Angénieux holds the honor of being the only lens manufacturer with official partner status at the Cannes Film Festival. During the iconic event, we organize a tribute ceremony to celebrate the achievements of the unsung heroes of the silver screen – Directors of Photography.

⠀⠀⠀

In its 10th year, the Pierre Angénieux Tribute ceremony has progressively staked out a claim as one of the highlights of the world’s most prestigious international film festival. Since 2013, the annual Pierre Angénieux Tribute has been a unique opportunity for filmmakers and film enthusiasts to celebrate the art of cinematography.   

⠀⠀⠀

It upholds the legacy of Pierre Angénieux, who laid the foundations of modern zoom lenses in 1935. It is a testament to our continuing commitment to innovation, quality, and excellence in the film industry.

The tribute recognizes the contribution of an established Director of Photography, while the annual Special Encouragement, introduced in 2018, highlights a promising young cinematographer to help
them to continue their creative journey.

⠀⠀⠀

⠀⠀⠀

The latest edition of the awards ceremony will be opened by the festival director General Delegate Thierry Frémaux, on 26 May 2023. As announced in April, the laureate of the 2023 Pierre Angénieux
Tribute is the British Director of Production Cinematography Barry Ackroyd, BSC, while this year’s Special Encouragement goes to the Egyptian cinematographer Haya Khairat.

⠀⠀⠀

The day before the awards ceremony, Barry Ackroyd will give a masterclass moderated by journalist Jordan Mintzer from The Hollywood Reporter, offering an insight into his creative process, his collaboration with directors, and his distinctive approach to lighting and camera work.

⠀⠀⠀

The prize for the winner of the Pierre Angénieux Tribute award is a specially engraved zoom lens, while the Special Encouragement includes a year’s free rental of one of our flagship products.

⠀⠀⠀

⠀⠀⠀

Directors of Photography (DPs) play a crucial role in capturing the director’s vision on camera and bringing it to life. One of the primary reasons why DPs are so vital to the film industry is their ability to work collaboratively with directors, production designers, and other crew members to create a cohesive visual narrative. Like orchestra leaders, they play a crucial role in setting the tone and mood of a work, selecting the camera angles, lighting set-ups, and lens choices that serve the story best. They also work with the production designer to ensure the overall visual aesthetic is consistent throughout the film. In addition, DPs oversee the color grading and post-production process to ensure that the final product matches the director’s original vision.

⠀⠀⠀

Likewise, Angénieux owes its success to the ability to work creatively with the users of its lenses, and DPs, therefore, have a central role to play in the company’s strategy. Each innovation and each new cinematographer’s practical insights and experience shape products as we seek to develop the tools and technologies they need to express their creativity fully. For example, Interchangeable Rear Optics (IRO) technology allows them to adapt zoom lens configurations to three camera sensor formats, including full-frame. The Integrated Optical Palette (IOP) for prime lenses includes customizable elements to expand the cinematographer’s creative toolset and guarantee continuity of effect across the entire range of lenses. Both innovations are exclusive to Angénieux, and both were co-developed with DPs to tailor the latest technology to their artistic tastes and standards.

⠀⠀⠀

⠀⠀⠀

Today, Angénieux is recognized as an exceptional company with unique know-how, a tried-and-trusted capacity for innovation, a robust global presence, and solid partnerships with other industry leaders. We’ve worked with Band Pro in the Americas and Jebsen in China to develop the EZ series of zooms – the first cine lenses to offer interchangeable full-frame and Super 35 shooting formats. These lenses are particularly popular with younger generations of cinematographers and are now among the most widely used cine zooms industry-wide.

⠀⠀⠀

Angénieux occupies a unique position in the cinema landscape as the only manufacturer to offer a complete family of high-quality, wide-ratio zoom lenses – from the flagship Optimo Ultra 12X to very compact models like the Optimo Ultra Compact – as well as prime lenses of equivalent quality, the Optimo Primes. Coveted for their ability to create a unique visual identity for each work, our lenses are a benchmark in virtually every genre, including cinema feature films, documentaries, TV dramas, music videos, and commercials. Famously, NASA even selected them to capture images of man’s first step on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission… The Angénieux catalog offers a complete toolset of high-end products, allowing established cinematographers to give free rein to their creativity and encouraging the next generation of talent to push the boundaries of visual storytelling.

⠀⠀⠀

The 10th anniversary of the Pierre Angénieux Tribute marks a significant milestone in our history. The entire Angénieux team is proud to honor some of the world’s most outstanding Directors of Photography and upholds a tradition that highlights the subtle artistry of Directors of Photography – testifying to our unwavering commitment to the film industry.