Paul Sarossy

Biography

Paul Sarossy (born 1963) is a Canadian cinematographer and film director best known for his long working relationship with Atom Egoyan, for whom he has served as director of photography on fourteen feature films. His work sits within independent North American cinema and international co-productions, where the camera often carries much of the storytelling.

The son of Hungarian-born cinematographer Ivan Sarossy, he grew up around the craft. His films with Egoyan, including Exotica, The Sweet Hereafter and Felicia's Journey, use image to shape fragmented structures and restrained emotional atmospheres. He has won five Genie Awards for cinematography, a Gemini Award, and several awards from the Canadian Society of Cinematographers, and has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy and an Independent Spirit Award. He has cited Vittorio Storaro, Sven Nykvist and Néstor Almendros as key influences.

He made his directorial debut with the British crime drama Mr In-Between, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2001. He is married to Northern Irish actress Geraldine O'Rawe. A member of the Canadian, British and American societies of cinematographers, he remains active in film and television, and his body of work is often studied for its close link between image and screenplay.

Key films

• Exotica (1994), directed by Atom Egoyan, where his photography builds an intimate space of shared glances.
• The Sweet Hereafter (1997), directed by Atom Egoyan, an ensemble drama whose imagery supports a fractured timeline.
• Felicia's Journey (1999), directed by Atom Egoyan, a dramatic thriller about the search for a missing young woman.
• Ararat (2002), directed by Atom Egoyan, a film about memory and the Armenian genocide.
• Chloe (2009), directed by Atom Egoyan, an erotic thriller about distrust in a marriage.