Max Penzel (born April 1977) is a German cinematographer and director. Based in Germany and Singapore but operating internationally, Penzel has worked as first and second unit cinematographer on feature films including Cloud Atlas (2012), Hitman: Agent 47 (2015), Global Player (2014), Strajk (2006), Berlin Calling (2008), and the mini-series Crews & Gangs (2019).
Penzel studied at the German Film und Television Academy (dffb) in Berlin from 1999 to 2005 and received a scholarship to attend the National Film School in Lodz, Poland, whose alumni include three Oscar-winners: Roman Polanski, Andrzej Wajda and Zbigniew Rybczyńsk, as well as several other Academy Award, BAFTA and Palme d’Or winners and nominees in the director and cinematographer categories such as Piotr Sobociński and Sławomir Idziak.
Through his education and work, Penzel counts amongst his mentors esteemed German filmmaker Volker Schlöndorff, director of the Oscar and Palme d’Or winning film The Tin Drum (1979), German cinematographer Michael Ballhaus, A.S.C., who collaborated with directors such as Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Martin Scorsese and James L. Brooks, and Polish cinematographer Sławomir Idziak, who was nominated for a BAFTA and an Academy Award for his work on Ridley Scott’s Black Hawk Down (2001).
While studying at and since graduating from the German Film and Television Academy (dffd), Penzel’s work began gaining worldwide recognition and accolades. Penzel was the cinematographer on director Andreas Samland’s short Tag 26 (2002) which won Best Short at the Brooklyn International Film Festival, [1] Grand Prix at the International Fantasy Film Festival and Best German Short at the International Film Festival Ludwigsburg.
In 2004, Penzel was awarded the Michael Ballhaus Film Prize and in 2007 won Best Cinematography [2] (2nd unit) at the Bavarian Film Awards for his supporting work on Volker Schlöndorff’s Strajk (2006), a docudrama about the Polish solidarity movement in the 1970s and 80s.
Through his work as a multi-disciplinary director and cinematographer in cinema commercials and music videos, Penzel has developed a unique style known for its immersive nature.
Penzel has worked on projects in a variety of size and scope, from television mini-series to big budget major motion pictures, and is comfortable in all formats, including CinemaScope.
Penzel used a hand-held style in Berlin Calling (2008), a film that became a Berlin cult film [3] [4] and remained in cinemas for over ten years. In the immersive 2010 documentary on Paul Kalkbrenner, Penzel chose a style designed to give viewers the feeling of being a part of the concert crowd.
For his work on the mini-series Crews & Gangs (2019), Penzel collaborated with camera rental company ARRI Rental Berlin to change the DNA of a ZEISS lens in order to produce the Berlin street look and feel he felt the series needed.
Penzel founded two companies: [5] m-quadrat GmbH & Co KG in Germany and m-quadrat ASIA Pte Ltd in Singapore, that specialize in cinematography, creative services, VFX supervision, and visual concepts.
Cinematography 1st Unit
Cinematography 2nd Unit
Volker Schlöndorff is a German film director, screenwriter and producer who has worked in Germany, France and the United States. He was a prominent member of the New German Cinema of the late 1960s and early 1970s, which also included Werner Herzog, Wim Wenders, Margarethe von Trotta and Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
Tag 26 is the third short film by German director Andreas Samland. It is sometimes called by the English translation of the title "Day 26". It was shot about 70 km away from Berlin, close to the Polish border. The film featured almost no dialogue and actors' faces were hidden behind masks for most of the movie. The few words spoken in the movie are in German. The production budget was 2500 euros but the film overspent to 7000 euros. The director quotes Tarkovskij´s Stalker as the main influence for his film.
Andreas Samland is a German film maker.
Lajos Koltai, ASC, HSC, is a Hungarian cinematographer and film director best known for his work with legendary Hungarian director István Szabó, and Italian filmmaker Giuseppe Tornatore. He was nominated for an Academy Award in 2000 for his work on the film Malèna.
Michael Ballhaus, A.S.C. was a German cinematographer who collaborated with directors such as Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Martin Scorsese, Mike Nichols, James L. Brooks, and Wolfgang Petersen. He was a member of both the Academy of Arts, Berlin, and the American Society of Cinematographers.
Sławomir Idziak is a Polish cinematographer and director who has worked on over forty Polish and foreign films. He is especially known for his collaboration with director Krzysztof Kieślowski as well as Ridley Scott and David Yates.
GiorgosArvanitis is a Greek cinematographer.
Strike is a 2006 Polish-German historical drama film directed by Volker Schlöndorff. The film covers the formation of Solidarity and centers around work and labor organizing in the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk, Polish People's Republic.
Heinz Strunk, legal name Mathias Halfpape is a German novelist, humorist musician, actor and member of Hamburg-based comedy trio Studio Braun. Strunk’s comedy ranges from goofy prank calls to biting political and cultural satire, often involving music. Strunk plays woodwind and keyboard instruments.
Marek Brodzki is a Polish film director and television director. He directed the film and series versions of Wiedźmin aka The Hexer and the series Miasteczko. He has worked as First Assistant Director with top Polish directors Andrzej Wajda and Krzysztof Zanussi and has specialized as a Polish First Assistant Director and Second Unit Director on international productions made in Poland notably including Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List and has a long working relationship with German director Volker Schlöndorff. October 2015 he was awarded the Bronze Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis.
Paul Kalkbrenner is a German musician, producer of electronic music and actor. Because he breaks down his tracks into elements that are reassembled onstage, Kalkbrenner is considered a live act, as opposed to a DJ. He is most known for his single "Sky and Sand", which sold over 200,000 copies, went platinum, and was highly charted in countries such as Belgium and Germany. He is also known for portraying the main character Ickarus in the movie Berlin Calling, written and directed by Hannes Stöhr, which ran for several years at Kino Central in Berlin.
Maryse Alberti is a French cinematographer who mainly works in the United States on independent fiction films and vérité, observational documentaries. Alberti has won awards from the Sundance Film Festival and the Spirit Awards. She was the first contemporary female cinematographer featured on the cover of American Cinematographer for her work on the Todd Haynes-directed Velvet Goldmine (1998).
Andy Fetscher is a German-Romanian film director, cinematographer and screenwriter.
Ana Simina Grigoriu married Paul Kalkbrenner is a Romanian-Canadian DJ and music producer from Toronto specializing in electronic techno music. She has lived and worked in Berlin, Germany, since 2008.
Lula Carvalho, ASC is a Brazilian cinematographer, born in Rio de Janeiro in 1977. His body of work includes the acclaimed features Elite Squad (2007) and Elite Squad: The Enemy Within (2010), RoboCop (2014) and the blockbuster Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014). As of 2022, Carvalho is a member of the American Society of Cinematographers. He is a resident of the United States.
Ciro Cappellari is film director, cinematographer, and screenwriter based in Berlin, Germany.
The 66th Berlin International Film Festival was held from 11 to 21 February 2016, with American actress Meryl Streep as the President of the Jury. The Honorary Golden Bear for lifetime achievement was presented to German cinematographer Michael Ballhaus. Hail, Caesar!, directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, was selected to open the festival. The Golden Bear was awarded to the Italian documentary Fire at Sea, directed by Gianfranco Rosi, which also serves as closing night film.
Mahmoud Kalari is an Iranian cinematographer, screenwriter, film director, and photographer who has worked with number of renowned Iranian directors such as Abbas Kiarostami, Jafar Panahi, Asghar Farhadi, and Mohsen Makhmalbaf.
Hannes Stöhr is a German film director and screenwriter. He studied scriptwriting and directing at the Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin from 1994 to 1999. In 2006 Stöhr was a Villa Aurora grant recipient and lived for six months in Los Angeles, California. Hannes speaks German, Spanish, English, French and Portuguese. Stöhr is member of the European Filmacademy, lectures film at Film Academy Baden-Württemberg, Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin and the Goethe Institute. He lives in Berlin.
Christopher Aoun is a Lebanese-German cinematographer, best known for his work in CAPERNAUM, a Cannes Grand Prix du Jury winner and Oscar nominee film, The Man Who Sold His Skin, and Copilot. Aoun is also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science.