Sheldon Chau

❄️ ::: Shaaghan Neekwaii: Two Old Women ::: writer/director • @daazhraii producers • @taa.aiipeter , @jasonryle , @heather_rae22 prod company • @deenaadaiproductions — Excited to share some stills from this very special short film we shot in Alaska earlier this year. Huge kudos to a truly wonderful team of Alaskan Natives, local crew, and LA implants (shout-out to my peeps Bonny, Andy, Hannah!). This was one of the most rewarding projects I’ve had the pleasure to be involved in - from the warmest welcome dinner where we were treated to locally sourced Alaskan home cooking to being greeted by the dancing Northern Lights upon wrapping late at night. It was a spiritual experience to collaborate with the Gwich’in Nation. A huge thank you to Princess for trusting me and introducing us to your beautiful culture! — from Deenaadàį’ Productions: Shaaghan Neekwaii: Two Old Women is the first-ever screen adaptation of Velma Wallis’s celebrated novel. This is the first narrative film to be told entirely in the Gwich’in language, which marks a historic milestone for Indigenous cinema. Rooted in ancestral knowledge and created in collaboration with the Gwich’in Nation, Shaaghan Neekwaii is a testament to resilience, survival, and the enduring power of Indigenous storytelling. The U.S. premiere will take place at the 45th Annual Hawai’i International Film Festival in Oʻahu. @hiffhawaii — dp • ✋ 1st AC • @hoonatron 2nd AC • @hannahannahlee line prod • mark mathis prod designer • @ajhayton wardrobe • @aknative_ script sup • @bonny.with.the.y gaffer • @daveselle600 swing • @its.rodney swing • @jimmybuckets24 drone / bts • @calebcphotography_ vfx sup • @calebknueven vfx • @fussingi sound • @devy118 boom • @alaskan_on_the_globe make-up • @jake.rockett make-up asst • @sanaya_yatlin caterers • @odin_peter @joaromero7 editor • @stephaniefilo asst edit • @michael_abitz post sup • @iamsli sound • @feltsound music • @maliobomsawin color • @stephopho camera • @old_fast_glass (ARRI 416) film stock • @kodak_shootfilm ft. Ch’idzigyaak • Brenda K. Newman Sa’ • Margaret Henry John Chief • Chief Galen Gilbert

Some frame grabs to celebrate DEMBA (directed by Mamadou Dia) ~ a feature that will be releasing in cinemas in Senegal next week. The film premiered at the Berlin Film Fest earlier this year. ::: Demba ::: writer/director • Mamadou Dia @mamadoudiafilmmaker producer • Maba Ba @mababa1 exec prod • @joyedidi dp • 🤚 starring • Ben Nbow, Awa Kane, @awadjigakane_officiel , @aicharassultalla , Seikou Lou, Mamadou Sylla Line Prod • @oumou_diegane 1st AC • @nestorcelaya 2nd AC • @momo7434 Cam/Prod • @massafou Gaffer • @tapha_sarr_electro Boom • @mamadou.sane.376 Sound • @ousmanezonson PA • @naomiefall Stills • @mdphoto10 Editor • @alanwufilm Music • @johncorlis Colorist • @stephopho at @raremedium.tv Lenses • @old_fast_glass @cookeoptics @siruiimaging Camera • @arri @sonycine #berlinale #cinematography #westafricancinema #africancinema #senegal #senegalesecinema #arrialexamini #sonyfx3 #shotoncooke #kowaanamorphic #cookespeedpanchro #siruiimaging #filmmaking

魂 ::: Tamashi ::: short film, doc, 2026 Stoked to share these stills from our beautiful excursion to Bishop, CA to film this poignant story of climbing, butoh, family, and our connection to the land. Thank you to Ashima and Jess for bringing me on! dir: @ashimashiraishi @jessxsnow writers: @ashimashiraishi @cyrenaly producers: @cyrenaly @jessxsnow —— North American premiere at @sffilm in the Bay Area Shorts Competition. May 1: 10am (Schools at the Festival) Phyllis Wattis Theater at @sfmoma May 2: 2:45pm Shorts Block 1: Human Flow - Marina Theater ASHIMA and JESS X. SNOW will be at the live Q&A. Please come and support! Link in bio👆 —— “𝐓𝐀𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐈 魂, (soul in Japanese), was born out of a desire to share climbing as performance art and pure expression of the body. My father, a Butoh dancer and my former mentor, always taught me to move with my soul, and yet many pains and joys between us have gone unexpressed. The short film weaves together my exploration and quest for healing intergenerational trauma alongside my father as we make an offering of climbing and dance for Payahuunadü (the land of flowing water) or present day, Bishop, California.” — Ashima “𝐓𝐀𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐈 魂 is an immersive meditation inviting viewers to examine the traumas that remain lodged within our bodies and how building a interdependent relationship with the indigenous lands we occupy opens the possibility of healing. In an attempt to undo the hierarchical relationship between the climber and rock, in our film, the Grandma Peabody boulder and the land itself is revered as a living, billion year old character and collaborator.” — Jess X. Snow cinematography: @sheldonchau addl. cinematography: Jess X. Snow addl. cinematography: @noahsahady addl. cam op: @jinjabrew editor: @peetvstaden line producer: @bonny.with.the.y score, sound & story consultant: @jinjabrew music: @ayers.nigel sound design: @prehistoricjerk VO: Tara Frank (Bishop Paiute Tribe) archival audio: @kenjitsuk @ashimathemovie key grip @tristan.bangle geology consultant: Jade Starr festival distro & sales: @parallaxfilms_sales production mascot: @fuzzymuzzybear thank you for support: @arcteryx

::: Tamashi 魂 ::: • crew portraits • • Bishop, CA, 2025 • • short documentary, 2026 • • dir. @ashimashiraishi @jessxsnow • • Sharing my crew portraits of this tight-knit and scrappy on-set team. It was a wonderful experience to be out at the Buttermilk Boulders filming Ashima pull off some superhuman feats on that rock as well as butoh legend Poppo Shiraish dancing among the reflective water of snowy June Lake. Also, yet another collaboration with director Jess X. Snow - thank you for your continued trust in me! And shoutout to producer @cyrenaly and editor @peetvstaden , come on set next time for your photo. :) • — Excited to share info for our Asian premiere: @ssff.asia 🇯🇵 Tokyo 2026 May. 29 14:30 - 16:10 May. 30 16:30 - 19:00 May. 31 16:30 - 19:00 MoN Takanawa: The Museum of Narratives June. 7 12:00 - 18:30 LIFORK HARAJUKU

🙏Friends in the bay: 𝚃𝙰𝙼𝙰𝚂𝙷𝙸(魂) - collaboration with @ashimashiraishi and their butoh dancer father, Poppo, will have its North American premiere this weekend at @sffilm , one of our favorite film festivals. 🌁 Shot in Payahuunadü, (Bishop, CA) this documentary is an offering of butoh, climbing, poetry & dance for the land, made to be seen on the big screen. Join me and @jinjabrew our story consultant, and composer for the following q&as. Can’t wait for you to see our film after we shared it for the first time at @iffr Rotterdam at the start of this year. 🫧 ⛰️May 1: 10am (Schools at the Festival) Phyllis Wattis Theater at @sfmoma 🫧May 2: 2:45pm Shorts Block 1: Human Flow - Marina Theater 📽️May 2: 12pm-2pm Teen Filmmaking Workshop 🎟️ tickets still available via link in profile or at SFFilm.org 🌧️In the desert of the Payahuunadü valley (“land of flowing water”) of California, a father performs butoh for the first time in front of his former prodigy rock climber child. They speak to each other through their bodies to summon healing for their relationship and the land.

teaser 1 ___________________________________ zi (2026) produced and made by kogonada, chung an, christopher radcliff, benjamin loeb, haley lu richardson, michelle mao and jin ha

“Subliminal” dir. @jessxsnow out now 🪞 a love letter to the inner child within each of us, a reminder to embrace ourselves with tenderness and wonder. shot in 2022 on @kodak_shootfilm 16mm. link in my bio 💕 Directed by Jess X. Snow @jessxsnow Featuring Hollis as Herself @hollishollishollis & Madison Tend as Inner Child @madison.tend Cinematographer: Sheldon Chau @sheldonchau Producer: Akemi Look @akemilook Choreographer: Jasmine Lin @allthatjasss Art Director: June Kim @junebugkim Hair/Make Up: Jordan Nguyen @jordann_nguyen 1st AC: Tessa Kier @tessa_kier 2nd AC / Film Loader: Victor Grossling @grosslingvictor Gimbal Op: Riley Shen @rhs.cine Set Photography: Samantha Louise Lopez @samanthalouiselopez Editor: P.J. Wyderka @prehistoricjerk Colorist: Stephanie Park @stephopho Score: Chucky Kim Title: Jeremy Leung @jeremyaleung EP: Hollis Wong-Wear @hollishollishollis Production Company: @hww.work Production Coordinator: Patrick Lukens @myroneofficial Production Assistant: Shaune Lam Special Thanks @zamarinwahdat @fotokem @abelcine @old_fast_glass . Shot on @kodak_shootfilm 16mm. “Subliminal” performed by Hollis Written by Hollis Wong-Wear and Chucky Kim Released by AntiFragile Records 2022

❄️ TWO OLD WOMEN [Shaaghan Neekwaii] screens at @maorilandfilm in New Zealand - one of the most significant and largest film festivals in the world dedicated to Indigenous cinema - and also at the inaugural @taosff - an exciting new festival celebrating independent filmmaking in beautiful New Mexico. Thank you @productionhub for this article as I share my wonderful experience of working with director @daazhraii and @deenaadaiproductions in bringing this Alaskan Gwich’in story to life. Shout out to @calebknueven and @calebcphotography_ for the BTS photos. And @old_fast_glass for the gear, @kodak_shootfilm for the film. And @bonny.with.the.y for braving the cold with me! #filmmaking #productionhub #cinematography #indiefilmmaking #cinematographer

“35mm can feel too clean sometimes,” says DP Sheldon Chau. “This is where 16mm shines. The grain and texture are very difficult to achieve with digital in post. There is a way that 16mm film reacts to light that renders it truly unique and special. The feeling of seeing the image for the first time after the lab is always a wondrous experience.” First introduced in 1923 and aimed at amateurs, the 16mm film gauge developed into a professional and popular format in TV, documentaries, music promos and independent film. In recent years it has had something of a renaissance. Read more from Chau and other DPs in our Focus on Film guide - link in bio!

British Cinematographer: Focus on Film Thank you @britishcinematographer for featuring my 16mm work on short films by @daazhraii （Two Old Women) and @jessxsnow (Roots That Reach Toward the Sky). Enjoy the article along with some stills and behind-the-scenes photos. Check it out! (Thank you @neiloseman and @zoemutter for having me.) (Shoutout to @old_fast_glass @kodak @arri_rental for the gear.)

Last month, @sheldonchau attended the premiere of the #Sundance film #Zi from visionary director Kogonada alongside Benjamin Loeb, @haleyluhoo , Jin Ha, @michelleforbreakfast , and the rest of the talented cast and crew. Take a look at photos from the event!⁠ ⁠ Photo credits: Getty Images and Impact24 PR⁠ ⁠ #SundanceFilmFestival #Cinematographer #Film

It was a pleasure to speak to @american_cinematographer along with @zithemovie cinematographer Benjamin Loeb (forever grateful, Ben, for your constant support). Excited for the world to see @kogonada ’s singular vision following its @sundanceorg premiere.