Through a Donkey's Eyes

Taking its cues from Robert Bresson's 1966 film Au Hasard Balthazar, director Jerzy Skolimowski's feature EO follows the wayward journey of a Polish circus donkey as he experiences some of the many hues of humanity. Featuring cinematography by Micha Dymek, PSC, the movie premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, earning a Jury Award for Skolimowski, and is now nominated for a Best International Feature Film Oscar.

I would describe the look of EO as a fusion of youth and experience mixed with hunger for visual madness and the love of filmmaking seen through a donkey's eyes, muses Dymek, who worked with Panavision Warsaw to assemble his camera and lens package. Our movie references included the documentary films of Bogdan Dziworski, Federico Fellini's 8 and Carlos Reygadas' Post Tenebras Lux. From art, our references were the paintings of Leon Tarasewicz and Tomasz Tatarczyk and the works of Antony Gormley. In addition, I was searching for inspiration by observing reality and trying to understand my surroundings. I also spent some time on Instagram looking for creativeness.

Dymek traces his journey toward photographing EO back to his youth. From a young age and throughout my teenage years, I extensively trained Judo until one day I was seriously injured during a fight,' the cinematographer reflects. My entire upper body was covered in a plaster cast, and I only had one working arm. That was the moment, totally by coincidence, a photography camera landed in my hand. It was love at first sight, and since then, it's never left my side.

I quickly became fascinated by the power of photography and how it's able to communicate a story to a spectator without any sound, Dymek continues. My fascination grew into a strong passion, which led me to leave my athletic ambitions and instead pursue a career in cinematography. I applied and got accepted to the Polish Film School, which changed my life. That's how everything started.

As a cinematographer, Dymek draws his creative motivation from a variety of sources. What keeps me the most inspired is a belief that in the world of countless cinematic stories, there are still chances to tell something that will move viewers in the cinema, he offers. Speaking more visually, I try to observe and find as many beautiful, interesting, and strange moments possible in my daily surroundings. At the same time, I also watch a lot of good movies and read scripts.

As EO's critical reception attests, the story has moved viewers in cinemas around the world. EO offered me unbelievable artistic freedom, which I have never had before in my short professional career, Dymek says. At the same time, it meant a lot of responsibility, and I needed to deliver. I am forever grateful to the director, Jerzy Skolimowski.

LINK:	https://www.panavision.com/highlights/highlights-detail/through-a-donk...
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