Mikhail Krichman (Михаил Владимирович Кричман; born 1967) is a Russian

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 ...

who received a

Golden Osella The Golden Osella is the name of several awards given at the Venice Film Festival. They are awarded irregularly and in various categories such as directing, screenwriting, cinematography, and technical contributions. The name derives from the ''o ...

award at the

67th Venice Film Festival The 67th annual Venice International Film Festival held in Venice, Italy, took place from 1 to 11 September 2010. American film director and screenwriter Quentin Tarantino was the head of the Jury. The opening film of the festival was Darren Aro ...

for '' Silent Souls'' and 3 time award winner at Camerimage. Krichman is best known to western audiences for his work with renowned Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev. He photographed all of Zvyagintsev's films, including ''

The Return The Return may refer to: Print media * ''Nostoi'' or ''Returns'', a lost poem in ancient Greek, thought to have been completed in the sixth or seventh century BC *The Return, a 1987 children book by Sonia Levitin * ''The Return'' (de la Mare n ...

'' (2003), ''

The Banishment ''The Banishment'' (russian: Изгнание, ''Izgnanie'') is a 2007 Russian psychological drama film directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev. The film is a loose adaptation of ''The Laughing Matter'', a 1953 novel by Armenian-American writer William Saro ...

'' (2007), '' Elena'' (2010), '' Leviathan'' (2014) and ''

Loveless Loveless may refer to: Film and television * ''Loveless'' (film), a 2017 Russian film * ''The Loveless'', a 1982 film starring Willem Dafoe * Dr. Loveless, a character in ''The Wild Wild West'' TV series and film adaptation Literature * ''Love ...

'' (2017). Zvyagintsev claims that Krichman (an engineer by profession) learned his craft by reading '' American Cinematographer''. Krichman also shot '' Miss Julie'' for Norwegian director

Liv Ullmann Liv Johanne Ullmann (born 16 December 1938) is a Norwegian actress and film director. Recognised as one of the greatest European actresses of all time, Ullmann is known as the muse and frequent partner of filmmaker Ingmar Bergman. She acted in m ...

Style

Krichman's cinematography is instrumental in creating the mood that is so imperative to Zvyagintsev's distinctively harrowing journeys of the soul. Predominantly shooting with a crisp, wide lens, Krichman's work often juxtaposes the embittered faces of characters against the weather-worn yet picturesque Russian landscape. There's a coldness to his work, yet it exudes an existential aura that feels like a nightmare slowly unravelling before your eyes. Preferring to film in 35mm and manipulating natural light rather than relying on artificial light sources, Krichman lights space before characters, grounding them within their surroundings and adding an air of realism and immediacy to the events that unfurl.

Early life

His parents come from the field of book typesetting. After finishing his army service he did not know what to do with himself, and he chose the easiest path. He spent a lot of time in printing houses, and liked the smell of the paint. Those were the things from his childhood that made him start his studies at what is now Moscow State University of Printing Arts. It was around 1991. He joined the department of technical studies, learning about the technology and the process of book printing. After third semester he moved to an extramural study program and started doing part-time jobs. And it so happened that he met a guy that was about to graduate from the cinematography department of the

Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography The Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography (russian: Всероссийский государственный институт кинематографии имени С. А. Герасимова, meaning ''All-Russian State Institute of Cinemat ...

. It was a birthday party, and he asked a question that probably a lot of people ask in a similar situation – would it be possible to visit a set and see how things work when they shoot a movie. Then after a year he got in touch, saying that he had an opportunity for Krichman to come and visit a set. That was how Krichman saw a film set for the first time – as he was directing and shooting some kind of a commercial.

Filmography

*'' Blowers (TV Series)'' (1 episode) * ''

'' (2017) * '' The Trio (Short)'' (2016) * ''

The Secret Scripture ''The Secret Scripture'' is a 2008 novel written by Irish writer Sebastian Barry. Plot summary The main character is an old woman, Roseanne McNulty, who now resides in the Roscommon Regional Mental Hospital. Having been a patient for some fift ...

'' (2016) * '' Podarok Very (Short)'' (2016) * '' Miss Julie'' (2014) * '' Leviathan'' (2014) * '' Winter Journey'' (2013) * '' Silent Souls'' (2010) * '' Apocrypha (Short)'' (2009) * ''

'' (2010) * ''

Poor Relatives ''Poor Relatives'' (russian: Бедные родственники, Bednye Rodstvenniki), also released as ''Roots'', is a 2005 Russian black comedy film directed by Pavel Lungin. The film tells the story of a Russian grifter who defrauds foreign ...

'' (2005) * ''

'' (2003) * '' Sky. Plane. Girl'' (2002) * ''

Chyornaya komnata Chyorny/Cherny (masculine), Chyornaya/Chernaya (feminine), or Chyornoye/Chernoye (neuter) may refer to: *Daniil Chyorny (c. 1360–1430), Russian icon painter *Vadim Chyorny (born 1997), Russian football player. *Chyorny (inhabited locality) (' ...

'' (TV Series) (2 episodes) (2000)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * http://www.mikhailkrichman.ru/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Krichman 1967 births Living people European Film Award for Best Cinematographer winners Russian cinematographers