Ryan De Franco is a cinematographer whose work often centers stories of closeness, chosen family, and uncertainty.
His camerawork has screened at Sundance, Venice, Cannes Cinéfondation, SXSW, Tribeca, and MoMA PS1. He is most at home in unfamiliar landscapes, helping storytellers weave narratives with curiosity and a collaborative eye:
Wish You Were Here, (Lionsgate/Universal), director Julia Stiles, in theaters worldwide 2025;
This is Not a War Story (Warner/HBO), director Talia Lugacy, EP Rosario Dawson, on HBO Max;
Weak Layers (Greenwich Entertainment), director Katie Burrell, in North American theaters 2024;
Magpie (Scott Free), forthcoming from director Sylvia Hoeks & EP Ridley Scott.
Selected clients: Google, Ralph Lauren, Uniqlo, L’Oreal, Meta, American Express, MAC Cosmetics, Arhaus, Uber, Puma, Modelo, Intel.
Short work includes Troy, a darkly comic tale of unintentional intimacy (Sundance, Tribeca, Panavision Cinematography Award, Vimeo Staff Pick of The Year); Isole Ciclopi, the story of a Sicilian grandmother who whispers to 500,000-year-old rocks (Aspen, Whistler Film Festival Jury Award); Cattywampus, a heist film in which two diamond thieves reprioritize their work-life balance (Aspen, Palm Springs, Hollyshorts) and Jihan, a personal record of war and waiting along the Kurdish/ISIS front.
Selected Press:
VARIETY: Julia Stiles Directs “Wish You Were Here”
NO FILM SCHOOL: Directing the Undirectable
DEADLINE: Frances Fisher, Will Patton lead “Ruby Road”
NEW YORK TIMES: “This is Not a War Story,” Nor Does Coming Home Mean Peace”
FILMMAKER: On the Making of “This is Not a War Story”
DEADLINE: Greenwich Entertainment Acquires Katie Burrell Feature Debut “Weak Layers”
NO FILM SCHOOL: How Katie Burrell Subverts Ski Comedy With Her First Feature
OUTSIDE: On Set with Katie Burrell, Director of “Weak Layers”
VARIETY: Rosario Dawson, Sam Adegoke Join Cast of “Dark Days and the Dawn”