Michael Hasaya
Cinematographer
Michael Hasaya (b. 1987) is a cinematographer whose visual identity grew from a childhood spent in Georgia.
After building a strong foundation in high-end commercial production, working with major brands such as Google, Martini, and Huawei, he shifted his focus to narrative storytelling, collaborating with artists on shorts and music videos, including ‘Higher Than Houses’ (Camerimage nomination) with Sirotkin and ‘Tokyё’ with Antoha MC.
His feature debut, The Cold Front (2015), shot in Normandy, marked his transition into long-form cinema. Since then, Michael has shot several feature films, most recently The Poet (2025), directed by Felix Umarov and starring Oscar nominee Yura Borisov as Pushkin, now rolling out internationally.
He is currently wrapping the epic racing drama ‘Battle of the Engines’, which tells the story of two rival inventors caught in a wild race at the dawn of automotive engineering. In parallel, he is gearing up for ‘The Nutcracker’, a beautifully crafted ballet-themed narrative, where cinematic scale meets the dreamlike grace of a fairy tale.
Based in Paris, Michael is open, collaborative, and grounded. He believes in visual ideas that feel lived-in, moving between genres and formats with curiosity and care.