Claudio Rocha
(Cinematographer)
Without question, Claudio Rocha is one of the most masterful young foreign cinematographers
to emerge on the scene since Jan de Bont. Largely responsible for the beautifully shot love scenes and the sumptuous
scenes of food in LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE, Claudio Rocha is also responsible for the exquisitely photographed film, PICTURE BRIDE,
winner of the Audience Award at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Early rave reviews from Janet Maslin of The New York Times
declared that "PICTURE BRIDE looks remarkable lovely," while Geoffrey Gilmore, director of The Sundance Film Festival proclaims that "Claudio Rocha is a masterful cinematographer, his lighting is nothing short of brilliant."
Born in Mexico City, Claudio Rocha received his degree in cinematography from The
Centro de Capacitacion Cinematografica where he studied from 1984-1989. He worked extensively as the second unit director of photography
for several features including LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE. Claudio also shot the award winning TV series, CITIES OF ANCIENT
MEXICO, broadcast in the United States on the Discovery Channel.
Recently, Rocha was the Director of Photography for the veteran director Arturo Ripstein
on the feature THE BEGINNING AND THE END, winner of the Golden Shell at the San Sebastian Film Festival. Claudio then completed
BETWEEN VILLA AND THE NAKED WOMAN for director Sabina Berman. I'M GOING TO ESCAPE is a short film that Claudio shot last year that was shown recently
at the Cannes Film Festival to great acclaim.
Claudio Rocha is getting much attention now, not only because of his masterful style;
he completed shooting epic PICTURE BRIDE in a record five weeks for the unbelievable budget of $500,000 dollars. "His contribution to this film was boundless" says producer Lisa Oneadere, "we absolutely could not have done it without him."
Claudio Rocha is convinced THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD will be the most visually dazzling
film of his career. He immediately responded to the screenplay, and after a meeting with director Dan Ireland he committed heart
and soul to the project.
Last Modified 12-December-1996
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