Valentina Caniglia, ASC. An International Cinematographer’s Journey from Craft to the Academy

Valentina Caniglia has shot in Palestine, Jordan, India, Taiwan, Guyana and across the American South. She left Naples at eighteen, started out in London, came to New York on a fellowship to study film production at NYU, and now works out of Los Angeles.

She is the first Italian-born woman invited to join the American Society of Cinematographers, and a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The work came before the letters after her name.

Along the way she has photographed Juliette Lewis, Mickey Rourke, Elliott Gould, Fanny Ardant and Zoe Bleu. Her work on Pomegranates and Myrrh won the Golden Dagger for Best Cinematography, with further recognition from the New York Cinematography Awards, the Canada Cinematography Awards and the Los Angeles Film Awards, and a nomination from the Italian Association of Cinematographers (AIC).

We’ve had the chance to meet in person multiple times and discuss everything you’re about to read. It was invaluable to share her journey with all of you. What follows is that conversation.

Valentina, how did it all begin?

Everything began with a long journey from my hometown in southern Italy — Napoli — to London, then New York, and later Los Angeles.
I was only 18 years old, and I left on my own to explore new ways to make films and any kind of projects I felt connected to.

When you think back to the very start, what was the first moment you felt cinematography could become your language, not just a profession?

The first moment I felt that cinematography could become my language was when I went to film Pomegranates and Myrrh, which premiered in the USA at the Sundance Film Festival.

We filmed in the West Bank on film stock S16mm and blew it up to 35mm. I didn’t speak the actors’ language, but I could feel their emotions. Therefore, I followed my instinct, guided by the rhythm of the camera’s movement, as I framed and lit the progression of their state of mind through storytelling.

I understood that the camera became part of me, as if it were breathing through every aspect of cinematography.

Born in Naples, Italy, your career developed across different countries and cultures before settling in the U.S. How did working in such diverse environments shape you — not only as a cinematographer but as a person?

Through cinematography, I was able to explore the world and experience different lifestyles on Earth.

I personally think that we are citizens of the world and I have always been open to embracing and collaborating with everyone who has different cultures and ethnic backgrounds. It’s important to learn from others and to include in your life their way of being.

As a foreigner, I can see above and beyond any reality that is in front of me to create something special. I like to work and live in diverse places with people from all over the world who can share their way of living and working.

Cinematography is like observing not only from the outside, but also digging deeper into the souls of the actors, the crew, and everyone involved, where you can develop unique experiences.

The way I work in diverse environments is to bring my best self, see the positivity in every situation, and listen to everyone so that everything else comes naturally, authentically, and genuinely.

Was there a moment when you chose uncertainty over comfort? A decision that felt risky at the time but later proved essential to your growth?

I often choose uncertainty. It is more challenging for me and it pushes me to be better.

I chose uncertainty when in 2008 I decided to be the cinematographer for the Palestinian film Pomegranates and Myrrh, which premiered in the US at the Sundance Film Festival, where I also won the Golden Dagger for Best Cinematography.

Another moment happened recently while filming in India, the UK and Jordan, where we saw rockets exploding over our heads and we had to evacuate. Later we came back to finish the movie.

Those experiences were meaningful. They made me a better human being and a much more skilled Director of Photography.

I think what makes me who I am is my ability to adapt to every situation and always get the best out of the worst — either by planning for the outcome or improvising when needed to seize the moment.

This helps me navigate very difficult waters and see life and work from every corner. That’s why I choose to film different projects and genres — from thrillers, horror, and dark comedy to social dramas, action films and love stories. I love to change and create different approaches in life and cinematography to serve storytelling.

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You lived and worked in New York before moving to Los Angeles. What did New York give you that still lives in your work today? And what did Los Angeles unlock for you creatively?

New York gave me the energy, strength, skills, and creativity to face everything.

New York is a place where you live fast and intensely, but also in a very real way. I think New York has been a great school for me.

It felt like a big Napoli where I could — and still can — experience both ways of living and working: the street life and the more comfortable one. It’s a melting pot, which I love.

Looking back, what experiences truly tempered you as a cinematographer?

I think all experiences made a significant mark on me, both as a cinematographer and as a human being.

In particular, filming in the Middle East on Pomegranates and Myrrh, which premiered in the USA at the Sundance Film Festival. It was challenging to film behind the wall in the Palestinian territories. We had to face many obstacles with bombs over our heads while filming a drama with actors like Hiam Abbass, Ali Suliman, and Yasmine Al Massri.

Recently, I had a similar experience while filming, for five months, the movie Fly Little Bird with Zoe Bleu in Jordan. We had to evacuate after seeing bombs exploding in the night sky while we were filming.

After these experiences, I learned that we live only once and we need to use this time to breathe love and do what we love.

Filming in different countries, with different budgets and different cultures, excites me more and more. It allows me to explore the layers of life and discover how light, framing, and camera movement can tell a story through the emotions of the characters.

Your cinematography is often described as emotional and evocative. How would you describe your relationship with light today?

Light is energy.

Sometimes you chase it, sometimes you shape it, but mostly you have to remember that you create it for storytelling. Every emotion requires a different light that aligns with the feeling of the story and the progression of it.

Light is life. It can be natural light or artificial light, but it has to motivate the story and what the characters feel, penetrating the soul of the people who watch it.

Has it become more intuitive or more architectural with time?

It is a bit of both, depending on what the motivation is for the story, but also on the intuition of internal feelings that you want to express visually.

It is extremely magical when I follow intuition because I catch the moment in time — carpe diem.

But I also love when I prepare extensively and make all my lighting plans and then see them come to fruition. The combination of intuition and structure fits my way of living and working.

When you design a scene, what guides your camera choices first: emotion, rhythm, or space?

I design a scene first, thinking about the director and the actors’ needs. If the director wants space for the actors to move freely, I don’t want to restrict them, so I plan everything around that.

I chose the camera based on the project’s complexity and budget. But the most important element to me is the choice of lenses, because lenses are our eyes.

Camera movement is then chosen based on the story’s dynamics, individually for each project.

As a cinematographer, you need to balance creativity with schedule and budget.

How do you balance instinct and structure in your visual language?

It comes with experience and instinct. I plan every detail, but when I am on set everything can change. So I always prepare for plan B, C or D.

Since I work across many types of budgets, I always anticipate possible challenges. I sometimes place hidden lights in locations where people would never imagine them, or I keep crew members ready to adapt quickly.

That’s how I balance structure and instinct.

In projects like ISOLA, your images carry a very strong emotional identity. How do you approach storytelling when working in countries and cultures that are not English-based?

First of all, I listen to the director with a very open perspective to understand their vision.

Then I research the place from my own point of view. I immerse myself in unknown cultures without thinking twice, observing people, locations, colors, reflections and history.

Being an immigrant all my life has helped me a lot. When you are in a country where you cannot communicate verbally, you develop a stronger visual sense.

I love exploring. I usually walk alone at different times of the day to discover the place and understand the culture better.

ISOLA was presented at the Cannes Film Festival’s Marché du Film and later screened at the Torino Film Festival. How did that project challenge or expand your way of translating emotion into images?

Filming in Isola d’Elba was a new experience for me, even if I am originally from Italy.

Being from the south of Italy is very different from filming in other regions, because architecture, colors, food and people change a lot.

The island feels like a world by itself. The look of the film had to adapt to the environment, but at the same time the beauty of the island was intentionally hidden behind the story.

The film focuses on two women and their dual identity. The ambiguity of the storytelling was very important.

In the film there is also a volcano created through VFX. It could represent Mount Vesuvius in Naples or Mount Etna in Sicily, but not Elba Island, where there is no volcano.

I loved that ambiguity and how the visual language mixed nostalgia and surrealism.

Becoming both an ASC member and an Academy member represents the highest recognition in the industry. What did those milestones mean to you personally?

I used to read American Cinematographer magazine and dream about becoming part of the ASC since I was a child.

Becoming an ASC member was a dream come true.

Being a member of the Academy is also an incredible experience. Being recognized by such a great community of filmmakers is a privilege and an honor.

I feel grateful to be part of these communities where we can exchange ideas and support each other.

Ask her what carries across all of it, from a Super 16mm shoot behind the wall in the West Bank to a five-month production in Jordan, and the answer is not a look or a piece of kit. It is the willingness to walk a place alone at different hours until she understands how it holds light.

That is the part that does not transfer from a resume.

More on Valentina Caniglia, ASC on her official site.

If you want another conversation with a cinematographer working across borders, read our interview with Markus Förderer, ASC on the cinematography of September 5.

FilmmakersWorld Team

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