Hensgens Lights Cannes Biopic

Jean-François Hensgens, AFC, SBC (Tueurs, Six Days in Spring, Le Fil) brings his trademark visual sensitivity to L’Affaire Marie-Claire, premiering as a Special Screening at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.

The 1970s-set biopic stars Charlotte Gainsbourg and Cécile de France, and centres on lawyer and activist Gisèle Halimi's landmark defence of teenager Marie-Claire Chevalier (played by Saul Benchetrit), a case that proved pivotal in advancing abortion rights in France.

With key scenes unfolding inside Parisian apartments and courtrooms, Hensgens sought a flexible, refined lighting approach that would work within real multi-storey locations where exterior rigging was limited. He opted for DoPchoice's inflatable Airglow booklight paired with LiteMat fixtures to achieve an elegant, controllable soft source from within the spaces.

"This film was very exciting to me; the subject is important," explained Hensgens. "I have a daughter who is eighteen and we have discussions about abortion. Plus, it was a chance to work with a fantastic cast, including Charlotte Gainsbourg (Gisèle Halimi) and Cécile de France (Marie-Claire’s mother, Michèle Chevalier)." Produced by Gaumont, the production maintained an intimate, indie scale, focusing on three principal locations over a 33‑day shoot.

Hensgens first encountered the Airglow weeks before filming at AFC Micro Salon 2025. Intrigued by its booklight-style diffusion, he and gaffer Fred Vanard tested it with LiteMat units. "We were immediately impressed by the enveloping quality of the light," Hensgens recalled. "The effect on Charlotte's face won us over." The lightweight, single accessory helped streamline the floor, delivering a creamy source from one stand. "We knew right away with the Airglow, it would be possible."

The combination quickly became his go-to for close-ups. In Halimi's law office—a third-floor Paris apartment dominated by a classic window—the team controlled daylight with gels and completed the look inside using the Airglow and LiteMat.
"The Airglow made it possible to follow Charlotte through the apartment as the camera moved," he explained. "Just two minutes to set up, and we could move with the actors and camera without slowing down."

For sequences recreating Halimi’' televised interviews during the prolonged trial, the crew built a period news set and used a 2×2 Airglow fitted with a Snapgrid as the key, kept just out of frame. "In the 1972 TV station I again used the Airglow to help light every one of Charlotte's closeups. The Airglow was immediately softer and gave us that nice wrap."

"I call the Airglow part of our internal cuisine," said Hensgens borrowing a metaphor he first heard from renowned French cinematographer Denis Lenoir, AFC, ASC. "Like a chef chooses spices, we choose tools—lenses, filters, lighting. Airglow became an integral part the image. To see something at the Micro Salon and then five weeks later use it on set, for me that’s perfect timing. I love these Airglow products."

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