Biography

Vincent Kardasik is a three-time Emmy Award-winning filmmaker with more than two decades of experience behind the camera. Growing up on France's Atlantic coast, he began by filming friends at skate parks and his local beach unknowingly documenting a generation of action-sports pioneers. After studying film and audiovisual production in both analog and digital formats, Vincent spent the first ten years of his career chasing the world's most iconic and challenging waves. He has worked with elite athletes such as Kelly Slater, Stephanie Gilmore, Kai Lenny, skateboard legend Tony Hawk, world-record free diver Arnaud Jerald, Olympic champions Jess Fox, Kauli Vaast and Iouri Podladtchikov, and legendary snowboarder Travis Rice among many others. Recognized as one of the few cinematographers equally at ease in the most demanding aquatic shoots and in the full spectrum of cinematic production environments, he developed a distinctive style: precise exposure, carefully composed frames and images that convey powerful emotions. His work has been commissioned by all the major surf brands, the World Surf League, Red Bull, Nike and leading fashion houses such as Saint Laurent and Hermès. Driven by a growing passion for storytelling, Vincent expanded into narrative film and documentary. He has worked as a cinematographer on more than a dozen feature films alongside directors and actors including Guillaume Canet, Gilles Lellouche, Gael García Bernal and Dany Boon and has directed three award-winning documentaries, notably Vagues A l'Âme and Dos Au Mur. His deep knowledge of surf culture allows him to bridge the gap between core enthusiasts and a wider audience while staying true to the sport's roots. In 2022 he joined HBO's acclaimed documentary series 100 Foot Wave serving as lead cinematographer for two seasons before being promoted to producer. In that role, he not only directed complex shoots across two continents but also shaped the daily narrative, a contribution that helped the series finally capture the Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary after two consecutive near misses. Along the way he earned two personal Emmys for Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program and a third as a producer when the series won Outstanding Documentary. Today Vincent continues to bring his technical mastery and narrative eye to international fiction and documentary projects. Surf remains a signature subject but his striking, emotionally charged imagery, whether filmed in the ocean or on solid ground, has evolved to tell stories that reach far beyond the waves.
- IMDb mini biography by: Julie Kardasik