Henner Hofmann, AMC, ASC, (born July, 1950) is a Mexican

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the recording of a film, television production, music video or other live-action piece. The cinematographer is the chief of the camera ...

, producer and screenwriter.

Early life

Hofmann was born in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

, Mexico. Both of his parents were artists. His father, Herbert Hofmann Isenburg, was a sculptor who was born in

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. He studied at the Ballhaus and later in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in the workshop of the French sculptor

Aristide Maillol Aristide Joseph Bonaventure Maillol (; December 8, 1861 – September 27, 1944) was a French sculptor, painter, and printmaking, printmaker.Le Normand-Romain, Antoinette . "Maillol, Aristide". ''Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online''. Oxford ...

, and arrived in Mexico in 1939. His mother, Kitzia Hofmann, created stained glass art for churches in Mexico and the United States. Hofmann has said that one of the films that has had a strong impression on him was the short film ''

The Red Balloon ''The Red Balloon'' () is a 1956 French fantasy comedy-drama featurette written, produced, and directed by Albert Lamorisse. The thirty-four-minute short, which follows the adventures of a young boy who one day finds a sentient, mute, red ballo ...

'' (1956) shot by

Edmond Séchan Edmond Séchan (20 September 1919 in Montpellier – 7 June 2002 in Courbevoie) was a French cinematographer and film director. Biography Passionate about image, Séchan earned a reputation as an excellent director of photography and is credit ...

. He said, "It is a magical story of a boy and a balloon that is full of charm and strong emotional undercurrents. That film left a mark on me forever. I was 7, and I remember every shot". At the age of 18, Hofmann attended the Centro Universitario de Estudios Cinematográficos, CUEC, at the

National Autonomous University of Mexico The National Autonomous University of Mexico (, UNAM) is a public university, public research university in Mexico. It has several campuses in Mexico City, and many others in various locations across Mexico, as well as a presence in nine countri ...

. ''The Circus'', a documentary presented as his thesis, was distinguished with an honorable mention in

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

Career

In 1977, Henner Hofmann, Afonso Muñoz, Gonzalo Matinez Ortega, Ignacio Nacho Lopez, Oscar Menedez and Juan Rulfo founded the Archives of Ethnic Communities, with more than 45 documentaries about the indigenous communities in Mexico. Hofmann began his career as a cinematographer after four years of traveling throughout Mexico, resulting in his first film, ''Bajo el Mismo Sol''. He was the first Mexican cinematographer to win a Coral Award for best photography in the Havana Film Festival. He has won an

Ariel Award The Ariel Award () is an award that recognizes the best of Mexican cinema. Given annually, since 1946, by the Academia Mexicana de Artes y Ciencias Cinematográficas, Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences (AMACC), the award reco ...

, Mexico's most prestigious award in the film industry, for his cinematography in José Buil's ''The Legend of the Mask'' (1991). In 1992, Hofmann founded the Mexican Society of Cinematographers (AMC) and was president from 1992 to 2004. Hofmann is a member of the Technicians and Cinematographic Production Guild, the Mexican Academy of Arts and Cinematographic Science, and the Screen Writers' Guild in Mexico City. In the U.S. he is a member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), the

International Cinematographers Guild The International Cinematographers Guild (IATSE Local 600) represents approximately 8,400 members who work throughout the United States, Canada and the rest of the world in film and television as Directors of Photography, Camera Operators, Came ...

IATSE The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, Its Territories and Canada, known as simply the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE or ...

Local 600, and a member of the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., with the stated goal of adva ...

. Hofmann has worked as a teacher in film schools in Mexico City. From 2008 to 2016, he was the headmaster at the

Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica The Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica (CCC) is a film school belonging to Mexico's Secretariat of Culture. It was founded in 1975 with the aim of providing technical and artistic training for those entering the film industry. The CCC is p ...

film school.

Filmography

Film

References

External links

Henner Hofmann - IMDb

Henner H. Hofmann, ASC, AMC Honored by Society in Mexico

Profesores y Maestros Invitados

AMC 23.98 - Revista bimestral Número 44 Julio - Agosto 2017

Henner Hofmann AMC, ASC 11 Preguntas a un cinefotógrafo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hofmann, Henner 1950 births Living people Mexican cinematographers Mexican screenwriters National Autonomous University of Mexico alumni