Lebanese cinematographer Christopher Aoun has worked on films including 'Capernaum' and 'The Man Who Sold His Skin'
Lebanese cinematographer Christopher Aoun has worked on films including 'Capernaum' and 'The Man Who Sold His Skin'
Lebanese cinematographer Christopher Aoun has worked on films including 'Capernaum' and 'The Man Who Sold His Skin'
Lebanese cinematographer Christopher Aoun has worked on films including 'Capernaum' and 'The Man Who Sold His Skin'

How Lebanese cinematographer Christopher Aoun found a clear vision: 'I wanted to feel closer to people'


Samia Badih
  • English
  • Arabic

It would not be an exaggeration to say that Christopher Aoun is Lebanon’s, or probably the Arab world’s, best cinematographer. 

The director of photography is behind award-winning films such as Nadine Labaki's 2019 Oscar-nominated Capernaum and Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania's The Man Who Sold His Skin, which had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival this month and won its male lead, Yahya Mahayni, the Best Actor award

Between Beirut, Berlin and Los Angeles, Aoun, 30, has worked with some of the top artists around the world today, such as Selena Gomez, on the music video to her latest single, Boyfriend, as well as the biggest brands, too, such as Hugo Boss. 

However, before Aoun's career got to where it is, his passion for visual storytelling, and film specifically, started when he discovered photography as a child. Growing up, he watched and helped his father, who was a photographer, develop pictures at home. This process, the cinematographer says, had a huge influence on his life. 

"That moment, when the image appeared, was so magical and beautiful," Aoun tells The National

From then, he came to understand the power of being able to take someone through visuals into a world not easily accessible to everyone – something he is enthused by now. 

“I am fascinated by the process of creating and deciding on how to represent and translate a script into images that feel and somehow become alive,” he says. 

Christopher Aoun has worked on award-winning films such as Nadine Labaki's 'Capernaum' and most recently on Kaouther Ben Hania's 'The Man Who Sold His Skin'. Uve Haubig
Christopher Aoun has worked on award-winning films such as Nadine Labaki's 'Capernaum' and most recently on Kaouther Ben Hania's 'The Man Who Sold His Skin'. Uve Haubig

When he was 19, Aoun moved to Munich to study film and his primary interest was in documentary.

“I wanted to feel closer to people’s realities; I wanted to dive deep into those lives and try to understand human beings through the amazing tool that a camera can be,” he says. 

In 2015, aged 25, he shot his first feature film Ismaii (Listen) by Lebanese director Philippe Aractingi, and after that spent three years working on a documentary called Kalveli: Shadows of the Desert. The film captures the struggle of Indian women whose husbands move to the Gulf for work in order to provide for their families, but who never return home. It was this opportunity that led Aoun to working with Labaki a year later. 

He and Labaki's visions were aligned when it came to Capernaum, a film inspired by real-life stories and one that had real people for actors. It tells the tale of Zain, a young boy who sues his parents for bringing him into the world. It received international acclaim and went on to win numerous awards at the world's most renowned events, including the Cannes Film Festival, the Golden Globes and the Oscars. 

Aoun says the experience of working on Labaki's Capernaum is still unlike any other for him.

"The synergy that everyone experienced in the cast and crew on Capernaum was so powerful. I miss that energy very much. It almost felt like we were on a mission."

Aoun says that Capernaum helped his career tremendously. He received a lot of scripts owing to the success of the film. However, while it opened doors, it also challenged him to look at projects more closely.

Aoun on the set of 'Capernaum'
Aoun on the set of 'Capernaum'

"I feel very lucky to be able to dig deeper in my work and research on perception and visual storytelling," he says. "I'm always asking myself which film to shoot next. It has not been easy for me to be satisfied with a lot of the scripts that I'm reading since Capernaum."

What Aoun has been trying to find in the films he takes on is continuity, even if that means doing commercial work until the right script comes along. The continuity he is looking for is in the themes that these films are about  little stories that tell a bigger one about the human condition, those about injustice, how one sees themselves versus how the world sees them and that discrepancy. 

One that fit the criteria was Ben Hania's The Man Who Sold His Skin, and it became the second feature Aoun worked on. Inspired by a real-life story, it follows a Syrian man who, in order to try and get to Europe to be with the love his life, accepts having his back tattooed by an artist. It was shot in France, Belgium and Tunisia.

While filmmaking has taken Aoun around the world, it also keeps bringing him back home – he has taken on a new film that will be shot in Lebanon this year.

"Lebanon is a source of inspiration and also of pain," he says. When asked how he feels about the devastating Beirut blast on August 4, he is almost at a loss for words.

“I feel I need to be there,” he says. “After the blast, I feel I’m at a point I cannot judge about my view on Lebanon. 

"I just feel that I’m lost myself in terms of ‘Is it hope we need or is it trying to get people out because there is no hope?’ and I cannot answer that question right now. That is why I might be flying to Beirut right after the [Venice] festival. I just feel at the moment I need to be there and reconnect.”

There is no doubt that Aoun is not an artist who is confined by space, but rather by work that will continue to tell universal stories. 

UPI facts

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Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

The biog

Name: Maitha Qambar

Age: 24

Emirate: Abu Dhabi

Education: Master’s Degree

Favourite hobby: Reading

She says: “Everyone has a purpose in life and everyone learns from their experiences”

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From Europe to the Middle East, economic success brings wealth - and lifestyle diseases

A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.

One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait,  Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.

In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.

The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.

And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.

 

Milestones on the road to union

1970

October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar. 

December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.

1971

March 1:  Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.

July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.

July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.

August 6:  The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.

August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.

September 3: Qatar becomes independent.

November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.

November 29:  At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.

November 30: Despite  a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa. 

November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties

December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.

December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.

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If you go:
The flights: Etihad, Emirates, British Airways and Virgin all fly from the UAE to London from Dh2,700 return, including taxes
The tours: The Tour for Muggles usually runs several times a day, lasts about two-and-a-half hours and costs £14 (Dh67)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on now at the Palace Theatre. Tickets need booking significantly in advance
Entrance to the Harry Potter exhibition at the House of MinaLima is free
The hotel: The grand, 1909-built Strand Palace Hotel is in a handy location near the Theatre District and several of the key Harry Potter filming and inspiration sites. The family rooms are spacious, with sofa beds that can accommodate children, and wooden shutters that keep out the light at night. Rooms cost from £170 (Dh808).

Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

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Simran

Director Hansal Mehta

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Soham Shah, Esha Tiwari Pandey

Three stars

White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogenChromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxideUltramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica contentOphiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on landOlivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour

Sheer grandeur

The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.

A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.

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Tottenham 1

Son 78'

Manchester City 0

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Torque: 147Nm 

 

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Tamkeen's offering
  • Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
  • Option 2: 50% across three years
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Episode list:

Ep1: A recovery like no other- the unevenness of the economic recovery 

Ep2: PCR and jobs - the future of work - new trends and challenges 

Ep3: The recovery and global trade disruptions - globalisation post-pandemic 

Ep4: Inflation- services and goods - debt risks 

Ep5: Travel and tourism 

LA LIGA FIXTURES

Friday Athletic Bilbao v Celta Vigo (Kick-off midnight UAE)

Saturday Levante v Getafe (5pm), Sevilla v Real Madrid (7.15pm), Atletico Madrid v Real Valladolid (9.30pm), Cadiz v Barcelona (midnight)

Sunday Granada v Huesca (5pm), Osasuna v Real Betis (7.15pm), Villarreal v Elche (9.30pm), Alaves v Real Sociedad (midnight)

Monday Eibar v Valencia (midnight)

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo

The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
​​​​​​​Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km