Darius Khondji

Darius Khondji (; born 21 October 1955) is an Iranian-French cinematographer. He is known for his work with directors such as Jean-Pierre Jeunet, David Fincher, Alan Parker, Michael Haneke, Woody Allen, James Gray, Bong Joon-ho, Wong Kar-Wai, and the Safdie brothers. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards and three César Awards.

Early life and education Khondji was born in Tehran, Iran, to an Iranian father and a French mother. At an early age, his family moved to France. He became interested in film early on and made Super-8 films in his teens. Later, he moved to the United States to study at UCLA and then majored in film at New York University and the International Center of Photography. Two teachers influenced his decision to become a cinematographer: Jonas Mekas and Haig P. Manoogian (Martin Scorsese's film teacher).

Career

After his time in the United States, Khondji returned to France in 1981 and worked as an assistant for cinematographers like Bruno Nuytten, Martin Schafer and Pascal Marti. He also worked as a lighting director on music videos and commercials. To Rome with Love (2012) and Magic in the Moonlight (2014).

In 2012, Khondji shot the Palme d'Or-winning film Amour, which also won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and was nominated for Best Picture.

Influences Khondji cites Gregg Toland as his favorite cinematographer. "I particularly admire his work on John Ford's The Grapes of Wrath." He also greatly admires James Wong Howe's work, in particular Hud. Khondji has said that his dream project would be "a 16mm black and white film of On the Road!"

Personal life Khondji is married to Marianne Chemetov, a daughter of the French architect Paul Chemetov, and has three children.

Filmography Short films Year Title Director Notes 2013 Illusions & Mirrors Shirin Neshat Castello Cavalcanti Wes Anderson

Feature films

Television Year Title Director Notes 2019 Too Old to Die Young Nicolas Winding Refn Miniseries; 7 episodes 2020 Strasbourg 1518 Jonathan Glazer TV short 2021 Lisey's Story Pablo Larraín Miniseries; 8 episodes

Music videos Year Title Artist Director 1993 "Fever"Madonna Stéphane Sednaoui1996 "You Must Love Me"Alan Parker "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" 1998 "Frozen"Chris Cunningham 1999 "Afrika Shox" Leftfield 2000 "Dirge" Death in Vegas Richard FearlessRichard Fenwick 2001 "Boiler" Limp Bizkit Fred DurstDave Meyers 2008 "Miles Away"Madonna Nathan Rissman 2010 Sticky & Sweet Tour Nathan RissmanSteven KleinTom MunroNick Wickham 2011 "Marry the Night"Lady Gaga 2014 "Everything" Neneh Cherry Jean-Baptiste Mondino 2017 "Look What You Made Me Do" Taylor Swift Joseph Kahn 2018 "The Icon Project" Eminem Marissa Velez 2019 "Marcy Me" Jay-Z Safdie brothers

Exhibitions 2010: Discovery award laureate and exhibition at Les Rencontres d'Arles festival, France.

Awards and nominations Academy Awards Year Title Category Result 1996 Evita Best Cinematography 2022 Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths 2025 Marty Supreme

British Academy Film Awards Year Title Category Result 1996 Evita Best Cinematography 2025 Marty Supreme

American Society of Cinematographers Awards Year Title Category Result 1995 Seven Outstanding Cinematography 1996 Evita 2013 The Immigrant Spotlight Award 2025 Marty SupremeOutstanding Cinematography

British Society of Cinematographers Awards Year Title Category Result 1995 Seven Best Cinematography 1996 Evita 2011 Midnight in Paris 2025 Marty Supreme

César Awards Year Title Category Result 1991 DelicatessenBest Cinematography 1995 The City of Lost Children 2012 Amour

Chicago Film Critics Association Awards Year Title Category Result 1995 SevenBest Cinematography 1996 Evita 2022 Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths

Independent Spirit Awards Year Title Category Result 2011 Midnight in ParisBest Cinematography 2013 The Immigrant

Other accolades Year Award Category Title Result 1995 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Best Cinematography Se7en 1996 Globo d'oro Best Cinematography Stealing Beauty Camerimage Golden Frog David di Donatello Best Cinematography 2012 European Film Awards Best Cinematographer Amour 2013 New York Film Critics Circle Awards Best Cinematographer The Immigrant National Society of Film Critics Best Cinematography 2014 Lumière Awards Best Cinematography Magic in the Moonlight 2016 San Diego Film Critics Society Best Cinematography The Lost City of Z London Film Critics' Circle Technical Achievement of the Year