First off, last year’s French period romance PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE. Directed by Céline Sciamma and shot by Claire Mathon, the film forgoes the typical visual extravagance of many historical dramas, instead crafting a uniquely insular world of subtle glances and innuendos between the two leads. In the months before production, Mathon spent significant time in museums examining eighteenth and nineteenth century paintings to discover the look and feel of the film: “I was influenced by the portraits that we looked at during our preparation, where you didn’t feel which direction the light came from, but you just saw it emanating from the surface and faces. I tried similarly to sublimate Marianne and Héloďse by enveloping them with light without ever flattening their forms. I wanted to give the impression that they were themselves the light of the film, which created a sense of abstraction reminiscent of paintings.” (source)

Then we have 2015’s LOST BIRDS from Turkey, directed by Aren Perdeci and Ela Alyamac and shot by Perdeci himself, notable as the first Turkish-made film to grapple directly with the Armenian Genocide of 1915. While the cinematography and period production design are exquisitely crafted across the entire film, try filtering for only Extreme Wide shots to admire the stunning beauty of the Anatolian landscapes captured by Perdeci and Alyamac.

We’ve also got the 2009 Academy Award-Nominated Peruvian drama THE MILK OF SORROW from director Claudia Llosa and cinematographer Natasha Braier. This film employs gorgeous low contrast, soft lighting and a careful range of desatured blues and yellows to paint a moving picture of generational trauma with a light dose of magical realism.

Then there’s HUSTLE & FLOW, directed by Craig Brewer and shot by Amy Vincent on Super 16mm. The film earned both the Best Cinematography and Audience Awards at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and would go on to be nominated for several Oscars. Vincent said of the film’s distinct setting: “You could photograph Memphis in a much more somber way, but we chose to go for a very contrasty look and saturated colors. All the elements were unbelievably beautiful, including locations, set dressings, wardrobe, various skin tones, and how sweat glistened on the faces of the characters in close-ups.” (source)

And finally, the satirical coming-of-age film JOJO RABBIT, directed by Taika Waititi and shot by Mihai Mălaimare Jr. In addition to its beautiful and charmingly irreverent depiction of Nazi Germany, the film is notable for its use of 1.3x squeeze Hawk V-lite lenses to achieve the anamorphic look in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio without cropping the image. When scrolling through our selections from this film on ShotDeck, take note of how the color notably shifts from bolder more saturated tones in the beginning toward a more muted palette by the end, reflecting Jojo’s own steadily increasing disillusionment with Nazism.

We hope you find these films a valuable addition to your visual research on the site and an exciting new source of inspiration for your next project.