Janne Ebel is a German Director of Photography based in New York and Berlin. “I received my Master’s Degree from The New School University in New York. I am a recipient of the Fulbright Scholarship” says Janne. “My work is both in narrative and documentary film. I strive to craft evocative, organic imagery through composition, lighting, and subtext, keeping characters and story central.”
Her most recent feature as a Director of Photography is The Visual Feminist Manifesto. The film is directed by Farida Baqi. It just had its premiere at the renowned IFFR Rotterdam Film Festival in February 2025. The Visual Feminist Manifesto was shot in Berlin, Sicily and Beirut. It centers around the expectations imposed by society on young women. And, the oppressive confines of patriarchy has put on young women. We follow the life of a woman in an unnamed Arabic City and her fight for a self-determined life.
Official Trailer for The Visual Feminist Manifesto Shot by Janne Ebel
indieactivity: What is your experience working on the story, the screenplay?
Janne Ebel (JE): Working on The Visual Feminist Manifesto was a unique experience. As the screenplay was entirely voice-over narration, guiding the film through different chapters. Unlike traditional dialogue-driven scripts, this film had a lyrical, and manifesto-like structure. Which influenced both the visual approach and the production process. It was my first collaboration with Farida, but a very special one from the beginning.
Farida and I spent extensive time discussing her personal experiences and the broader realities of women within oppressive societal structures. We drew inspiration from Egyptian cinema of the 1950s and 1960s. As well as the intimate naturalism of Andrea Arnold’s Fish Tank and Nan Goldin’s photography. Balancing heavy themes with visual clarity was key, and we carefully crafted each scene’s tone. For example opting for a colder, static approach for Berlin’s clinic and wedding night sequences to mirror the character’s oppression.
How did you get in on the film project? Did you pitch in or was the job a referral?
Janne Ebel (JE): I was actually recommended to the director by a producer I had worked with on a previous project. Farida and I met for coffee in Berlin, and clicked right away, and it has been a wonderful collaboration ever since!
What & how long did it take to complete your plan & gear-up for the film? (Was it a team or solo effort?)
Janne Ebel (JE): Due to budget and political constraints. We were only able to shoot parts of the story in actual Beirut, Lebanon. It was accompanied by a constructed indoor set in Berlin and a shoot in Sicily near the sea. Since the film also uses quite a lot of footage from older Egyptian movies, anime. As well as animation and news excerpts. It proved to be a more complex production than I had initially assumed. With the Sicily shoot happening after almost a year-long hiatus. In total I think it took almost five years for the project to be fully finished!
How did you work with your crew on this project? Describe your work process and/or ethic?
Janne Ebel (JE): For me, collaboration and teamwork are key to any meaningful project and film. I had a wonderful crew with me at all shooting locations who supported me throughout!
During the film production, what scene (that made the cut) was the hardest to shoot? And why?
Janne Ebel (JE): The shoot in Beirut proved to be our most challenging part, mainly because we didn’t have enough shooting days in hindsight, nor were we able to plan our schedule as much as we would have liked. Many locations were only secured the evening before. For me, the biggest factor in overcoming these challenges was the team effort of everyone involved. We were extremely fortunate with our crew—everyone was incredibly dedicated to their craft and quick to adapt to changes. I especially want to highlight my camera department, with 1st AC Elyssa El Khoury and 2nd AC Hatem Chayna, who always had my back!
What was your approach in finding the specific look and feel of the film?
Janne Ebel (JE): Farida and I established a clear vision early on through shared references, giving me a strong sense of the color palette and atmosphere she aimed for. We focused on a naturalistic approach, carefully balancing the film’s heavier themes without overemphasizing them in the visuals.
For the Lebanon sequences, we worked with existing spaces, subtly enhancing the warm tones of dark oranges and browns while avoiding an overly muddy look. Collaborating with my colorist, Nadia Khairat, was essential—her expertise helped us maintain a naturalistic feel while refining the visual identity of each scene.
The biggest challenge was unifying the film’s varied elements—archival footage, photographs, and animations—into a cohesive visual language. Nadia executed this beautifully, ensuring the film remained visually consistent while preserving the distinct textures and moods of each medium.
What was your gear on this production?
Janne Ebel (JE): For the Berlin shoot, we were wonderfully supported by Camelot Rental Berlin with an Arri Amira and some Canon FDs TLS Rehoused. I was originally thinking about K35s, but decided in the end to use the Canon FDs, being more affordable with our limited budget, while still employing a similar look of soft contrasts, and ended up really loving the characteristics it brought to our scenes!
As we were switching from black and white to color and a slightly different feel in Beirut, I opted for a combination of Arri Alexa Mini and the trusted Cooke S4 with some light Glimmer Glass filtration. For the parts shot in Lebanon, the Cooke S4 felt like the right choice with their warm color rendition and ability to paint skin tones with exceptional accuracy and warmth, making them ideal for capturing the portraits and close-up shots of our actress in the often confined rooms.
For our constructed set in Berlin, we used a Carpet Light 88 as a large soft overhead source, along with a mixed approach of Tungsten and LED since we were shooting in black and white.
In Lebanon, I relied heavily on the use of CRLS reflectors. Being quite constrained in terms of locations and accessibility, they proved to be invaluable tools for shaping and re-directing existing light, as well as giving us more distance and flexibility in otherwise tight spaces. A lot of the Beirut scenes play out in the same bedroom, so I had to come up with a variety of different lighting schemes to differentiate the times of day and mood. We got very lucky with that location, as the room already had heavy, warm golden curtains in place that helped a lot in creating the atmosphere we were aiming for.
Is there a particular shot or sequence you are most proud of?
Janne Ebel (JE): I think the scene I’m most proud of is the bathroom sequence, which is the first time we really get close to the main character, played by Amal el-Hani. She’s showering and waxing, repeating these sort of mundane rituals that at the same time carry so much weight in terms of imposed societal views on body image and expectations. It was a very intimate scene, with just Amal and me in the bathroom, shooting handheld. Amal did incredible work in the subtle changes of her facial expressions during those moments, and it felt very special to be part of that. I think it still works very well in the final movie!
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