TRAILER

with

SALLY FIELD
RICHARD DREYFUSS
WILLIAM FRIEDKIN
ROGER EBERT
MIKE FIGGIS
HASKELL WXLER ASC
MICHAEL CRICHTON
FRANK SINATRA JR.
JOHN TOLL ASC
and many more

STORY

This is the story of a young Mexican farmer boy, who against all odds became one of the most influential characters in the field of cinematography.

It is a 77 minutes portrait of a man whose passion for films encompassed and promoted the immense power of film as an art form and the craft of cinematography as crucial to its impact on the viewing audience.

Interviews with actors Sally Field and Richard Dreyfuss, the American Film Critic Roger Ebert, the directors William Friedkin, Mike Figgis, John McNaughton as well as the author and director Michael Crichton and the cinematographers Haskell Wexler A.S.C., John Toll, A.S.C., and many colleagues and friends like Frank Sinatra Jr. shine some light on Alonzo's creative process.

His exceptional capacities as a cinematographer will be explained with the use of film clips from Harold & Maude, Vanishing Point, Sounder, Chinatown, Norma Rae, Scarface, Farewell, My Lovely, Blue Thunder, Internal Affairs and many others.

CREW

PRESS

'..no commentary tries to educate us. Instead, we can see for ourselves what made Alonzo so special...'
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG

'...this specialty item for Hollywood cinephiles and lens-heads will draw solid fest interest and enjoy a long vid shelf-life...'
DAILY VARIERTY

'...a complex and utterly fascinating documentary...'
KÖLNER STADTANZEIGER

'...a compelling case for the cinematographer as an important innovator of both, the documentary-influenced look of the 1970s American cinema and of the coming HD revolution...'
L.A. WEEKLY

'Worth Seeing' - tip of the day
TIP BERLIN

'...Axel Schill's documentary excels in the opening twenty minutes by putting Alonzo`s momentous impact in perspective...'
CAMBRIDGE FILMFESTIVAL

'...within the vividness of Alonzo's images, cinema returned to itself...'
DIE TAGESZEITUNG TAZ

'...a beautiful raid through the movies that Alonzo influenced...'
SÜDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG

'...a film, that really wants to make you go to the movies...'
KÖLNER RUNDSCHAU

'...an educational piece about the connection between technique and aesthetics.'
epd FILM

'...this documentary presents an insightful look at how Alonzo broke the mold on and off-screen...'
LOS ANGELES FILMFESTIVAL

'...a revealing film about a cineaste, done by cineastes for cineastes...'
FILMECHO/FILMWOCHE

'..this remarkable documentary works only with contemporary witnesses and also describes Alonzo as an actor and sculptor...'
FILMDIENST

'...the core of John a.Alonzo's art has been worked out in this documentary done by Stephanie Bahr and Axel Schill...'
CINEARTE

TV appearances:
Germany
Hungary
Greece
Finland
Southkorea
British Columbia
Southamerica (HBO Latin)
Brazil

Theatrical releases:
Germany
Switzerland
USA (limited screenings)

Festival screenings
Los Angeles Filmfestival 2007 (USA) (World Premiere)
München Filmfestival 2007 (Germany) (German Premiere)
Cambridge Filmfestival 2007 (UK)
Tacoma, Seattle 2007 (USA)
PlusCamerImage, Lodz 2007 (Poland)
Festival de Cine, Guadalajara 2008 (Mexico)
Bradford Filmfestival 2008 (UK)
Vistas Latino Filmfestival, Dallas 2009 (USA)
EBS International Documentary Festival 2010, Seoul ( South Korea )

Educational screenings:
Cinematographers Day, Los Angeles (USA)
DFFB Berlin (Germany)
Filmakademie Ludwigsburg (Germany)

SHOP