As a teenager, François Dagenais set out with his camera to travel the world and has been fascinated by the emotional power of images ever since. Cinematography is a continuation of his exploration into this lifelong passion. Since his first feature in 1997, Dagenais has worked closely with directors to define the visual style of their movie, documentary or series, developing a sensitive and artistic response to every script.
His work has been praised by The New York Times, Art Forum and Film Focus who wrote of his work, “every frame bathes in beauty.” His cinematography has also been showcased internationally at esteemed festivals including Sundance, Tribeca, Havana, TIFF and Camerimage.
Dagenais’ most recent series credits include “Smoke” (Apple TV+); “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” (Disney+); “The Hot Zone” (Nat Geo) with executive producer Ridley Scott; and “Project Blue Book” (HISTORY) with executive producer Robert Zemeckis, for which he received nominations from the American Society of Cinematographers and Canadian Screen Awards.
He was also the DOP for “The Mysterious Benedict Society” (Disney+) earning him a nomination for a Children’s and Family Emmy Award for Best Cinematography; and season two of the Emmy-nominated Showtime hit “Yellowjackets”.
Additional credits include “The Night Agent” (Netflix), “Valley of the Boom” (Tribeca Film Festival), “Under the Bridge” (Hulu), “Home Before Dark” (Apple TV+), “The Magicians” (Syfy), and “The Lizzie Borden Chronicles” (Sony).
Feature films include “The Silent Love” which was selected for the Sundance Film Festival and was shown at the MOMA. He was also cinematographer for “The Samaritan” starring Samuel Jackson, and for the multi award-winning docu-drama “Undying Love” which earned him a Best Cinematographer award from the Canadian Society of Cinematographers.
His work can be seen in “Peter Pan & Wendy,” “Downsizing,” and “Between the Moon and Montevideo” which was shot entirely in Cuba and selected for The International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography Camerimage.
Dagenais has shot films, documentaries and stills photography around the world – so it doesn’t hurt that he is fluent in French, English and Spanish. Dagenais has a BFA from Concordia and an MFA from the American Film Institute. He is represented by UTA.