Jean-François Hensgens, AFC, SBC, (Tueurs, Six Days in Spring, Le Fil) brings his signature visual approach to Cannes 2026 premiering biopic L’Affaire Marie-Claire, starring Charlotte Gainsbourg and Cécile de France. The 1970s-set drama centers on lawyer and activist Gisèle Halimi and her landmark case defending young Marie-Claire Chevalier (Saul Benchetrit)—a trial that would pave the way for abortion rights in France. With much of the action unfolding in Parisian apartments and courtrooms, Hensgens needed a versatile, elegant way to shape light from within real, multi-story locations where exterior rig options were limited. For this, he turned to DoPchoice’s Airglow booklight.
The story of Gisèle Halimi and the Chevalier women is a defining chapter in modern French feminism. A lifelong political activist, the film focuses on Halimi’s work during the trial in Bobigny when 16-year-old Marie-Claire Chevalier was accused of getting an illegal abortion after having been sexually assaulted. The three-year court case was fraught with politicization and conflict but led directly to the overturning of the country’s anti-abortion legislation.
“This film was very exciting to me; the subject is important,” explains Hensgens. “I have a daughter who is eighteen and we have discussions about abortion. Plus, it was a chance to work with a fantastic cast, including Charlotte Gainsbourg (Gisèle Halimi) and Cécile de France (Marie-Claire’s mother, Michèle Chevalier).” Produced by Gaumont, L’Affaire Marie-Claire adopts an intimate, indie-scaled approach, centered on three primary locations and a 33-day shoot. Working nimbly in the tall historic spaces yet still delivering an elegance suited to the film’s star pairing, was a top priority. Hensgens turned to a new tool: the Airglow.
The cinematographer had first encountered DoPchoice’s Airglow just weeks before production at the AFC Micro Salon 2025. Intrigued by the inflatable, booklight-style diffusion, he and gaffer Fred Vanard tested the accessory with LiteMat fixtures. “We were immediately impressed by the enveloping quality of the light,” Hensgens recalls. “The effect on Charlotte’s face won us over.” The lightweight, single accessory streamlined the set while achieving a creamy soft source using only one stand. “We knew right away with the Airglow, it would be possible.”
The combo immediately became Hensgens’ go-to for closeups. Halimi’s law office location is dominated by a big classic window. Occupying the third floor of a Parisian apartment, the crew controlled that large source by adding gels to cut incoming light. Inside the cramped set, the adroit booklight with LiteMat completed the lighting setup. “The Airglow made it possible to follow Charlotte through the apartment as the camera moved,” he explains. “Just two minutes to set up, and we could move with the actors and camera without slowing down.”
The film also depicts Halimi’s televised interviews given during the prolonged trial. The production crew staged a news station, using a 2×2 sized Airglow fit with a Snapgrid as a key just out of shot. “In the 1972 TV station I again used the Airglow to help light every one of Charlotte’s closeups. The Airglow was immediately softer and gave us that nice wrap.”
“I call the Airglow part of our internal cuisine,” says Hensgens borrowing a metaphor he first heard from renowned French cinematographer Denis Lenoir, AFC, ASC. “Like a chef chooses spices, we choose tools—lenses, filters, lighting. Airglow became an integral part the image. To see something at the Micro Salon and then five weeks later use it on set, for me that’s perfect timing. I love these Airglow products.”
L’Affaire Marie-Claire is set to premiere as a Special Screening at the Cannes Film Festival 2026, with a theatrical release planned for later this fall.
To learn more about Airglow Booklight from DoPchoice: https://www.dopchoice.com/products/airglow-booklight/
