Darius Khondji


Darius Khondji is an Iranian-French cinematographer. He is known for his work with directors such as Jean-Pierre Jeunet, David Fincher, 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. He realized that "all I wanted to do was shoot the other students' films. I was concerned with the power of the image and much less with story."

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.
His second feature film was Le tresor des Iles Chiennes, a low-budget, black-and-white, post-atomic adventure film. His work on this movie led the Cahiers du cinéma to publish a rare interview with a cinematographer. It was on this film that he demonstrated an affinity for Cinemascope. He remarked in an interview, "I think it's the most beautiful format to frame. One can become absorbed in the faces when they're framed in 'Scope." His subsequent work on Delicatessen established his international reputation and earned him a Cesar nomination for Best Cinematography. One of his highest profile films was Seven which he got based on a Nike ad he shot with David Fincher and his work on Delicatessen. His work on Evita was nominated for an Oscar for the Best Cinematography.
Darius worked on three European-shot films by Woody Allen: Midnight in Paris, To Rome with Love and Magic in the Moonlight.
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: Marie-Louise, Josephine, and Alexandre.

Exhibitions

Awards and nominations

Academy Awards
YearTitleCategoryResult
1996EvitaBest CinematographyNomitated
2022Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of TruthsBest CinematographyNomitated
2025Marty SupremeBest Cinematography

British Academy Film Awards
YearTitleCategoryResult
1996EvitaBest CinematographyNomitated
2025Marty SupremeBest Cinematography

American Society of Cinematographers Awards
YearTitleCategoryResult
1995SevenOutstanding CinematographyNomitated
1996EvitaOutstanding CinematographyNomitated
2013The ImmigrantSpotlight AwardNomitated
2025Marty SupremeOutstanding Cinematography

British Society of Cinematographers Awards
YearTitleCategoryResult
1995SevenBest CinematographyNomitated
1996EvitaBest CinematographyNomitated
2011Midnight in ParisBest CinematographyNomitated
2025Marty SupremeBest Cinematography

César Awards
YearTitleCategoryResult
1991DelicatessenBest CinematographyNomitated
1995The City of Lost ChildrenBest CinematographyNomitated
2012AmourBest CinematographyNomitated

Chicago Film Critics Association Awards
YearTitleCategoryResult
1995SevenBest CinematographyWon
1996EvitaBest CinematographyNomitated
2022Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of TruthsBest CinematographyNomitated

Independent Spirit Awards
YearTitleCategoryResult
2011Midnight in ParisBest CinematographyNomitated
2013The ImmigrantBest CinematographyNomitated

Other accolades
YearAwardCategoryTitleResult
1995Los Angeles Film Critics AssociationBest CinematographySe7enNomitated
1996Globo d'oroBest CinematographyStealing BeautyWon
1996CamerimageGolden FrogStealing BeautyNomitated
1996David di DonatelloBest CinematographyStealing BeautyNomitated
2012European Film AwardsBest CinematographerAmourNomitated
2013New York Film Critics Circle AwardsBest CinematographerThe ImmigrantWon
2013National Society of Film CriticsBest CinematographyThe ImmigrantNomitated
2014Lumière AwardsBest CinematographyMagic in the MoonlightNomitated
2016San Diego Film Critics SocietyBest CinematographyThe Lost City of ZNomitated
2016London Film Critics' CircleTechnical Achievement of the YearThe Lost City of ZNomitated