Néstor Almendros

1.1. Birth and Upbringing

Néstor Almendros Cuyás was born in Barcelona, Spain, on 30 October 1930. In 1948, at the age of 18, he emigrated to Cuba to join his parents, who had moved there to escape the Francisco Franco regime's fascism. His time in Cuba, particularly before the start of Fulgencio Batista's dictatorship, was characterized by relatively relaxed censorship. This environment allowed Almendros, during his impressionable youth, to watch and be influenced by a wide array of international films.

1.2. Education

Almendros pursued formal film studies at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Rome, Italy, starting in 1956. However, he grew dissatisfied with the school's increasingly conservative approach, which he felt no longer aligned with the spirit of Italian neorealism. He left the institution and continued his cinematic education through self-directed learning, notably while working as a Spanish teacher in New York City.

1.3. Early Activities

While in Havana, Cuba, Almendros began his professional involvement in film by writing film reviews. His passion for cinema led him to establish a cine-club with university peers, through which he became interested in film production. In 1949, he collaborated with university volunteers to produce a short film based on a work by Franz Kafka. He went on to direct six short films in Cuba and two in New York City. After the Cuban Revolution in 1959, he returned to Cuba and produced several documentaries for the Fidel Castro regime, primarily focusing on educational topics. However, his strong opposition to the regime's increasing demands for propaganda-style filmmaking, particularly after two of his shorts, Gente en la playa and La tumba francesa, were banned, prompted him to leave Cuba once more and relocate to Paris, France. In Paris, he continued to work as a Spanish teacher while attending film festivals and connecting with film industry professionals whom he had met during his cine-club days.

2.1. French Cinema

Almendros's career as a cinematographer began in Paris in 1964, following a chance opportunity to fill in for a camera operator for Éric Rohmer. He initially worked on short films for television under Rohmer's guidance, which allowed him to refine and develop various cinematic techniques that would define his later work. He developed a close rapport with prominent French New Wave directors, particularly Rohmer and François Truffaut, and also collaborated with Barbet Schroeder and Jean Eustache.

His collaborations with Éric Rohmer were particularly fruitful and are regarded as some of the finest works by both artists. These include four feature films from Rohmer's Six Moral Tales series: La Collectionneuse (1967), My Night at Maud's (1969), Claire's Knee (1970), and Love in the Afternoon (1972). He also photographed Rohmer's La Marquise d'O... (1976), Perceval le Gallois (1978), and Pauline at the Beach (1983). Almendros's distinctive use of natural light and his profound understanding of art, including painting and photography, contributed to a groundbreaking and artistic visual aesthetic that garnered significant attention. His partnership with François Truffaut, in particular, was widely celebrated both in France and internationally. For the 1964 anthology film Six in Paris (Paris vu par...), Almendros shot the segments directed by Jean Douchet and Éric Rohmer, though he was uncredited due to lacking a work permit at the time.

2.2. Hollywood Career

In the 1970s, Almendros made a significant entry into American cinema. His Hollywood career began with Terrence Malick's Days of Heaven (1978), a film for which Malick specifically sought Almendros after admiring his work on Truffaut's The Wild Child (1970). Almendros was greatly impressed by Malick's deep understanding of photography and his willingness to rely minimally on studio lighting, favoring natural light sources. The cinematography for Days of Heaven was intentionally inspired by silent films, which frequently utilized natural light. For his work on Days of Heaven, Almendros won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography in 1979.

He went on to receive three more Academy Award nominations for his work on Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), The Blue Lagoon (1980), and Sophie's Choice (1982). As of the 93rd Academy Awards in 2021, these nominations made him the most nominated Spanish individual in the history of the Academy Awards. Almendros frequently collaborated with director Robert Benton, working on five films together, including the highly successful Kramer vs. Kramer and Places in the Heart (1984). He also partnered with notable directors such as Mike Nichols and Martin Scorsese. In 1988, he served as cinematographer for the John Lennon documentary, Imagine: John Lennon, directed by Andrew Solt.

2.3. Documentary Work and Human Rights Activism

In his later years, Almendros devoted his efforts to co-directing two significant documentaries focusing on the human rights situation in Cuba. These films highlighted his commitment to social justice and his use of cinema as a platform for political commentary. The first, Mauvaise Conduite (1984), also known as Improper Conduct, exposed the persecution of gay individuals in Cuba under the Castro regime. The second, Nadie escuchaba (Nobody Was Listening), delved into allegations of arrest, imprisonment, and torture of former comrades of Fidel Castro. These works underscored his dedication to revealing truths and giving a voice to the voiceless, directly contributing to the discourse on human rights. Additionally, Almendros lent his cinematographic talents to shoot several prestigious advertisements, including campaigns for Giorgio Armani (directed by Martin Scorsese), Calvin Klein (directed by Richard Avedon), and Freixenet.

3.1. Autobiography "The Man with the Camera"

Almendros authored an autobiography titled The Man with the Camera (キャメラを持った男_{Kyamera o Motta Otoko (The Man with the Camera)}^Japanese). In this book, he provided detailed explanations of his cinematography techniques, aiming to make them accessible to beginners. He took an active role in overseeing and proofreading the various international translations of his work. Notably, in the Japanese edition, Almendros expressed his profound admiration for Japanese cinema, citing significant influences from films like Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon and Kenji Mizoguchi's Ugetsu Monogatari. He explicitly acknowledged and praised Japanese cinematographers such as Kazuo Miyagawa, Asakazu Nakai, and Yūharu Atsuta as his professional predecessors.

4.1. Academy Awards

Néstor Almendros won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for his work on Days of Heaven at the 1979 ceremony. He also received three additional Academy Award nominations for Best Cinematography:

4.2. César Awards

Almendros was recognized at the French César Awards for his contributions to European cinema, including a win for The Last Metro:

4.3. Other Major Awards

Almendros received critical acclaim through several other significant awards, including from prominent film critics' associations:

He also won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cinematographer for Days of Heaven (1978) and My Night at Maud's (1970). Additionally, he received the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography for Days of Heaven (1978).

5.1. Influence on Cinematography

Almendros left an indelible mark on the art of cinematography, particularly through his pioneering use of natural light. His distinctive aesthetic, informed by a deep knowledge of film, painting, and photography, revolutionized how light was perceived and utilized in cinema. He often minimized or avoided artificial studio lighting, preferring to harness the nuances of available natural illumination, an approach that lent a unique realism and artistic beauty to his films. His collaboration with French New Wave directors, especially François Truffaut, became a benchmark for cinematic partnerships, demonstrating how a cinematographer's vision could profoundly shape a director's storytelling. His work on Days of Heaven, which consciously emulated the natural lighting techniques of silent films, further cemented his influence, inspiring subsequent generations of filmmakers to explore more organic and less artificial lighting solutions.

5.2. Human Rights Advocacy

Beyond his work as a cinematographer, Néstor Almendros was a vocal and active proponent of human rights. His decision to leave Cuba due to the regime's demands for propaganda underscored his personal commitment to truth and artistic freedom. In his later career, he co-directed powerful documentaries such as Improper Conduct and Nadie escuchaba. These films fearlessly addressed sensitive and often suppressed topics, including the persecution of gay individuals and the alleged torture of political dissidents in Cuba. Through these works, Almendros utilized his craft to shed light on injustices, becoming a crucial voice for social justice and demonstrating the potent role of cinema in advocacy and political commentary.

5.3. Commemoration and Tributes

In recognition of his courageous spirit and dedication to both filmmaking and human rights, Human Rights Watch International established the Nestor Almendros Award for Courage in Filmmaking. This prestigious award is presented annually at the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival, honoring filmmakers who exhibit similar bravery and commitment to their craft and to humanitarian causes.

6.1. Cinematography

6.2. Directing

Short film

Documentary film