The Weight of Light

This Canal+ documentary follows three generations of a Berber family through the changing seasons of the High Atlas Mountains. We embedded with the family for two months, shooting observational cinema with minimal intervention. The Canon C500 Mark II was chosen for its size and discretion — after the first week, the family stopped noticing the camera. That's when the real film began.

Documentary cinematography at its best is about being ready. The grandmother's hands kneading bread at dawn. The children running through fog in the valley below. The father's silhouette against a fire that's been burning the same way for centuries. None of these moments can be directed — they can only be witnessed. The craft is in the framing, the patience, and knowing when to hold the shot ten seconds longer than feels comfortable.