Among the highest active cinematographers, Caroline Cham- petier has received numerous awards including the César for Best Photography and the Gianno di Venanzo Prize for Des Hommes et des Dieux by Xavier Beauvois in 2011, Silver Frog at Camerimage for his work on Holy Motors by Leos Carax, and was also nominated for the César for Best Cinematography for Les Innocentes by Anne Fontaine in 2016 and Les Gardiennes by Xavier Beauvois in 2017.
The radiance of the skin, its transparency and its mystery, are a recurring source of inspiration in the work of Caroline Champetier, a common thread leading to an almost physical immersion in image, technology and art, for always better serve the vision of the director and highlight the actors.
Caroline Champetier has shot nearly a hundred films as assis-tant and then director of photography. She began her career with Chantal Akerman Toute une Nuit with Aurore Clément then went on to several short films and feature films with Jean-Luc Godard: Grandeur et Décadence d’un Petit Commerce de Cinéma, Soigne ta Droite, Puissance de la Parole, followed in 1991 by Hélas pour moi with Gérard Depardieu.
Caroline then worked for the great talents of French cinema: Jacques Rivette La Bande des Quatre, Jacques Doillon Ponette, Philippe Garrel J’Entends Plus la Guitare, Le Vent de la Nuit with Catherine Deneuve, Benoît Jacquot La Fille Seule, Villa Amalia with Isabelle Huppert, Barbet Schroeder The Lawyer of Terror, André Téchiné Alice & Martin, with Juliette Binoche. In the young generation of French directors, Caroline Champetier has worked with Xavier Beauvois Le Petit Lieutenant, Des Hommes et des Dieux, Les Gardiennes, Arnaud Desplechin La Sentinelle, Patricia Mazuy Sport de Filles, Anne Fontaine Nettoyage à Sec, Dernière Chance, Les Innocentes, and Leos Carax with the “Merde” segment in the feature Tokyo (Gondry, Carax, Bong Joon Ho) followed by Holy Motors and Annette. This latest collaboration earned her the Lumière Award for Best Cinematography and a nomination for the César for Best Cinematography 2022.
Known for her talent beyond borders, Caroline has also collaborated with Nobushiro Suwa H-Story, A Perfect Couple, Naomi Kawase The Whole World, Amos Gitai Terre Promise, One Day You Will Know, or even Wang Chao, Tawfik Abu Wael and Irene Dionisio.
In 2022, Caroline Champetiers signed the photography for Fyzal Boulifa’s second feature film for Vixens entitled The Damned don’t cry, selected at the Venice Film Festival, and has just completed in 2023 filming the feature film Clicquot, starring Hailey Bennett and Leos Carax medium-length It’s Not Me.
Caroline is currently preparing Benoît Jacquot next feature.