An associate member of the Georgian Cinematographers Association, Alex Japaridze, won the award for Best Cinematography at the European Independent Film Festival held in Paris.

On behalf of the Association, we warmly congratulate Alex on this significant achievement and wish him continued creative success!

The winning work — RUDI — is a black-and-white short film in the fantasy genre. The film has no dialogue, which gives even greater importance to its visual dimension. It tells the story of a lonely elderly man whose life suddenly changes when a new neighbor moves in next door. His imagination of who this neighbor is and the reality that ultimately unfolds before him are completely different. RUDI is a visually refined and emotionally charged piece that once again highlights Alex Japaridze’s professionalism and mastery of cinematography.

“Alex Jaffar” – The idea for the camera concept came to me after reading the script, and we spent two months searching for the right location. Since we were shooting in black and white, we had to choose the location, production design, and costumes in a way that emphasized a strong contrast between black and white. The camera itself was also black and white — an ARRI Alexa XT Monochrome, a name my colleagues will recognize. Initially, I planned to shoot in CinemaScope (a wide aspect ratio), 2.39:1, but once we found the apartment, I realized that the classic academy ratio of 1.66:1 would work better, as the apartment had high ceilings and the rooms were more spacious vertically rather than horizontally.