Famous French Cinematographers

Louis Malle was a French film director, screenwriter, and producer best known for his film Le Monde du silence, which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 1957. He was also the recipient of two Golden Lion awards, one of the only four directors to have achieved this feat. He was active in both French cinema and Hollywood.

Agnes Varda was a Belgian-born French film director, screenwriter, and artist. She was a key figure in the development of the French New Wave film movement of the 1950s and 1960s. She often made films addressing women’s issues and other social justice problems. She was honored with an Academy Honorary Award. She was married to director Jacques Demy. 

Louis Le Prince was a French inventor and artist. He is credited with inventing an early motion-picture camera and is often referred to as the Father of Cinematography. However, Louis Le Prince's work failed to influence the commercial development of motion picture because of the secrecy surrounding his invention.

Chris Marker was a French photographer, writer, multimedia artist, film director, and film essayist. He is considered an exponent of the Left Bank subgroup of the French New Wave that came into existence in the 1950s and 1960s. After starting his career by working with members of the Left Bank Film Movement, Marker went on to help popularize the genre.

André Weinfeld is a TV and film producer, cinematographer, director, screenwriter, journalist, and photographer. In addition to covering the rock and roll and pop scenes of the 1960s and 1970s, André Weinfeld also worked as a war correspondent, covering wars such as the Six-Day War, Vietnam War, and the Yom Kippur War.

French filmmaker and series director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade initially studied law and journalism but later launched his own TV news agency. He is best known for his Academy Award-winning documentary Murder on a Sunday Morning. He is also known for the 2004 film The Staircase, based on author and murder convict Michael Peterson.

César Award-winning French director Arnaud Desplechin is best known for his critically acclaimed drama film My Golden Days. Starting his career as a cameraman, he later gained recognition with the thriller The Sentinel. He was nominated for the Palme d'Or for the films Jimmy Picard and Oh Mercy!

François-Arnold Reichenbach was a French film producer, director, screenwriter, and cinematographer. He was active from 1954 until his death in 1993, during which he directed 40 films. Some of François-Arnold Reichenbach's best known films include America As Seen by a Frenchman, Arthur Rubinstein – The Love of Life, and Do You Hear the Dogs Barking?