Dan Laustsen receives lifetime achievement award at Manaki Brothers Festival

Cinematographer Dan Laustsen held a masterclass at the 47th Manaki Brothers International Cinematographers Film Festival in Bitola, where he received the ‘Golden Camera 300’ lifetime achievement award.

During the session, moderated by Zlatko Gelevski, Laustsen discussed his career beginnings, noting that he did not enjoy films as a child but developed a passion for photography after purchasing his first camera at age 14. He shared his journey of self-learning in a pre-internet era, which eventually led to his acceptance into the Danish Film School at age 19.

Laustsen offered advice to aspiring filmmakers, encouraging them to embrace mistakes and follow their intuition despite external pressures. He also touched upon his technical approach, specifically his signature use of single-source lighting to create more powerful facial imagery.