The International Federation of Cinematographers (IMAGO) held its Annual General Assembly (IAGA) in London on the 14th and 15th of February, hosted by The British Society of Cinematographers (BSC). The event was hybrid to ensure participation by all member societies. Representatives from more than 30 countries attended the assembly in person, and those who couldn’t join in person participated online. The Armenian Cinematographers Guild (ACG), which became a full member of IMAGO last year, was represented by its member and General Secretary, Anna Ter-Gabrielyan.
The first part of the day of IAGA was devoted to practical matters, discussions on amendments to the statutes, budget, sponsors, etc.. Voting for the new Honorary Member and proposals to host IAGA 2025 were also on the agenda. Paul René Roestad FNF was appointed an IMAGO Honorary Member. IMAGO President Mustapha Barat ABC proposed São3 Paulo, Brazil, as the location for IAGA 2025, and the delegates adopted the proposal with their votes. This decision was groundbreaking for IMAGO, as it will travel across oceans for the first time. Delegates attending IAGA 2024 opened a discussion about planning further ahead of time and suggested voting for the hosts of IAGA 2026. Astrid Heubrandtner AAC proposed that the Austrian Association of Cinematographers host the IMAGO Annual General Assembly in 2026 in Vienna, Austria, and it was approved by the vote. The first day concluded with the formation of the Preservation and Restoration Committee and a presentation of the Horizontal Communication Project, aiming to connect in one platform societies and their members globally.
The second day kicked off with ARRI’s presentation on color science, followed by NunLux’s presentation. Then the IMAGO committees, often referred to as “the heart of IMAGO,” presented their work and future proposals, followed by discussions. The topics ranged from more technical themes, as presented by the Technical Committee and the Preservation and Restoration Committee, to education, with the Education Committee aiming to connect teachers and professors globally, and the Master Class Committee planning online and offline workshops. The Working Conditions Committee addressed issues surrounding unfair working conditions, including long hours and their consequences on health, aiming to conduct a large-scale survey, while the Diversity and Inclusion Committee talked about projects aiming to minimize discrimination in the industry, including the ‘I OF THE LENS’ exhibition that opened in Berlin a few days after the IAGA. The topic of AI, inspiration, and plagiarism was brought up by the Authorship Committee, with a call to action to work on regulations. This was only a few days before OpenAI released a preview test of its new product generating moving images, which just proved the subject to be the pressing one. The IAGA concluded with an invitation to the BSC expo, where participants had the opportunity to roam around, test, and acquaint themselves with the new equipment and technology.
The Armenian Cinematographers Guild highly values the opportunity to be present at IAGA 2024 and is thankful to everyone who put their effort to bring this event to life. The experience gained and the connections made at the event were inspiring to say the least and brought greater motivation to work inside ACG to provoke positive changes that we hope will also impact the overall industry in Armenia. ACG is motivated to be active in IMAGO’s undertakings and initiatives and is interested to take part in the activities of IMAGO Committees.
