★ WINNER MIPDRAMA COUP DE CŒUR CANNES 2022

Historical drama series set in 1928, from the producers of “Babylon Berlin”, with cinematography inspired by the photographs of Saul Leiter and early 20th century colour photography.

“…atmospherically dense, cinematographer Cristian Pirjol has a keen eye for the human face” (FAZ)

“Set in Berlin in the 1920s, it captures the hopes of a dazzling decade and the dramatic turn of an era from the perspective of a young woman and a Jewish family, owner of a state-of-the-art department store at Berlin’s Torstrasse 1.” (Variety)

Drama series, 6 episodes, 270 minutes, Germany 2022. Directed by Sherry Hormann. Produced by X-Filme Creative Pool for RTL+ / distributed by Beta Film. Cinematography by Cristian Pirjol. Gaffer: Mathias Beier. Colorist: Ana Izquierdo. Cast: Naemi Florez, Ludwig Simon, Alexander Scheer, Nina Kunzendorf, Amy Benkenstein, Samuel Finzi . More info here.

TECHNICAL • CAMERA: ARRI ALEXA MINI • LENSES: ARRI / ZEISS MASTERPRIMES, ANGÉNIEUX ZOOMS • ASPECT RATIO=1:1.77

★ STREAMING ON ARD / ARTE FRANCE

HAUS AUS GLAS – 6-EPISODE MINI-SERIES

“A brilliant psychological chamber play […] excels as a study of what fundamentally defines family: its forces of flight and cohesion.” (FAZ)

Drama series, 6 episodes, 270 minutes, Germany/Belgium 2024. Directed by Alain Gsponer. Produced by Constantin Television for ARD/ARTE/WDR. Cinematography by Cristian Pirjol. Gaffer: Bruno Verstraete. Cast: Sarah Mahita, Stefanie Reinsperger, Morgane Ferru, Merlin Rose, Götz Schubert, Juliane Köhler.

TECHNICAL • CAMERA: ARRI ALEXA MINI • LENSES: LEICA SUMMILUX • ASPECT RATIO=1:1.77

“With its fluid direction, reminiscent of Gus Van Sant, and infinitely graceful actors, the series delivers a message of love and hope of rare kindness.” (Le Figaro)

“A hypersensitive ensemble story, focused on the life paths of several families from Berlin, shaken by the first lockdown. Really shot during the first wave of Covid, partly improvised by non-professional actors and without funding, this series is a sincere, moving and beautiful mirror of our very first moments with the virus.” (Series Mania Festival)

★ SPECIAL JURY PRIZE SERIES MANIA LILLE 2022

Drama / miniseries, 10 episodes, 300 minutes, Germany 2023. Directed by Maria von Heland. Produced by Tindra Film. Cinematography by Cristian Pirjol, with additional cinematography by Sten Mende. Cast: Laetitia Adrian, Barry Atsma, Stephanie Eidt, Juliane Köhler, Stefan Kurt, Nina Petri, Tyron Ricketts, Jana Julia Roth, Tim Seyfi. More info here.

TECHNICAL • CAMERA: ARRI ALEXA MINI • LENSES: ZEISS SUPERSPEEDS • ASPECT RATIO=1:1.77

9 TAGE WACH (9 DAYS AWAKE) — TV FEATURE FILM

A fast-paced drama about crystal meth addiction, employing expressive hand-held camerawork and a lighting style inspired by contemporary East-Asian photography and the German New Wave cinema of the early 1980s.

“a superbly photographed and edited film” (Tagesspiegel)

“Cristian Pirjol's camera cloaks the action in images that do not look at the drama from above, but tell the story from within it. Anyone who manages to make club scenes just as authentic as a yoga class at drama school is doing a great job.” (FAZ)

»Wegen der optischen Fulminanz gehört das Drama im Grunde auf die große Kinoleinwand.« (tittelbach.tv)

TV feature, Germany, 2020. Directed by Damian John Harper. Produced by Gaumont for Pro 7. Cinematography by Cristian Pirjol. Gaffer: Klaus Bieling. Colorist: Petra Lisson. Cast: Jannik Schümann, Peri Baumeister, Heike Makatsch.

TECHNICAL • CAMERA: ARRI ALEXA MINI • LENSES: ATLAS ORION ANAMORPHIC • ASPECT RATIO=2.35:1

NATIONAL STREET — FEATURE FILM

A social drama disguised as a dark comedy, the film is based on a popular novel by Czech author Jaroslav Rudis. The story follows Vandam, a disenfranchised working-class protagonist prone to solving problems through fighting. The film went to No. 1 during its first week of release in Czech cinemas.

“a humorous approach to a repulsive character” (Die Zeit)

Feature film, Czech/German co-production, 2019. Directed by Stepan Altrichter. Produced by Negativ Film and 42Film, ZDF, ARTE. Cinematography by Cristian Pirjol. Gaffer: Pavel Skála. Cast: Hynek Cermák, Jan Cina, Katerina Janecková, Václav Neuzil, Jiri Langmajer. Theatrically released in September 2019 in Czech cinemas.

★ THEATRICAL RELEASE: CZECH REPUBLIC (2019), GERMANY (JUNE 2020)

★ COTTBUS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2019 — MAIN COMPETITION

TECHNICAL • CAMERA: ARRI ALEXA XT, ARRI ALEXA MINI • LENSES: COOKE S4 • ASPECT RATIO=1.66:1

SCHMITKE — FEATURE FILM

The story of an unfortunate man sent to repair an old windmill at the German-Czech border. A film that mixes comedy with mystery and the absurd, shot in the foggy landscapes of the Ore Mountains.

“Technically creative and unifomly excellent.” (The Hollywood Reporter)

“Shot beautifully by Cristian Pirjol in the Ore mountains of the Czech Republic.” (Twitchfilm)

“Cinematographer Cristian Pîrjol shoots Schmitke in muted greens and blues, with sudden bursts of red and yellow.” (This Week in New York)

The film has been awarded the prize for Best Cinematography 2015 by the Czech Association of Cinematographers.

Feature film, 2014. Directed by Stepan Altrichter & produced by Radim Prochazka, Credo:film & HFF. Cinematography by Cristian Pirjol. Gaffer: Johannes Obermaier. Cast: Peter Kurth, Petr Vrsek, Helena Dvorakova, Johann Jürgens. Released theatrically August 2015 in Czech Republic and September 2015 in Germany. 

★ BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY 2015 — CZECH CINEMATOGRAPHERS’ ASSOCIATION
★ BUSAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2014
★ BEST FILM DEBUT 2014 — COTTBUS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
★ KINO! FILM FESTIVAL NEW YORK 2015

TECHNICAL • CAMERA: ARRI ALEXA • LENSES: ZEISS T1.3 SUPERSPEEDS • ASPECT RATIO=1.85:1

DIE LETZTE SAU (THE LAST PIG) — FEATURE FILM

An adventure film/tragicomedy, THE LAST PIG follows a small-time pig farmer on an accidental mission to defeat the meat industry.

Feature film, 2016. Directed by Aron Lehmann. Produced by a little film production, ZDF, ARTE, Pantaleon Films. Cinematography by Cristian Pirjol. Gaffer: Till Girke. Cast: Golo Euler, Rosalie Thomass, Thorsten Merten, Christoph Maria Herbst. Theatrically released in Germany in September 2016.

TECHNICAL • CAMERA: ARRI ALEXA PLUS • LENSES: ZEISS T1.3 SUPERSPEEDS, VINTAGE ANGÉNIEUX 25-250 T3.2 • ASPECT RATIO=2.39:1

JUNG, BLOND, TOT — TV FEATURE FILM

A serial-killer story, this film paints the city of Frankfurt, Germany, in an unusual light of warm tones inspired by 1980s-era thrillers. All flashback visual effects were done in-camera using various practical techniques.

TV film, 2018. Directed by Maria von Heland. Produced by Andreas Bareiss, TV60 for SAT 1. Cinematography by Cristian Pirjol. Gaffer: Michael Schäfer. Cast: Sandra Borgmann, Torben Liebrecht, Jeanne Goursaud. Broadcast December 2018.

TECHNICAL • CAMERA: ARRI ALEXA MINI • LENSES: CANON K35 • ASPECT RATIO=2.35:1

DER SCHNEEGÄNGER (LA GUEULE DU LOUP) — TV FEATURE FILM

A crime thriller with several temporal layers set in the Croatian community of present-day Germany.

“a cinematography of uttermost care” (tittelbach.tv)

TV feature, 2020. Directed by Josef Rusnak. Produced by Network Movie for ARTE. Cinematography by Cristian Pirjol. Gaffer: Pepi Rieck. Cast: Nadja Bobyleva, Max Riemelt, Stipe Erceg, Emil Belton, Luise von Finckh.

TECHNICAL • CAMERA: ARRI ALEXA MINI • LENSES: ZEISS SUPERSPEEDS T1.3 • ASPECT RATIO=1.78:1

KOHLHAAS, or THE PROPORTIONALITY OF MEANS — FEATURE FILM

Director Aron Lehmann and I shot this tragicomedy employing two distinct cinematographic styles: a restless handheld camera documenting in an improvised manner the life and quarrels behind the scenes of a movie shooting and, on the other end of the spectrum, a classic, carefully composed and lit visual style for the historical part of the film. The two styles, documentary and fiction, begin to merge together as the story progresses. The film was shot on a tight budget in the South of Germany at the end of summer 2011.

“One of the most gorgeously shot comedies in recent memory … deeply-felt, exceptionally unique and innovative.” (Twitchfilm)

Feature film, 2012. Directed by Aron Lehmann. Produced by Kaminski-Stiehm-Film, Bayrischer Rundfunk, HFF. Cinematography by Cristian Pirjol. Gaffer: Berta Valín Escofet. Cast: Robert Gwisdek, Jan Messutat, Thorsten Merten, Rosalie Thomass, Heiko Pinkowski, Michael Fuith. Threatrically released in Germany in 2013.

★ AUDIENCE AWARD 2013 MAX OPHÜLS PREIS SAARBRÜCKEN
★ BEST DIRECTOR 2013 ACHTUNG BERLIN FESTIVAL
★ BEST FILM 2013 FESTIVAL DES DEUTSCHEN FILMS LUDWIGSHAFEN
★ DEFA-AWARD 2013 FILMKUNSTFEST SCHWERIN

TECHNICAL • CAMERA: RED ONE • LENSES: ZEISS T1.3 SUPERSPEEDS • ASPECT RATIO=2.39:1

DAS NEBELHAUS — TV FEATURE FILM

This thriller’s story is set in two different timelines, the past in which a gruesome series of murders took place, and the present day during which the investigations of those murders is held. To make these storytelling layers visually distinct, we employed different colour pallettes in lighting, aided by in-camera filtering.

TV film, 2017. Directed by Claudia Garde. Produced by Wiedemann & Berg for SAT 1. Cinematography by Cristian Pirjol. Gaffer: Till Girke, Linus Liermann. Cast: Felicitas Woll, Lucas Prisor, Jasmin Schwiers. Broadcast November 2017.

TECHNICAL • CAMERA: ARRI ALEXA MINI • LENSES: COOKE SPEED-PANCHRO S2/S3 • ASPECT RATIO=1.78:1

ZWEI VERLORENE SCHAFE (TWO LOST SHEEP) — TV FEATURE FILM

TV film, 2016. Directed by Sylke Enders. Produced by Hager-Moss-Film for ZDF. Cinematography by Cristian Pirjol. Gaffer: Till Girke. Cast: Andrea Sawatzki, Franz Hartwig, Sandra von Ruffin.

★ MUNICH FILM FESTIVAL 2016

TECHNICAL • CAMERA: ARRI ALEXA MINI • LENSES: COOKE S4 • ASPECT RATIO=1.78:1

LA BANDE DES JOTAS
(THE GANG OF JOTAS) — FEATURE FILM

A black comedy/roadmovie shot with a crew of only five people over the course of 13 days. Director Marjane Satrapi (“Persepolis”) plays the role of the mysterious woman. Although the script was improvised on location, the cinematographic style is very much classic, taking visual inspiration from Western films and American photojournalism of the 1960s.

Feature film, 2012. Directed by Marjane Satrapi. Produced by Taj Films France. Cinematography by Cristian Pirjol. Cast: Marjane Satrapi, Stéphane Roche, Mathias Ripa, Ali Mafakheri, Maria de Meideiros. Threatrically released in France in 2013.

★ ROME FILM FESTIVAL 2012
★ GÖTEBORG FILM FESTIVAL 2012

TECHNICAL • CAMERA: CANON 5D • LENSES: VINTAGE OLYMPUS ZUIKO (1970s) • ASPECT RATIO=1.85:1

TRAVIS — EVERYTHING AT ONCE: THE MOVIE — 8 MUSIC VIDEOS

A set of eight inter-connected music videos for the Deluxe Edition of the album Everything at Once by the band Travis. An out-of-the-blue job offer from Travis singer Fran Healy, this was the first time I have ever worked on music videos. They were shot on a tight budget in the winter of 2015 in Berlin, and with very little time—five of them shot over the course of only two days.

8 music videos, 2016. Directed by Francis Healy. Cinematography by Cristian Pirjol. Gaffer: Mirko Fricke, Till Girke. Cast: Josephine Oniyama, Daniel Brühl

TECHNICAL • CAMERA: ARRI ALEXA PLUS, ARRI AMIRA • LENSES: COOKE S4 • ASPECT RATIO=1.78:1

44 DAYS OF CHICKEN WITH PLUMS — DOCUMENTARY

A lighthearted documentary essay about the making of a French film, shot and edited by myself. Armed with a small camera and a microphone, and inspired by French cinéma verité, I documented the shooting of CHICKEN WITH PLUMS over the course of 3 months in the summer of 2010. My film does not contain any ordinary interviews or footage from the actual movie, instead it relies solely on fly-on-the-wall observation and chanced-upon conversations among cast and crew. The entire film is available online for free.

Documentary, 2011. Director, cinematographer, editor: Cristian Pirjol. Interviews by Marjane Satrapi and Patricia Doukhan. Appearances by Isabella Rossellini, Mathieu Amalric, Maria de Medeiros, Jamel Debbouze.

TECHNICAL • CAMERA: CANON 7D • LENSES: VINTAGE OLYMPUS ZUIKO (1970s) • ASPECT RATIO=1.78:1