The ICF⁺C

Originally titled Tunis–Djerba, two opposite ends of Tunisia, Where the Wind Comes From by director @amelguellaty follows two friends, Alyssa and Mehdi, on a road trip as they try to change their lives. It’s a deeply poetic film with an outstanding soundtrack. This project was particularly challenging because so much of it involved actual road shooting, both inside and outside a car. We worked handheld inside the vehicle and used several rigs mounted outside the windows. The film was shot in late spring 2023, and we experienced unusually inconsistent weather for Tunisia that time of year: alternating between bright sun and grey skies. Maintaining weather continuity became a real challenge. At the same time, the sunlight was often extremely harsh, which added another layer of difficulty. Still, somehow, as it often does, everything came together in the end. We shot the film on a RED Helium with ARRI Ultra Prime lenses. We used a zoom lens for one specific shot that required a zoom-in effect while driving, operated remotely. Throughout the film, Alyssa experiences visions, and these moments were often introduced through a zoom-in or dolly-in movement onto her character. While many of my recent projects relied heavily on handheld camerawork, this film leaned toward a more stable visual language — dollies and locked-off shots. The director had already envisioned much of this approach before we began shooting. Thank you for following along this week and for letting me share part of my journey with you all 🙏🏽 If you’d like to explore more of my work, @cinelogue , a non-profit streaming service centering the cinema of the Global Majority, is currently streaming six films from different points in my career. The films in this program were curated by nat_hunt and are also a reflection for me personally on how my style has evolved across time and projects.You can watch these via the link in bio.  @cinelogue is also offering a 20% discount off their monthly subscription price using code: ICFC20. I hope you’ll enjoy watching these films as much as I enjoyed working on them.

Today I would like to tell you about a short film from 2022. It’s called “She sings” and it was directed by a couple of directors Lily and Ahmed Ragheb @studioragheb The project is experimental in nature, which is what drew me to it. It carries its own narration and explores the emotional split that comes with living between two countries. There’s a surreal, almost dreamlike quality running through it. I do have a small cameo in it 👋🏽 We shot this short film across two countries: between Pittsburgh, USA and Cairo, Egypt. In Pittsburgh, I worked with the ARRI Mini LF paired with ZEISS Supreme lenses (35mm and 65mm). When we moved to Cairo, we had to adapt due to availability and switched to a different set of ARRI lenses. This shift worked in the film’s favor I believe , it reinforced the sense of two distinct worlds. Our crew in Pittsburgh was very small, while in Cairo it expanded significantly. Filmmaking there operates at a different scale, with no shortage of manpower. Working abroad or in unfamiliar cities usually means collaborating with crews you don’t know. Sometimes it works seamlessly, sometimes it doesn’t, but in this case, it worked out well. One unusual aspect of this project to me was the remote color grade. I was simultaneously shooting a documentary, so I collaborated remotely with the very talented Lebanese colorist @chrystel.elias We worked from stills and discussed everything over the phone. It turned out better than expected. I wouldn’t necessarily approach a feature this way, but for a short film, it worked beautifully. This was my first time shooting in Cairo. I returned two years later for the Sudanese film “Cotton Queen”by Suzannah Mirghani

Today I’d like to share Nomad Shadow, a film about Meriem, a Sahraoui woman returning home after being deported from Spain. It explores what “coming back” really means, and how it reshapes family dynamics in ways that are often unspoken. We shot across Algeria, on the first feature by director @eimi_imanishi , a talented Japanese American filmmaker. For me, it was a first experience shooting in Algeria. The biggest challenge was our main location: the family home. Low ceilings, very few windows, and a layout that limited natural light. We had a central living space connected to three small rooms and an open kitchen. A lot of the story unfolds there. Because of that, we leaned heavily on practical lighting, especially wall fixtures at night, and used light spilling from adjacent rooms when shooting in the main space. We also chose to work with long takes and minimal coverage. Time was tight, and we wanted the scenes to breathe. It wasn’t the easiest choice production-wise, but it shaped the rhythm of the film in a meaningful way. Despite the constraints, the crew was incredible, and the experience was genuinely rewarding. The film was selected at @tiff_net 2025 amongst other festivals. On the technical side, I shot on the Arri Mini LF with Vantage 1.4 lenses that felt truly magical for this kind of work. Some projects benefit for the generosity of rental houses so a huge thanks to @vantagefilmfrance for their continuous support. 🙏🏽

Here I am (@frida_dop )for the first movie I want to share with you today: Promised sky is a feature film about three Sub-Saharan women and a child in Tunis—my second collaboration with director @erigesehiri . From early development, the director and I wanted a “blue” film to move away from the warm tonalities often associated with African-set narratives. This decision informed the wardrobe palette, production design and was carried through into the color correction. This was also my first time working extensively with darker skin tones. My involvement began at script stage and extended into early casting. I met one of the actresses nearly a year in advance. Given the hybrid nature of the performances, non-professional actors, partial self-representation, and a strong improvisational component, this early collaboration was key. We premiered as the opening film of Un Certain Regard at @festivaldecannes last year- 2025. The camera package was built around the ARRI Alexa Mini LF paired with Panaspeed @panavisionofficial lenses. I leaned into the large-format sensor for its falloff and separation, while the Panaspeeds introduced a softness and a gentle roll-off in highlights. Lighting was minimal : @ARRI 1.8K HMIs, Astera tubes, Amaran units for lightweight augmentation, and a @dmglighting Dash for rapid, close-range shaping, particularly useful in tight interiors and fast-moving setups.

Hello everyone, I’m glad to be sharing a few things about my my path with all of you. My name is Frida Marzouk @frida_dop . I’m a French-Tunisian DP currently based in Paris, member of the AFC. My university education was entirely theoretical in France. I graduated from a university in Paris, where I wrote a thesis on Christic figures in the films of Martin Scorsese, with a focus on framing and lighting. I was a huge fan and that what’s lead me to cinema studies. Because it was theoretical I sought out practical experience on my own—starting with internships in editing at first, script supervising.. before eventually finding my path in cinematography. I worked as a focus puller on most of Abdellatif Kechiche movies and that’s where I realized I needed to learn more about lighting. After graduating in Paris, I spent my masters year specializing in cinematography in New York which was much more hands on , after which I began working on set as an electrician. Working on film sets in New York, surrounded by some of the most talented DPs and highly skilled crews, became my real education. Being part of those teams, especially within the electrical department, taught me the craft in a hands-on way that I deeply value. I mostly worked in the US, the Arab world and Europe. One of my biggest dreams is to expand my work to Asia. I’ll be sharing a few projects that are dear to me in the following days.

@elisasouzac here for our last takeover post! to me, collaboration is the heart of filmmaking, and i'm very grateful for the opportunities i get to work with all kinds of people. film allows us to have unique life experiences, we can dive deep into specific worlds and themes, and if you open yourself up to it you can find lots of lessons to learn not only as a filmmaker but also as a person. throughout this week, i’ve been sharing here different tools i use as a cinematographer, but what actually brings these stories to life is other people. actors, directors, writers, producers, production designers, gaffers, key grips, costume designers, makeup artist, camera assistants, colorists… and everyone who’s behind the scenes, who allow us to have the space to keep creating. here you can see before / after stills of a few films i shot in recent years, where you can really see the difference our teams make. so this is an appreciation post on these relationships and their potential - we can create different realities together, and communicating is the only path forward. stills from: when offered wind - directed by adriane mccray cultivar - directed by @isa_verissimo malu and the machine - directed by @analumene no love lost - directed by @histacyg seed - directed by @gkertesz the spool - directed by @lgstokes it’s been a real pleasure to share some of my work this week, thank you for all the kind messages. follow me @elisasouzac to stay in touch, and keep following to see great work done by other @theicfc DPs! #theicfc #cinematography #womeninfilm

hi all! your host @elisasouzac here :) building a look always starts in pre production. looking at references with the director is the first spark, and as we begin to shape how we want the film to look we go into testing. this is a very important part of the process for me and, like every other step, it can vary greatly between projects. sometimes it's all about the camera and the lenses, sometimes we experiment with different elements such as props, makeup, filters... then, with footage from the tests, i usually meet the colorist before the shoot so we can create a LUT together, that way we already have a sense of the look when we're monitoring during the shoot. this also means we have a starting point for color in post! i love collaborating with colorists, it's one of my favorite moments in a film ❤️ we've discussed testing and color in 35mm cross-processed ektachrome in previous posts (check it out on our feed!), now sharing here some more examples of tests and color grading: 1 - SEED DPX / finished footage @kodak_shootfilm 35mm 250D, @panavisionofficial XL2 + panavision primos dir. @gkertesz_ color @the.vinimoreira 2 and 3 - RITMO log / 709 / LUT comparison on lens tests dailies + LUT / finished footage @arri alexa mini + @cookeoptics s4 minis dir. @histacyg color @j_b_innovate.color + light iron 4 - PARTY PRINCESS log / finished footage comparison @sonycine venice + @cookeoptics panchro dir. @barosa.daniel color @jake.m.white @company_3 5 - NO LOVE LOST 709 / finished footage comparison @sonycine sony venice + @zeisscinematography supreme primes dir. @histacyg color @j_b_innovate.color - @elisasouzac #theicfc #cinematography #colorgrading #cameratest

communication is one of the most important aspects of working as a cinematographer, and pre visualization tools can play a big role in certain projects. my workflow is flexible to accommodate for each film’s needs, which can depend on things like vfx and stunts, but perhaps even more important is the relationship with the director and other department heads. each director likes to work in a specific way - some of them like to shotlist together, some of them like to storyboard by themselves first and then discuss shots… today i brought some examples of previs tools i used in films recently: 1 - seed directed by @gkertesz_ on this project our production designer @katolawton was working remotely and i saw art department made 3D models to work with her, so i used the opportunity to experiment with angles and camera movement in prep. i used frame forge, which looks pretty funny, but it was extremely precise since we were shooting 35mm with a @panavisionofficial XL2 and primo lenses, and it made my communication with the camera team super precise and efficient on set, including focal length, camera height, even distance 2 - what’s the deal with birds? directed by @taylorbakken here the director storyboarded by hand first, then we discussed it and shot a video storyboard together. after editing, we discussed it again, and she redid the storyboards, making the shoot and the edit run very smoothly! 3 - ludmilla directed by @the.vinimoreira vini is also a 3D artist, and for his creative process he wanted to design the film virtually first, so he spent months (!) making basically an animatic of the whole film, including characters lines and movement. this was great since we used it to discuss shots and timing, we tweaked it for the shotlist and it made our set very streamlined. we ended up wrapping early several days :) (CONTINUES IN THE COMMENTS)

@elisasouzac here once again and today we’re talking about formats on film, finding solutions and adapting our tools to fit the story 🎞️ when i met director @taylorbakken to discuss shooting "what's the deal with birds?", one of the first things she said was she wanted to mix film sizes to feel a change in the image when the main character crossed into a different world. we ended up getting all of our stock from @kodak_shootfilm in 35mm, so i had to come up with something else to create that difference in resolution and texture. after doing some research (and talking to DP friends, always an important resource), i decided to shoot most of the film on a 2-perf camera with spherical lenses and the ending on 4-perf with anamorphic lenses, to heighten that sensation and show that difference on screen. the idea was to have the 4-perf footage on native 2.39 (2x desqueeze factor from our E series lenses) with the XL2 and the 2-perf footage on 1.33 with the platinum, so we could also use the jump in aspect ratio as a narrative tool, but to make that work we’d need a 1.33 ground glass for 2-perf. massive thanks to @panavisionofficial and @m_p_carter for making a custom piece of ground glass, allowing us to create the difference in resolution taylor and i discussed on our very first meeting. and for supporting us throughout this entire project ❤️ this was a pretty technical film, especially since we shot it on ektachrome, creating a very interesting color pipeline with a reversal stock which we decided to cross-process after testing. shoutout to our incredible colorist @auroragordon and and our lab @fotokem_la for doing an incredible job! swipe to see clips from our camera tests at panavision woodland hills, raw footage from the film, with the LUT rory created for us, and with the final results. tomorrow i’ll talk about cross vs regular processing on ektachrome and live action + stop motion for the film on @theicfc stories, let me know if you have any questions! - @elisasouzac #theicfc #cinematography #35mm

today we’re talking about lighting and camera plans 🎥💡 every project asks for something different. sometimes we’re more focused on lighting, sometimes on camera movement, but mapping out lighting, camera and blocking ideas during prep is key to make everything run smoothly. on this post are examples from a few projects, from early plans to location photos and clips from the finished films. here i used the shot designer app - these diagrams helped figure out where to place each light, how actors would move through the space, and how the camera would respond to that. they’re also a key part of communication, i can make these plans myself or build them alongside my gaffer/kry grip. the director can also be a part of this conversation, especially when we’re shaping blocking, and it’s always exciting to see how ideas evolve through collaboration. this process isn’t about locking anything in, things change all the time once we’re on set. it’s really about having a direction when we get there, to make faster decisions when it really matters. lately, i’ve also been sketching ideas quickly on my ipad notes app when needed, and i’ve used previs pro before, but shot designer remains my go-to for building more detailed plans. now let me know - what tools do you use for lighting and camera planning? :) clips and materials from: overgrown - directed by eva neuwirth, gaffer @eythanmaidhof ritmo - directed by @histacyg , gaffer @ryankunadp flow - directed by @rill.means , gaffer @zack_wallnau see you tomorrow! - @elisasouzac #theicfc #cinematography

hi everyone, @elisasouzac here again! today i want to share a bit about my pre production process. anyone who’s worked with me knows i’m a huge fan of @scriptation - it’s the app i use on my ipad to annotate scripts. it’s very helpful to keep track of changes and it lets me transfer my notes seamlessly between drafts. when i first get a script, i always start by reading it with the story in mind, not thinking about visuals yet. then, i read it again, now starting to imagine what this can look like, brainstorming ideas. i organize my notes in layers on the app, separating story thoughts and questions to discuss with the direction and camera notes / lighting concepts / visual references. being able to toggle each layer on and off helps me stay focused without overwhelming the page. here i’m showing examples from “when offered wind”, a very special film i shot in LA in 2023. it follows a couple who’s trying to conceive, and one night a mysterious visitor enters their home, a presence that feels like an embodiment of their inner fears and emotional conflict. what i love about looking back at this material is seeing how the film evolved between prep and post. some elements changed, others were added, but the tone remained consistent throughout, which is always the goal. you can also see how i use color coding across my notes. in this project, our visual language included subtle horror and suspense elements while still allowing for emotional range. color became a key tool to differentiate between moments of warmth, tension, and vulnerability, which is something i often explore in my work. let me know if you have any questions :) i also love using spreadsheets to break down scripts and organize my thoughts, happy to share more about prepping in the next few days! - elisa *credits in the comments #theicfc #cinematography

hi everyone, @elisasouzac here 🎥 i’ll be taking over @theicfc this week, and i’m really excited to be hosting for the first time! i’m a brazilian cinematographer working between the united states and brazil. i studied film in brazil and started out in the camera department there, before moving to los angeles a few years ago to pursue my master’s in cinematography at the @americanfilminstitute . my work is primarily narrative - both features and shorts - but i also shoot commercials, music videos, and documentaries. i’m interested in balancing a sensitive point of view with technical precision, with story and collaboration always at the center of my process. i’m passionate about exploring different themes and genres, and working across both film and digital formats. i’ve also been a fellow at @filmindependent ’s project involve and i’m a member of @abcine and @coletivodafb . over the next few days, i’ll be sharing more about my process, behind-the-scenes moments, and some recent work. feel free to reach out, ask questions, or just say hi, happy to connect :) - elisa #theicfc #cinematography