Darius Khondji

Early life and education

Khondji was born in Tehran, Iran, to an Iranian father and a French mother. At an early age, his family moved to France. He became interested in film early on and made Super-8 films in his teens. Later, he moved to the United States to study at UCLA and then majored in film at New York University and the International Center of Photography. Two teachers influenced his decision to become a cinematographer: Jonas Mekas and Haig P. Manoogian (Martin Scorsese's film teacher). He realized that "all I wanted to do was shoot the other students' films. I was concerned with the power of the image and much less with story."{{cite news

Career

After his time in the United States, Khondji returned to France in 1981 and worked as an assistant for cinematographers like Bruno Nuytten, Martin Schafer and Pascal Marti. He also worked as a lighting director on music videos and commercials.

His second feature film was Le tresor des Iles Chiennes (1991), a low-budget, black-and-white, post-atomic adventure film. His work on this movie led the* Cahiers du cinéma* to publish a rare interview with a cinematographer. It was on this film that he demonstrated an affinity for Cinemascope. He remarked in an interview, "I think it's the most beautiful format to frame. One can become absorbed in the faces when they're framed in 'Scope." His subsequent work on Delicatessen established his international reputation and earned him a Cesar nomination for Best Cinematography. One of his highest profile films was Seven which he got based on a Nike ad he shot with David Fincher and his work on Delicatessen. His work on Evita was nominated for an Oscar for the Best Cinematography.

Darius worked on three European-shot films by Woody Allen: Midnight in Paris (2011), To Rome with Love (2012) and Magic in the Moonlight (2014).

In 2012, Khondji shot the Palme d'Or-winning film Amour, which also won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and was nominated for Best Picture.

Influences

Khondji cites Gregg Toland as his favorite cinematographer. "I particularly admire his work on John Ford's The Grapes of Wrath." He also greatly admires James Wong Howe's work, in particular Hud. Khondji has said that his dream project would be "a 16mm black and white film of On the Road!"

Personal life

Khondji is married to Marianne Chemetov, a daughter of the French architect Paul Chemetov, and has three children: Marie-Louise, Josephine, and Alexandre.

Filmography

Short films

Feature films

Television

Music videos

Exhibitions

• 2010: Discovery award laureate and exhibition at Les Rencontres d'Arles festival, France.

Awards and nominations

Academy Awards

British Academy Film Awards

American Society of Cinematographers Awards

British Society of Cinematographers Awards

César Awards

Chicago Film Critics Association Awards

Independent Spirit Awards

Other accolades

References

References

1. "Darius Khondji". IMDb.
2. (12 October 2004). "New Cinematographers". Laurence King Publishing.
3. Sciolino, Elaine. (2012-07-13). "The Cinematography of Darius Khondji". The New York Times.
4. (2011-12-15). "Contender – Director of Photography Darius Khondji, Midnight in Paris – Below the Line". Below the Line.
5. (22 June 2012). "Cinematographer Darius Khondji on Woody Allen's To Rome with Love – Studio Daily".
6. "Cinematographer Darius Khondji, AFC, ASC, discusses his work on "Magic in the Moonlight", a film by Woody Allen".
7. (2015-05-22). "Darius Khondji AFC / Amour – British Cinematographer". British Cinematographer.