The most well-known makers of films are of course directors and actors. But some technicians play a crucial part. Sometimes, they are great artists in their own right, yet unfortunately they are often considered just as supporting actors in the making of films, because the star system is more interested in emphasizing actors and actresses, and sometimes directors.
We think it is important to occasionally shed some light in our programme on major directors of photography. In 1990, we paid tribute to Gabriel Figueroa (Mexico), one of the greatest directors of photography of world cinema. We thought Mahmoud Kalari also deserved such a tribute both as a photographer (apart from the films he shot, an exhibition of his photos will also be put together during the festival) and a director of photography of one of the most interesting cinémas of the present time – Iranian cinema.
Those who will attend the Nantes festival this year will be able to enjoy his work in Abbas Kiarostami’s The Wind Will Carry Us, Mohsen Makhmalbaf’s Gabbeh and many others, as well as the only film he has made as a director to this day, The Cloud and the Rising Sun (1999). He is currently developing his second film as director.
Alain Jalladeau