A HAPPY coincidence: The Philippines? first entry in the Cannes? Film Festival?s Un Certain Regard section was shot by a French cinematographer.

The acclaimed Jeanne Lapoirie worked as director of photography (DoP) in Filipino filmmaker Raya Martin?s latest movie ?Independencia,? which was shot in a Marikina studio last December.

?She is very well-known,? Martin told Inquirer Entertainment. Martin related. ?She shot most of François Ozon?s films [and] a lot of art-house films.? French producer Antoine Segovia of Atopic added that Lapoirie is, in fact, ?famous in all of Europe.?

Lapoirie?s name is attached to such titles as ?8 Women,? ?Under the Sand? and ?Time to Leave.? Which means she has worked with esteemed French actresses Jeanne Moreau, Charlotte Rampling and Catherine Deneuve.

In an exclusive interview with Inquirer, the unassuming Lapoirie remembered Deneuve as ?a nice lady? introduced to her by Ozon, ?who?s my friend." Now joining the illustrious list of actors she has photographed are Filipinos Tetchie Agbayani, Alessandra de Rossi, Sid Lucero and child star Mika Aguilos of ?Independencia.?

Martin described Lapoirie as ?easy to work with, child-like, very open to experimentation and collaboration." At first, Martin said, Lapoirie was shocked that they were working 14-hour days. "But she breezed through the 15-day shoot.?

How did you adjust to the longer hours?
More than the [hours], it?s the project... it?s different.

How so?
All the scenes were shot in a studio. We wanted to capture the look of an old movie. It?s also in black-and-white, and we used flickering light.

You did something different?
I tried. But most of the job was done by the set, the painted backdrop and how the actors were made up and costumed. I did the lighting as if it was an old photograph or an old tableau.

Is it true that you started work on this film in France?
Yah. I arrived three days earlier so we could do pre-lighting. But we decided on how to light the set while I was in Paris. They sent me pictures of the sets and the backdrops via e-mail.

What?s it like working with Raya?
It was like I was discovering him and his movie at the same time. It was great because I think this is the only time in my life that I will get to do this kind of film.

What attracted you to this movie?
Raya himself. I saw ?Indio Nacional? in Marseilles and we got to talk. A year later, he called me for this movie.

How did you find ?Indio Nacional??
It was nice. Someone played the piano while the movie was being screened. And there were a lot of powerful shots. I remember the image of the child looking at the sky.

What?s your biggest challenge in doing this movie?

Speaking English. (Laughs.)