Richard Copans

Born in Paris in 1947, Richard Copans graduated in Cinematography from the former IDHEC (Institut des hautes études cinématographiques), later renamed La Fémis (École nationale supérieure des Métiers de l'Image et du Son), where he witnessed the events of May ’68 up close. For a decade, he worked as a camera assistant while becoming involved in militant cinema, as a member of the Cinélutte collective. From 1973 onwards, he helped develop a series of politically rooted films until the group’s dissolution in the late 1970s. In 1984, he founded the production company Les Films d’ici, which to this day stands out in the field of independent documentary filmmaking, producing works such as Cités de la plaine (2000), by the renowned documentarian Robert Kramer. At the same time, Copans continued to work as a director of photography, on films such as La Comédie du travail (1988) by Luc Moullet and Sinon, oui (1997) by Claire Simon, as well as a director, always devoted to documentary cinema. His most recent film is Looking for Robert (2024), about his 20-year collaboration with Robert Kramer, a major influence on Copans’ cinematic approach.

In 1994, together with Stan Neumann, he began the documentary series Architectures, in which each episode focuses on a building of classical, modern, or contemporary architecture. Among the dozens of episodes is L’école de Siza (2000), which explores the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Porto, designed by Álvaro Siza Vieira. He is a guest of LEFFEST for a conversation about Ce gamin, là (1975), directed by Renaud Victor, for which he served as director of photography.