Cinematographer Andre Chesini shows harsh look at prison life in Oscar nominated film ‘A Fábrica’

Making movies is art, and Andre Chesini is a master artist. While looking through the lens of his camera, he can achieve a vision within seconds, perfectly framing every scene of a film. His vision creates another element of storytelling to every film he works on, capturing the suspense or humor of each scene, leaving audiences at the edge of their seats. There is little doubt why he is such a sought-after cinematographer, and his reputation as one of Brazil’s best is well-earned.
Despite having a decorated resume, including award-winning projects such as Chocolate, Life on a Leash, and the music video Oração, the highlight of Chesini’s esteemed career was working on the 2011 film A Fábrica. The film was Chesini’s first real experience with international success, after the film went on to multiple film festivals around the world and having been known in his home country of Brazil. Having his work seen on the world stage for the first time was an experience he will never forget.
“A Fábrica shows how the penitentiary system can be brutal to the human being. Coming from Brazil, it was a story that needed to be told. Once I was sent the script, I knew it would be the best movie I had shot in the time. The way the story is told, without dialogue, and just based on actions and locations, were some of the ingredients that also compelled me to explore this narrative as a cinematographer,” said Chesini.
The dramatic story takes place on visiting day at a prison. Lindalva prepares food to take to her son, who is in jail. Metruti, Lindalva’s son, shaves and wears the best clothes to welcome his mother. It is a very special day and he really needs to make a phone call; his mother is taking a risk, she’s willing to smuggle a cell phone for him into the penitentiary. It is a harsh fictional tale that sheds a light on the reality of the prison system in Brazil, and how revisions are necessary to improve the life of inmates. Chesini wanted to tell a story that had the potential to help society.
“Our intention as creator and human is to enhance the human figure and its values, even if that figure is a prisoner. During the film, we shot the inspection of the mom before visiting her son. Sticking to prison procedure, the actress Eloisa Ferreira needed to be naked on camera for the inspection scene. We made sure to represent her in the most dignifying manner although the content is a brutal and shameful situation. The attempt was to make the audience re-think our values and abuses of power in our society,” he described.

A Fábrica, translated to The Factory won over 60 international awards. It was one of the most awarded short films of the year, and was even nominated for an Academy Award, the industry’s highest honor. The international community responded to the message that the filmmakers tried to convey, and Chesini himself was honored with two awards in Best Cinematography at film festivals.
“It was an amazing honor and feeling being part of this project. I don’t come from a family that comes from the film industry, so to see my evolution with the film, being nominated for the Oscar, it was a dream come true and a sign that I should persist on my craft,” he said.
The director of the film, Aly Muritiba, also wrote the script; at the time he was a penitentiary agent. He knew he needed the best cinematographer possible to capture his vision. After working with Chesini in the past, the two partnered up for the film. The director says Chesini’s expertise not only as a filmmaker, but as a Brazilian, was essential while making the film.
“Andre has an immense knowledge about translating the aesthetics of the narrative and constraints of low-budget into a beautiful imagery. On The Factory, we were working with some non-actors, and Andre’s professionalism made the cast feel comfortable, allowing them to perform better and more freely still guaranteeing the best result,” said Muritiba. “Andre is an artist that comprehends the language of cinema. Beyond being an expert on cinematography, his skills as an artist and just as a human being are the reason why I always want to work with him. He is an intelligent, compassionate, and sensible cinematographer that has a passion for storytelling.”
The film was shot at a real abandoned prison in Curitiba, Brazil, where Chesini’s film Tereza was later shot. It was a big production challenge to make it look alive and operational, as they had a small cast. The film also has a limited script, making the visual aspect of the film even more important for keeping the audience’s attention. These characteristics made Chesini’s job as cinematographer that much more important. Using his camera and various angles, he was able to make the prison look fuller, and capture shots that added to the dramatic story even without words. The movie is also sometimes difficult to watch, showing images that are very realistic and therefore disturbing to many viewers. However, Chesini’s artistic sensibilities show the story in a tasteful way. He was involved with every aspect of filmmaking from pre-production to post-production to ensure its success.
“We did several location scouts and tests in order to achieve the look of the film. During that time, 35mm film prints was still the standard for projection at film festivals. Although we would capture the film with digital, I knew ways to finalize the movie in 35mm theatrical print, with the Technicolor system Cinevator, which prints the image directly into a positive film ready for screening. That was a huge money saver for the production which allowed them to invest on other areas of the film. Also it was one of the first films in Curitiba to be shoot with DSLR cameras, which would be a huge revolution in digital films a bit later. I finalized the film myself on Apple Color for the final graded picture. Everything really popped on screen,” Chesini described.
A Fábrica was just the beginning of Chesini’s international film career. Now, he is known around the world for what he does, and continuously shows audiences what it is to be a true storyteller.
“Making movies involves a lot of moving parts. It borrows from all arts, photography, theater, painting, music to create its own style. Cinematography allows us to tell stories and enhance the emotions of an audience. It is really fascinating to me that we humans have the need to tell stories. The idea of immortalizing the moment into film, it’s a really beautiful legacy that we have,” he concluded.
