Cameraperson

Existence is laid bare in Kristen Johnson’s soul-stirring portrait of human life, told through the eyes of a filmmaker's trusty camera.

With beauty and devastation, Kristen Johnson’s mosaic documentary distills her 25 years as a cinematographer into an absorbing two hours, revealing the poignant moments that haunt and scar. From a labour ward in Nigeria to the barren buildings of postwar Bosnia, Johnson uses footage from past projects to reframe moments which define the human condition.

Compiling footage from documentaries such as Citizenfour, The Oath, and Farenheit 9/11, Cameraperson navigates hard-hitting topics that span from motherhood to international war crimes. By foregrounding individual stories, the film draws touching connections between its subjects while questioning documentary ethics and the act of looking. Cameraperson has found continuous acclaim since its 2016 Sheffield DocFest win, with its nuanced themes resonating with even greater urgency today.