The Foundation.
IMAGO, the European Federation of National Cinematographers Associations, was officially founded in Rome on December 13th, 1992 on the idea and initiative of Luciano Tovoli, at that moment President of the Italian Society of Cinematographers AIC, as a result of very imaginative, enthusiastic and hard work done during two meetings in Rome, in the AIC headquaters in Cinecitta’, with the prompt, creative and decisive participation of well-established and well-known Societies of Cinematographers, namely AIC (Italy), AFC (France), BSC (UK) and BVK (Germany).
Bojana Andric, SAS
One of the most prominent young cinematographers in her country, Bojana Andric shot numerous narrative feature films, TV series and documentaries. Her films are varied, both commercial and independent having been screened at many worldwide festivals as well as very successful results in cinemas.
A member of the Serbian Society of Cinematographers, Vice-President Bojana met IMAGO at the Belgrade ceremony, and soon after she was invited to become a member of the Technical Committee. In 2021 she was nominated and elected as a Board member and co-Vice President. She became Interim co-president in 2022.
Bojana is the youngest member of the IMAGO Board.
She also has producing and a rich lecturing experience, as well as Board and Presidential experience of the artistic cultural association of young artists in her hometown. After more than 10 years without regular cinema their efforts led to the foundation of a new modern cinema, co-foundation of the recognized local film festival and numerous filmmaking workshops for young people that were supported by the Ministry of Culture, City government and many other institutions and sponsors.
Adriana Bernal Martínez, ADFC
Adriana Bernal Martínez is a cinematographer, graduated from the prestigious French Film School, FEMIS, and has a Bachelor of Science degree in communication from the Javeriana University of Bogotá.
Adriana Bernal was the first woman director of photography in Colombia and one of the first to appear in a film credit as a department head.
Thanks to her recognized professional career, she was 4 years the president of the Colombian Cinematographer Association, ADFC, and her management helped it to become one of the most important associations in Latin America.
Elected as co-vice president at IMAGO’s IAGA in 2021 she became interim co-president in 2022.
Elen Lotman, ESC
Elen Lotman has shot numerous feature films, shorts and documentaries. For various film projects she has traveled to Japan, Tibet, China, Thailand, India, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Lapland and the Russian Arctic. Her films have won awards and have been shown in competition programs of A‑class film festivals like Camerimage, IDFA, Tampere Film Festival, Black Nights Film Festival, Moscow International Film Festival etc. Most recently, her full-length documentary Dear Mother was nominated for Best Cinematography at the ReelHeart Filmfestival in Toronto and won the Best Feature Documentary. Full-length fiction ‘Good Bye Soviet Union’ was nominated for Camerimage Golder Frog in the Directors’ Debuts Competition and won the Black Nights Film Festival audience award. Her feature film screenplay Container made it to the quarterfinalist at the American Film Academy Nicholl screenwriting competition and her virtual exhibitions filmed for Tallinn Art Hall were chosen among best virtual exhibitions of 2020 by both New York Times and Wallpaper Magazine.
Elen was elected co-President at IEGA 2021 after serving as IMAGO Board Member and also Diversity and Inclusion Committee co-chair.
Mustapha Barat, ABC
Mustapha Barat, of the Brazilian Association ABC, was elected to the Imago Board at the IAGA in 2021. His diverse cinematographer’s work includes features, documentaries and commercials, as well as extensive experience shooting music videos and projects.
Though mostly working in Brazil, and the US, where he has lived, his work has taken him throughout most of Latin America, Canada, France, Italy, Bosnia and Croatia. He was elected to ABC’s administrative Board, as director-treasurer for the 2021 – 2022 Biannual.
At the 2021 IEGA, after the two candidates to the presidency drew a tie, he was appointed interim chair unanimously by the board until the new election at the IEGA of that same year.
Ron Johanson, OAM, ACS
Ron Johanson OAM ACS succeeded Kees Van Oostrum as IMAGO President/Interim Chair in November 2020 and his calm and constructive leadership has proven invaluable in steering the organization through the very challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic. He won elections as a co-president in 2021. National President of the ACS since 2008, standing down in 2022. A living legend in the Australian film industry, Johanson in addition to having shot and directed hundreds of television commercials, music videos and documentaries, has also lensed several feature films and TV series and has received numerous awards for his work, including a Cannes Lion and 2 Mobius awards.
Kees van Oostrum ASC NSC SBC AIC
The IMAGO Annual General Assembly in Brussels in March 2020 was unexpectedly cut short by the rapidly deteriorating COVID-19 situation and the election of a new IMAGO President instead had to be realized through electronic voting. Kees van Oostrum ASC NSC SBC AIC was thus elected new president of IMAGO June 2020 after having served in the same capacity in the ASC since 2016. During his tenure as President of the ASC Van Oostrum managed to expand the ASC’s activities significantly, not least in the fields of working conditions and authorship, and he got off to a flying start at the helm of IMAGO as well, launching several initiatives immediately, not least a very committed focus on IMAGO’s website. Unfortunately IMAGO’s activities have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 situation and Van Oostrum chose to resign as president in October 2020, having managed to accomplish a great deal within a short timeframe.
Paul René Roestad FNF
The 67 year old norwegian Paul René Roestad fnf became president during the General Assembly in Jerusalem with an unanimously vote. The Israeli Society ACT organized for the first time ever an IAGA out of Europe in Jerusalem, 17 of October 2015. He has taken a Master degree of Art (RCA) Film & TV, Royal College of Art, London Paul René Roestad started as a newspaper still photographer, and after his film education in England, started as focus puller on feature films and worked his way into the Norwegian film industry. Roestad has been Director of photography on around 20 feature films and TV drama series, in addition to many dozen short films, documentaries and commercials. Roestad works today as producer, director and cinematographer. His production company Laterna Magica, mainly produces documentaries for TV. During his time in the film industry, he has been President of the Norwegian Union of Film Workers, Vice President in the Norwegian Society of Cinematographers and General Secretary of IMAGO, in addition to many years working as Board member in the three above mentioned organizations. Roestad has also worked as a lecturer in film and cinematography for many years in the main film schools in Norway. Roestad arranges yearly master classes and educational venues in Oslo for cinematographers and film workers, mostly in cooperation with the Norwegian Film Institute, IMAGO and The Norwegian Society of Cinematographers, among them the Imago/fnf Oslo Digital Cinema Conference. He also heads the documentary film festival Nordic/Docs, arranged yearly in Fredrikstad, Norway. He will be office until next election taking place in 2018.
Nigel Walters BSC
Nigel Walters BSC was appointed president in 2008 at the organisation’s Annual General Meeting in Amsterdam where he was unanimously voted by delegates representing 1,400 cinematographers from 27 European Nations. During the period of 7 years of Nigel’s presidency the associate members got the right to become full members with the same rights as any other society. Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Canada and Israel joined immediately the federation as full members as soon the bill was approved by the general assembly in Greece 2014. Also during this period 13 more societies joined the federation they were: Australia ACS, Bosnia Herzegovina ASBH, Canada CSC, New Zealand NZCS, Japan JSC, Israel ACT, Philippines FSC, Iran IRSC, Ireland ISC, Romania RSC, Serbia SAS, South Korea KSC and Turkey TSC. The German society BVK which had left the federation in result of the chaotic financial situation during the book severe crisis returned to IMAGO. On the other end it was unfortunate that the French AFC left the federation in disagreement with the politics followed with the expansion of the federation out of the European borders and with the policy followed for the website. During Nigel’s presidency the relationship with Camerimage was reestablished in full, by the inittiative of Nigel Waletrs it was created the Balkans Conference a meeting held at every Manaki Film festival in Bitola, Macedonia and the sponsorship increased considerably during this period. It was published 3 editions of the World Cinematographers Directory in close collaboration with the British Cinematographer magazine along with a section exclusively dedicated to IMAGO in every issue of the magazine. For the first time in the history of IMAGO the General Assembly was held out of Europe in Jerusalem in 2015 where Paul-René Roestad FNF was elected president. In the period of Nigel Walters the General Assembly took place in 2008 Amsterdam; 2009 Bradford; 2010 Tallin; 2011 Rome; 2012 Paris; 2013 Brussels; 2014 Greece; 2015 Jerusalem. Nigel Walters leaves a great legacy. His efforts in defending and promoting the cinematographer and cinematography was well known all over the world spreading the name of IMAGO amongst fellow colleagues, companies, festivals and in many other events. Nigel Walters has a great deal of responsible for the expansion and the growth of IMAGO during his presidency.
Andreas Fischer- Hansen DFF
(from 2003 to 2008)
During an Extraordinary General Assembly in Paris on December 13th, 2003 Andreas Fischer- Hansen DFF has been elected Imago President with immediate effect. The positions of Vice-president, Treasurer and General Secretary could not be staffed immediately, however. The General Assembly allowed the new president to compose his board by March 1st, 2004 . Tony Costa AIP as Vice President and Paul René Roestad FNF as General Secretary formed the IMAGO Board with Andreas Fischer- Hans en the 1st of March 2004. The board was replaced in 15th of February 2008 in Amsterdam . During four years on board the Federation was reorganized financially and politically. IMAGO got better relations with other institutions and companies, published the Model Contract for Cinematographers, solved the chaotic situation left with the publication of the book «Making Pictures», got the Federation involved into the new technologies by becoming member of EDCF, along with the organisation of the Digital Conference in Oslo 2005 where was presented the proposal for several frame rates for the digital image. Organised in partnership with AEC the Conference in Huelva about Authorship Rights, published the DVD’s about the Digital Conference and the Declaration of Working Conditions. The IMAGO website was renewed from scratch and communication within members was established along with a permanent collaboration with the British Cinematographer Magazine. It was created several IMAGO committees to work on Educational, Technical and Authorship It was signed in Frankfurt a contract of collaboration with the directors of the Film Festival eDIT. During this period Greece, Ukraine, Russia, Estonia, Latvia and Slovenia became IMAGO members. Australia became associate member.
Tibor Vagyóczky HSC
In Brussels on January 27, 2001 Tibor Vagyóczky HSC has been elected President of Imago for the period 2001 – 2002. He assigned Peter Dubovitz HSC as Vice President and Virgil Szilágyi HSC as new treasurer. The Russian Guild of Cinematographers RGC has been welcomed as the 23rd member of the federation and the Brasilian Society of Cinematographer ABC became the 3rd associate member of IMAGO. In October 2002 the Cuban Society of Cinematographers ACF and the Mexican Society of Cinematographers AMC became associate members of Imago and Tibor Vagyóczky has been elected Imago President for a second period of 2 years, but announced his resignation one year later. The book ”Making Pictures” has been released in May 2003 but caused a big deficit with the members of Imago. Consequently the Imago Book Office IBO in Vienna has been closed through vote of the Annual General Assembly on November 9, 2003 in Budapest. The Lithuanian Association of Cinematographers LAC has been accepted as full member of Imago.
Gustaf Mandal FSF
In December 1998, DoP Gustaf Mandal FSF, former president of the Swedish Society of Directors of Photography FSF was unanimously elected for the IMAGO Presidency until the end of 2000. During the election meeting in Torun, also new members from Portugal, Croatia and Bulgaria have been welcomed in the federation and are now active members of IMAGO. The Indian Society of Cinematographers ISC became the second associate member of the federation. The Belgian cinematographer Frédéric-Gérard Kaczek, board member of the Austrian Society AAC, has been elected with one vote General Secretary of IMAGO. Matthias Maaß BVK was confirmed as Webmaster and Stig Hallgren FSF was nominated treasurer.
Tote Trenas AEC
followed as IMAGO President until end of 1998. He suggested to build up the Imago Website, that was first presented during MadridImagen 1997, the spanish Festival of Cinematography that is also initiated and organized by him. According to the ”Bavarian resolution” (April 1997) of the general assembly, all european members of IMAGO became full members, regardless if they represent DPs from countries which are member of the European Community or not. IMAGO shall certainly have ”far-reaching” powers in the next few years: the statutes have been renewed, introducing a new kind of associate membership for non-european countries, allowing the Argentinian Society of Cinematographers ADF becoming the first associate member of this kind.
Harvey Harrison BSC
After the first two years with Luciano as President, Harvey Harrison BSC has been elected in as the new President from December 94 to December 96. The idea of the Imago Book ”Making Pictures” was born. The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, The Slovak Republic and Switzerland which all were no member of the European Community became Associate Members for that reason.
Luciano Tovoli AIC
Since the founding of the Federation, following several years of hard work spent in developing the project, IMAGO elected
Luciano Tovoli AIC as its first biannual President with Jost Vacano BVK, Harvey Harrison BSC, Robert Alazraki AFC and Tote Trenas AEC as Vice-Presidents. The four founding Societies were joined by the Spanish AEC and the Danish DFF within a few weeks, then followed by Austria, Belgium, Finland, The Netherlands, Norway and Sweden who became Full Members.