International Competition

Cameraperson

Kirsten Johnson
Screening time  
01.03. / Wednesday, 18:00 - 20:00 Theatre 1  
02.03. / Thursday, 13:00 - 15:00 Theatre 2  
04.03. / Saturday, 20:00 - 22:00 Theatre 4  
A filmmaker’s personal journey and tapestry of footage captured over the twenty-five-year career.

A boxing match in Brooklyn; life in postwar Bosnia and Herzegovina; the daily routine of a Nigerian midwife; an intimate family moment at home: these scenes and others are woven into Cameraperson, a tapestry of footage captured over the twenty-five-year career of documentary cinematographer Kirsten Johnson. Through a series of episodic juxtapositions, Johnson explores the relationships between image makers and their subjects, the tension between the objectivity and intervention of the camera, and the complex interaction of unfiltered reality and crafted narrative. A work that combines documentary, autobiography, and ethical inquiry, Cameraperson is both a moving glimpse into one filmmaker’s personal journey and a thoughtful examination of what it means to train a camera on the world.

Kirsten-johnson-director-of-the-above-feature

Kirsten Johnson

Kirsten Johnson has worked as an independent documentary cinematographer and director committed to human rights questions and visual creativity since 1989. She is the principal cinematographer on over 40 feature-length documentaries and has been credited on countless others as Additional Camera. She directed The Above which premiered at the New York Film Festival. Her collaboration with director Laura Poitras is longstanding, credited as cinematographer on the Oscar-winning Citizenfour, the upcoming series Asylum on Julien Assange, and shared the 2012 Sundance Cinematography Award with Poitras for The Oath. Cameraperson is her third feature-length documentary as a director.

General sponsor

Cameraperson

USA
2016, 102'

Directed by:
Kirsten Johnson

Screenplay by:
Kirsten Johnson

Cinematography:
Kirsten Johnson

Edited by:
Nels Bangerter

Producer:
Marilyn Ness

Produced by:
Big Mouth Productions

Festivals & Awards:

Camden Film Festival 2016 – Best Documentary; Traverse City Film Festival 2016 – Best Documentary; Sheffield Doc/Fest 2016 – Grand Jury Award; Montclair Film Festival 2016 – The Grand Jury Prize; San Francisco International Film Festival 2016 – Best Documentary Feature; Sundance Film Festival 2016; Hot Docs 2016; True/False Film Fest 2016; SXSW Film Festival 2016; Full Frame Film Festival 2016; Doxa Documentary Festival 2016; Miami International Film Festival 2016; Sarajevo Film Festival 2016; Dokufest 2016