Set to make its world premiere at Sundance 2025, JIMPA is already garnering buzz for its breathtaking visuals and deeply resonant storytelling. At the heart of this cinematic journey is cinematographer Matthew Chuang, whose lens brings the film’s intricate world to life. In an exclusive interview, Chuang delves into the creative choices and challenges behind the film's striking visual narrative, from capturing the raw beauty of its landscapes to enhancing the emotional depth of its characters. As JIMPA prepares to captivate audiences, Chuang shares his insights into crafting a visual style that elevates the film’s themes and leaves a lasting impression.
PH: Jimpa explores profound themes within a unique cultural and visual framework. How did you approach capturing the film’s tone and atmosphere through cinematography?
Matthew Chuang: Jimpa is a film that explores three generations of a family. With each generation we explore our characters at different moments in their lives. For the present, we kept the film quite natural visually. When we do see a glimpse of their past, we try to capture that moment in usually a single frame. It almost dances between memory and encapsulating how they felt in that moment. Those moments we chose to shoot at 48 frames per second and we allowed ourselves to lean into those certain time periods aesthetically in tone. Depending on the character it would change between a portrait, to a slight point of view, sometimes the characters look directly into the lens. Lighting wise we used a lot of flares, sometimes flaring during the shot.
PH: The visual landscapes in Jimpa play a significant role in the storytelling. Can you share the process of scouting locations and how they informed your creative decisions?
Matthew Chuang: Director Sophie Hyde and Production Designer Bethany Ryan would spend considerable time discussing the characters and how each location captures their essence. The color scheme down to specific details on how they were dressed all were significant. Our film takes place predominantly in Adelaide and Amsterdam. Our locations were chosen to highlight their characteristics and personalities and how they fitted to our characters in those scenes.
PH: Were there any specific cultural or artistic influences that inspired your work on Jimpa?
Matthew Chuang: The flashbacks were about specific moments that dealt with certain time periods, a lot of it in terms of the gay community and we paid attention to make sure that felt honest and truthful. As for artistic influences, we looked at the photographs of Nan Goldin for inspiration.
PH: Collaboration is essential in creating a cohesive visual narrative. How did you work with the director and production team to achieve the film’s vision?
Matthew Chuang: Director Sophie Hyde would often love to bring us all together to discuss ideas we had and share inspirations, both found and personal. Sophie created an atmosphere that felt open and welcoming for everyone involved to bring themselves to.
PH: What were some of the most challenging shots or sequences to capture, and how did you tackle them?
Matthew Chuang: Logistically filming on the streets of Amsterdam was challenging but really exciting. The streets were often narrow, especially those along the canals, and they had a lot of the general public, especially on bicycles that we had to work around. It was exciting to film on these locations but also quite challenging for everyone involved.
PH: With the rise of digital and streaming platforms, how do you see independent films like Jimpa evolving in their reach and impact?
Matthew Chuang: The film captures stories and experiences spanning over three generations, exploring how certain communities have been treated at certain times and how that has progressed over time. We hope the film reaches audiences across the globe and across different ages and backgrounds. Digital and streaming platforms certainly allow the possibility for this to happen.
PH: Were there any resources, connections, or moments during Sundance that you feel were game-changing for you as a filmmaker?
Matthew Chuang: Being a part of a film that is selected to screen at Sundance will always be something that is to be cherished.
PH: What advice would you give to emerging filmmakers hoping to debut their work at festivals like Sundance?
Matthew Chuang: Create work that has a strong point of view. The work speaks for itself.
PH: From a production standpoint, what challenges did you face while bringing Jimpato life, and how did you overcome them?
Matthew Chuang: The scale of this film, the fact we shot in both Adelaide and Amsterdam, the logistics of forming and working with two production teams in each city. The number of cast and characters involved in both locations. In awe of everyone involved, especially the producers in handling it all and allowing everyone to bring themselves to the making of this film.
PH: Did you employ any unique techniques or technologies during filming that enhanced the visual or emotional storytelling?
Matthew Chuang: From a cinematography standpoint, we chose the Cooke Speed Panchros for our look. For our present timeline, we used Cooke Speed Panchros from the 1960s and for our flashbacks, we used Cooke Speed Panchros from the 1920s.
PH: How did you approach editing the film to weave together the stories and maintain their emotional depth?
Matthew Chuang: Editor Bryan Mason and Director Sophie Hyde did an incredible job inserting the flashbacks into our scenes in a way that really captures the characters and their experiences. At times it feels surreal and abstract but always enhances the scenes.
PH: How does Sundance’s commitment to diverse storytelling align with the themes and vision of Jimpa?
Matthew Chuang: We feel Sundance is the perfect Film Festival to premiere Jimpa to the world. The festival encapsulates empathy through stories and exploring themes such as the ones featured in Jimpa.
PH: What other films or creators at Sundance this year have caught your eye, and why?
Matthew Chuang: Excited to explore the films and filmmakers featured in the Dramatic World Cinema program.
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