L'Affaire Marie-Claire

Jean-François Hensgens, AFC, SBC, Pairs AIRGLOW® & LiteMat on L'Affaire Marie-Claire

Bringing Intimacy to a Landmark Story

Jean-François Hensgens, AFC, SBC, brought a restrained yet elegant visual language to L'Affaire Marie-Claire, the Cannes 2026 premiering drama centered on Gisèle Halimi’s historic legal fight for abortion rights in France. Working across real Parisian apartments and confined interiors, Hensgens needed lighting tools that could move quickly while maintaining cinematic softness and control. For that, he turned to the DoPchoice AIRGLOW® Booklight paired with LiteMat fixtures.

AIRGLOW® creates softness in Tight Locations

After discovering the AIRGLOW® at the AFC Micro Salon, Hensgens and gaffer Fred Vanard tested the inflatable booklight system with LiteMat fixtures before production. The combination delivered a creamy, flattering softness while simplifying the physical footprint on set which was an essential advantage inside narrow multi-story Paris locations.

Fast, Flexible Lighting for Moving Camera Work

Inside Halimi’s apartment office set, the AIRGLOW® became Hensgens’ preferred tool for closeups and moving shots. The production often needed to follow actors fluidly through cramped rooms while preserving soft, naturalistic light. The AIRGLOW®’s rapid setup and portability helped the crew adapt without interrupting performance or camera movement.

“The AIRGLOW® made it possible to follow Charlotte through the apartment as the camera moved.”

Pairing AIRGLOW® with SNAPGRID® for Controlled Wrap

For the film’s recreated 1970s television interviews, Hensgens used a 2x2 AIRGLOW® fitted with a DoPchoice SNAPGRID® as a controlled key light just outside frame. “Using the AIRGLOW® together with the SNAPGRID® gave us both softness and precision exactly where we needed it.” The setup preserved the signature softness of the AIRGLOW® while adding the directional control needed for the stylized newsroom environment.

“Like a chef chooses spices, we choose tools—lenses, filters, lighting.”

AIRGLOW® became part of the toolset

For Hensgens, lighting tools are part of the emotional language of cinematography. Inspired by a phrase from cinematographer Denis Lenoir, he describes the AIRGLOW® as part of the film’s “internal cuisine” — a creative ingredient shaping the final texture of the image itself.

IMDB

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