […]

The post “Let the Weight of the Words Carry the Scene”: DP Bao Nguyen on The Stringer first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

A young father (Benedict Cumberbatch) of two boys suspects he is being stalked by a malevolent creature after the sudden death of his wife in The Thing with Feathers. The Premieres section film is the fiction feature debut of Dylan Southern, best known for a slew of music documentaries (Shut Up and the Play the Hits, Meet Me in the Bathroom). Ben Fordesman (Love Lies Bleeding, Saint Maud) served as DP on the film after working with Southern on commercials and music videos. Below, he details at length how he made the crow stalking the young father feel real and how he […]

The post “Claustrophobic Framing Became the Photographic Heart”: DP Ben Fordesman on The Thing with Feathers first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Taking place in 1948, 1978, 1988 and 2022, All That’s Left of You traces the history of a fictional Palestinian family in flashback after a confrontation at a West Bank protest. All That’s Left of You is the third feature of director Cherien Dabris, whose Amreeka and May in the Summer played Sundance in 2009 and 2013, respectively. Christopher Aoun (Capernaum) served as the film’s cinematographer. Below, he talks about how he distinguished the film’s four timelines and the difficulties of prepping the film from scratch after the crew was forced out of the West Bank in the aftermath of October 7, 2023. See all responses to our […]

The post “I’ve Never Prepped a Movie So Many Times.”: DP Christopher Aoun, All That’s Left of You first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

In The Thing with Feathers, a widower and father of two suspects he is being stalked by a crow-like figure. The adaptation of Max Porter’s book of the same name stars Benedict Cumberbatch and is the fiction feature debut of director Dylan Southern (Shut Up and Play the Hits, Meet Me in the Bathroom). The versatile George Cragg (Collective, I Am Not a Witch, Earth Mama) served as the film’s editor in his first collaboration with Southern. He talks about how he made his way up in the industry and how he and Southern restructured the film below. See all responses to our […]

The post “Each Set of Rushes Presents a Unique Puzzle”: Editor George Cragg on The Thing with Feathers first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Italian director Gianluca Matarrese centers his latest film on Dr. Bini, who oversees in vitro and gender-affirming care Milan’s Niguarda public hospital. Navigating complications put forth by the country’s conservative government as well as the commodification of healthcare, Dr. Bini never wavers in his mission to help his patients. First-time producer Dominique Barneaud discusses the difficulties of security Italian funding, his long-standing relationship with Matarrese and the importance of free speech among the film’s subjects. See all responses to our annual Sundance first-time producer interviews here.  Filmmaker: How did you connect with this filmmaker and wind up producing the film? Barneaud: […]

The post “You Have to Create a Strong Duo”: Producer Dominique Barneaud on GEN_ first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Films are made over many days, but some days are more memorable, and important, than others. Imagine yourself in ten years looking back on this production. What day from your film’s development, production or post do you think you’ll view as the most significant and why? From creating the title page to premiering at Sundance I’ve been on a rollercoaster of pure tenacity and support from those closest to me, lasting over seven years. The most significant day of the entire process has to be the night in December 2007 when I had an existential crisis that spewed forth a […]

The post “A Delusional Burst of Confidence” | Mary Bronstein, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Prime Minister, premiering in the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s World Cinema Documentary Competition, is co-director Lindsay Utz and Michelle Walshe’s behind-the-scenes look at Jacinda Ahern’s five years as the Prime Minister of New Zealand. Clarke Gayford, Ahern’s husband and a radio and TV broadcaster, also served as one of the film’s cinematographers. Below, he talks about the challenges of pulling double duty as both a DP and a supportive husband to a prime minister. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the […]

The post “I Sometimes Felt Like the Worst Partner in the World”: DP Clarke Gayford on Prime Minister first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

In Rabbit Trap, a musician and her husband find their outsider status in a remote Wales town amplified when their music brings to the door an unnamed child who will stop at nothing to weasel into their lives. Shot on 35mm, debut feature by director Bryn Chainey will play as part of the Midnights section at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Andreas Johannessen, who served as camera operator on The Worst Person in the World and has acted as cinematographer on music videos by Jenny Hval, among others, also makes his feature debut as DP. Below, he goes into detail about the […]

The post “Horror Films Have a Unique Ability to Tap into Deep Emotions”: DP Andreas Johannessen on Rabbit Trap first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

In East of Wall, writer-director Kate Beecroft trains her camera on Tabatha Zimiga, who runs a ranch for wayward teenagers while trying to cope with her own precarity. Beecroft found her subject by chance, as the film’s cinematographer, Austin Shelton, explains below. He also talks about how they approached filming Tabatha and her family in a way that was both true to her lives, even when it meant finding unorthodox solutions to make a scene work. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were […]

The post “A New Way of Looking at the American West”: DP Austin Shelton on East of Wall first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Patients seeking gender-affirming care and in vitro treatments in Italy flock to Niguarda public hospital, where Dr. Maurizio Bini is considered one of the preeminent experts in the field. This is the subject of director and cinematographer Gianluca Matarrese’s film GEN_, premiering in the World Cinema: Documentary Competition at Sundance this year. Amid an increasingly hostile conservative climate, Dr. Bini and his patients navigate social stigma alongside much-needed medical intervention. Below, Matarrese discusses the decision to film most scenes from behind a book shelf, being inspired by Frederick Wiseman and relying on natural lighting. See all responses to our annual […]

The post “Having a Crew Was Not an Option: DP Gianluca Matarrese on GEN_ first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.