I’m a cinematographer! I love the magical, the surreal, and the nostalgic. I tend to live my life in anything but a straight line.
I grew up the middle child of five in a loud, busy Italian Jewish family. My childhood nickname ‘Oblivia’ sums it up - my chin always tilted to the sky, always in awe of something. My parents are both the most quietly creative people I know and they have made me who I am. My dad’s dad was a sign painter and window artist for the local shops in his Jewish neighborhood in Baltimore city. Though not a visual artist himself, my dad shows his creativity in the way he makes my bedframe sit comfortably into a corner it had no business fitting into, and finds a way to get my favorite (and very heavy) bureau up a skinny fourth floor walk-up without ruining anyone’s day. My mom built her life around learning and creativity - she passed on to me a sense of whimsy and curiosity, and the scrappiness to back it up. To support my two sisters’ dance careers, my mom would trade her creative services for discounts on dance lessons - we spent many a late night creating flower bouquets and ballerina-shaped cookies to sell during intermission at their performances (both my sisters became professional dancers!). To this day, my mom and I love doing the flowers for family and friends’ weddings - we garden, we bake old Italian family recipes, we make ornate gingerbread houses every year, and we try to bring creativity into our lives in every way.
I’m a graduate of the AFI Conservatory Cinematography Program. I’ve had many the grand adventure on camera teams around the world, including on the Oscar-winning film Colette, shot in concentration camps in Germany and France where I could stand proudly as a Jewish descendant. I worked in the camera departments on Get Out, Russian Doll, After Yang, and A Different Man. My latest two feature films as a DP, 5 Days at Zooblin’s Bar and Steakhouse, an absurdist comedy based in a run-down Red Lobster, and Big Sky Country, an experimental documentary about the music of Montana, were both shot on 16mm Kodak film and are in post production. My AFI thesis film Cherubs was selected for the prestigious CAA’s Moebius Showcase. I am a member of the ICF⁺C collective of professional cinematographers. My narrative cinematography work has screened at AFI Fest, Austin Film Fest, Maryland Film Fest, Oldenburg, Aesthetica, and more. My music video work has been featured in The Fader, Nylon, Ladygunn, and Live Nation's Ones To Watch. My commercial clients include Nike, Dicks Sporting Goods, and Parents Magazine.
Give me a shout: oliviakimmel@gmail.com