Louis Brennan is a London-based cinematographer working across narrative film, documentary, commercials, and music videos. Drawn to stories that explore identity, relationships, grief, and transformation, his work is rooted in crafting visual languages that place audiences inside a character’s emotional experience.

Passionate about narrative filmmaking, Louis thrives on the collaborative process of developing a visual approach alongside directors from the earliest stages of a project. Whether working within intimate realism, heightened worlds, or more abstract and dreamlike spaces, he seeks imagery that feels emotionally truthful, cinematic, and deeply connected to performance.

His films have screened internationally, with work appearing at the Berlin International Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, Edinburgh International Film Festival and SXSW. Recent projects include Gently, which premiered at the BFI London Film Festival and is set to stream on Disney+, Cymande: Getting It Back, which screened at SXSW, and Zombie, directed by Danny Millar, which screened at Carmarthen Bay Film Festival. His work has also been recognised through the Straight 8 competition.

Alongside narrative projects, Louis continues to shoot long-form documentary work and recently photographed Rise: The Body at Work, an observational film exploring female and transgender physical expression.

His visual approach spans naturalistic imagery through to heightened realism and moments of surrealism, combining traditional craft with emerging technologies in service of story. His experience includes documentary filmmaking, virtual production, large-scale water work, and underwater cinematography sequences delivered in collaboration with specialist operators and crews.

Above all, Louis is interested in collaboration. He is drawn to filmmakers pushing for something distinctive—whether grounded in realism, poetic abstraction, or somewhere in between—and believes cinematography is at its strongest when it deepens emotion, elevates performance, and leaves a lasting impression long after the final frame.

Selected Festivals & Recognition

• Berlin International Film Festival — Crystal Bear Special Mention

• BFI London Film Festival — Gently (Premiere)

• SXSW — Cymande: Getting It Back

• Edinburgh International Film Festival

• Bolton International Film Festival

• Straight 8

• Carmarthen Bay Film Festival — Zombie