Agnès Godard (born 28 May 1951) is a French

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...

. She is most famous for her long-running collaboration with filmmaker

Claire Denis Claire Denis (; born 21 April 1946) is a French film director and screenwriter. Her feature film ''Beau Travail'' (1999) has been called one of the greatest films of the 1990s, as well as of all time. Other acclaimed works include '' Trouble Ev ...

. For her work, she has won a

César Award Cesar, César or Cèsar may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''César'' (film), a 1936 film directed by Marcel Pagnol * ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt * César Award, a French film award Places * Cesar, Portugal * C ...

Life and career

Godard originally studied journalism, but switched to film after several years, graduating from

La Femis LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

(then known as IDHEC) in 1980. Her first project as a cinematographer was

Wim Wenders Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders (; born 14 August 1945) is a German filmmaker, playwright, author, and photographer. He is a major figure in New German Cinema. Among many honors, he has received three nominations for the Academy Award for Best Docum ...

' 50-minute '' Room 666'', made for television. There she met Claire Denis, who was working as Wenders'

assistant director The role of an assistant director on a film includes tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set. They also have to tak ...

.village voice > film > Agnes Godard's Candid Camera by Elisabeth Vincentelli
Godard spent much of the 1980s working as an assistant camera operator or

focus puller A focus puller or first assistant camera (1st AC) is a member of a film crew's camera department whose primary responsibility is to maintain the camera lens's optical focus on whatever subject or action is being filmed. "Pulling focus" refers to ...

on films by Wenders,

Joseph Losey Joseph Walton Losey III (; January 14, 1909 – June 22, 1984) was an American theatre and film director, producer, and screenwriter. Born in Wisconsin, he studied in Germany with Bertolt Brecht and then returned to the United States. Blackliste ...

Peter Greenaway Peter Greenaway, (born 5 April 1942) is a Welsh film director, screenwriter and artist. His films are noted for the distinct influence of Renaissance and Baroque painting, and Flemish painting in particular. Common traits in his films are the ...

and

Alain Resnais Alain Resnais (; 3 June 19221 March 2014) was a French film director and screenwriter whose career extended over more than six decades. After training as a film editor in the mid-1940s, he went on to direct a number of short films which included ...

. She also served as director of photography on a short film directed by legendary cinematographer

Henri Alekan Henri Alekan (10 February 1909, Paris – 15 June 2001, Auxerre, Bourgogne) was a French cinematographer. Life Alekan was born in Montmartre in 1909. At the age of sixteen he and his brother became travelling puppeteers. A little later h ...

. Her first collaboration with Denis was the director's debut feature, '' Chocolat'', where she served as the camera operator; she has been Denis' regular cinematographer since 1990, when the two worked together on a documentary about

Nouvelle Vague French New Wave (french: La Nouvelle Vague) is a French art film movement that emerged in the late 1950s. The movement was characterized by its rejection of traditional filmmaking conventions in favor of experimentation and a spirit of iconocla ...

filmmaker

Jacques Rivette Jacques Rivette (; 1 March 1928 – 29 January 2016) was a French film director and film critic most commonly associated with the French New Wave and the film magazine ''Cahiers du Cinéma''. He made twenty-nine films, including ''L'amour fou' ...

made for the French television series ''Cinema, de Notre Temps''.

Filmography

*''

Let the Sunshine In "Medley: Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures)" (commonly called "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In", "The Age of Aquarius" or "Let the Sunshine In") is a medley of two songs written for the 1967 musical ''Hair'' by James Rado and Gerome ...

'' (2017) *'' The Falling'' (2015) *''

Paris Follies ''Paris Follies'' (french: La Ritournelle) is a 2014 French comedy film written and directed by Marc Fitoussi. It stars Isabelle Huppert, Jean-Pierre Darroussin and Michael Nyqvist. It competed in the main competition section of the 36th Mosco ...

'' (2014) *''

The Amazing Catfish ''The Amazing Catfish'' ( es, Los insólitos peces gato) is a Mexican comedy-drama film, written and directed by Claudia Sainte-Luce. The film stars Ximena Ayala as Claudia, a young woman who becomes a caretaker for Martha ( Lisa Owen), an olde ...

'' (2014) *'' Bastards'' (2013) *''

Sister A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to ...

'' (2012) *''

Où va la nuit ''The Long Falling'' (french: Où va la nuit; ) is a 2011 French-Belgian drama film written and directed by Martin Provost. Plot Long victim of her husband, violent and alcoholic, Rose Mayer, the Walloon countryside, decided to take their destin ...

'' (2011) *''

Simon Werner a Disparu ''Lights Out'' (french: Simon Werner a disparu) is a French thriller film directed by Fabrice Gobert and starring Jules Pelissier, Ana Girardot, Arthur Mazet, Laurent Delbecque, Serge Riaboukine and Laurent Capelluto. Release The film was enter ...

'' (2010) *''

Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. H ...

'' (2008) *'' 35 rhums'' (2008) *''

Ensemble, c'est tout ''Hunting and Gathering'' (french: Ensemble, c'est tout) is a 2007 French romantic film based on the writer Anna Gavalda's 2004 novel ''Hunting and Gathering'' (french: Ensemble, c'est tout). It was directed by Claude Berri, who also wrote the scr ...

'' (2007) *'' The Golden Door'' (2006) *''

Backstage Backstage most commonly refers to backstage (theatre), also in motion picture and television production. Backstage may also refer to: Film and television * ''Back Stage'' (1969 film), a silent film starring Oliver Hardy * ''Back Stage'' (1942 fil ...

'' (2005) *''

Vers Mathilde Vers may refer to: * Vers (Lahn), a river of Hesse, Germany * Vers (Lot), a river of southern France, tributary of the Lot *an abbreviation for the trigonometric function "versine" *an abbreviation for versatile (sex), commonly used in Western ga ...

'' (2005) *'' L'Intrus'' (2004) *'' Wild Side'' (2004) *'' Les égarés'' (2003) *'' Ten Minutes Older: The Cello'' (2002) (segment "Vers Nancy") *'' Vendredi soir'' (2002) *'' Au plus près du paradis'' (2002) *'' Trouble Every Day'' (2001) *'' La Répétition'' (2001) *''

Beau Travail ''Beau Travail'' (, French for "good work") is a 1999 French film directed by Claire Denis that is loosely based on Herman Melville's 1888 novella '' Billy Budd''. The story is set in Djibouti, where the protagonists are soldiers in the French For ...

'' (1999) *'' Vie ne me fait pas peur'' (1999) *'' La Nouvelle Ève'' (1999) *'' L'Arrière pays'' (1998) *''

The Dreamlife of Angels ''The Dreamlife of Angels'' (french: La Vie rêvée des anges) is a 1998 French Drama (film and television), drama film directed by Erick Zonca. The film was selected as the French entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Best ...

'' (1998) *'' Années lycée: Petites'' (1997) (TV) *''

Nénette et Boni ''Nénette'' is a 2010 French documentary film about a 40-year-old female orangutan living in the menagerie of the Jardin des Plantes, (the zoo in Paris, France). The film, directed by Nicolas Philibert presents an intimate portrait of the ape, ...

'' (1996) *'' Jeunesse sans Dieu'' (1996) (TV) *'' À propos de Nice, la suite'' (1995) (segment "Nice, Very Nice") *'' US Go Home'' (1994) *'' I Can't Sleep'' (1994) *'' Le Géographe manuel'' (1994) *'' La robe à cerceau'' (1993) TV episode *'' The Absence'' (1993) *'' Sida, une histoire qui n'a pas de fin'' (1993) *'' Histoires autour de la folie'' (1993) (TV) *'' La Vis'' (1993) *'' Dimanche soir'' (1992) *''

Jacquot de Nantes ''Jacquot de Nantes'' is a 1991 French drama film directed by Agnès Varda. It was screened out of competition at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival. The film is a portrait of the making of an artist; recreating the early life of Varda's husband, ...

'' (1991) *''

Keep It for Yourself ''Keep It for Yourself'' is a 1991 black-and-white short drama film written and directed by Claire Denis. Plot Sophie comes to New York from France with the intention of meeting up with a man she met a few months before. She finds herself alone ...

'' (1991) *'' Jacques Rivette - Le veilleur'' (1990) (TV) *'' Room 666'' (1982) (TV)

References

External links

*
Entry in the Internet Encyclopedia of Cinematographers
French cinematographers French women film directors Living people French women cinematographers 1951 births César Award winners Officiers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres {{France-film-bio-stub