As part of the ICFF Manaki Brothers, the packed Manaki Cinema in Bitola today welcomed the famous cinematographer Darius Khondji, recipient of the Golden Camera 300 for Lifetime Achievement, who held an inspiring masterclass for students, film professionals and cinephiles.

The masterclass of the great Khondji in Bitola was a wonderful opportunity for the participants to learn more about his life experience, cinema philosophy and the way in which light, drama and story come together in his masterpieces.

Khondji, who was born in Iran and raised in Paris near Versailles, discovered his love for cinema at a young age, when he regularly went to the theatre performances and the cinema screenings with his mother and sister.

“I liked being scared as a kid, and my sister liked scaring me”, he joked, talking about his childhood and the conservative family which, nevertheless, encouraged his predisposition towards art.

Khondji spoke about his beginnings with the 8mm camera, but also about his collaborations with top directors globally. Among them, he singled out David Fincher and his work on the film “Se7en”, which left him deeply impressed.

“My first impression when I read the script was fantastic. That was a fundamental element in making this film. I like enigma, I like dark places in stories,” explained Khondji.

Speaking about his filmmaking experiences, he also shared anecdotes from filming “Delicatessen”, “Stealing Beauty”, Alien: Resurrection”, “The Ninth Gate”, “The Beach”, and “The Interpreter”. Khondji noted that each project brings with itself a different set of challenges, from a limited budget to unorthodox filming conditions, like in the case of The Interpreter, where they were only allowed to film at the United Nations on weekends.

“We didn’t have permission to film in the United Nations building, it was during Kofi Annan’s time. However, at the end when we did get permission to film, we were only given the UN for the weekends. It was an incredible experience to film in this building, it’s a very beautiful place to shoot a film. I knew every corner, I knew where every light was going to be placed. It was a privilege to film there. Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn were fantastic”, Khondji reminisced.

Khondji talked about the actors, situations, and drama when he worked on “Delicatessen”.

“The camera movement was very simple. We were shooting in a small space, it was an old cigarette factory, we didn’t have a big budget, we didn’t have any money. When you start out, you want to control the colour saturation, the lighting. In “Delicatessen” we had flashing lights. Then in the upcoming films we changed those processes”, the cinematographer added.

When asked by a student from the audience whether the work of the director and cinematographer could be kept separated, Khondji emphasized:

“You have to think that when you’re making a film, literally everything is your job. Develop yourself by working with such people that would be of greatest interest to your development. Accept yourself, I’ve done that too, even though I’ve failed many times. When it comes to choosing lenses for filming, I choose them together with the director. I’m not alone in the process, in filmmaking there’s always a “we”.

When asked which film scene he was proud of, Khondji said in the crowded cinema theatre that he was not proud of anything related to his work.

“The only thing I am proud of are my children”, he said.