France – Cannes
Egyptian photographer, director of photography, and filmmaker Haya Khairat was awarded the Pierre-Angénieux “special encouragement” prize at the Cannes Film Festival, an endowment given to promising young cinematographers. Interview with a young woman who has carved out a place for herself in an industry still dominated by men.
Was your first passion cinema or photography?
It all started with photography. I started taking photos at a very early age. At the age of 16, I was doing the rounds of university graduations to take photos. And when Instagram launched, I started making content and was spotted by brands who offered me contracts. Then I went to film school to get closer to my first dream.
So, Instagram is an important tool for you?
Yes, as a photographer and artist. It’s important for me to go back to where it all began for me, to go back to the child I was, to take photos without constraint, without fulfilling an objective or seeking perfection. Instagram is that escape hatch for me, where I feel free.
What do you like about working as a cinematographer?
You have to know how to dance with the camera. You have to really feel the soul of the script, the acting, and the dialogue of the actors, in particular to understand how to find the best angle, when to focus, when to get closer or further away. The cinematographer has to be able to feel, to translate the director’s language into images.
Have you encountered any difficulties in Egypt as a female director of photography?
Oh, my God! Yes, always. When I joined the Image Department at the Egyptian Film Institute, I was the fifth or sixth woman in the school’s history to be accepted. I was the only woman in the class, with fifteen men. During one of the entrance exams, a teacher looked at me and said: “Do you really think you’re capable of carrying a camera? Why didn’t you choose the editing department? It’s in an office, you’ll have air-conditioning… It’s more of a woman’s job!” I had a lot of problems with my look, the way I dressed. If I look too “pretty” on a shoot, I get comments. These comments break you, break you, every day. Today, I feel it less because I’ve made my mark, I’ve proved that I’m capable of doing the same thing as a man. But I had to hold out for five years, during which I missed out on opportunities because I’m a woman.
What would you say to a young woman like you who wants to work in the film industry?
Now that I’ve regained my feminine energy – which I had to mask for so long – I’d tell her not to lose her femininity. You don’t have to become a man. For years, I’ve had to transform myself, to be as unfeminine as possible, and that’s destructive.
Where do you see yourself in ten years’ time?
Here, in Cannes, presenting a film! I’ll be back here one day with a film, I’m sure of it! (laughs)
Pierre Charpilloz