Poland’s Energa Camerimage Film Festival has long been considered a film lover’s dream. Founded 31 years ago as a professional event dedicated to cinematography, the Toruń Film Festival has grown in size in recent years but has retained its essence of purely celebrating the art of filmmaking, prioritizing the craftsmanship behind the lens – the director of photography, Directors and Production Designers – Celebrities and Industry Functions.
“The reason people keep coming back to Poland is that they can talk about art; it’s not another trade show or a festival with a red carpet every night,” said Kazimierz Suwała, director of Camerimage. He estimates that the week-long festival every November The festival typically welcomes 700 to 800 photographer guests. “You’re here to meet your fellow craftsmen. We have DPs from Los Angeles who joke they live next door, but it’s easier to get together and talk about filmmaking at Camerimage.
Not that this year’s festival won’t be star-less. Two-time Oscar winner and Emmy winner Cate Blanchett will chair the festival’s main competition jury general Star Hiroyuki Sanada will receive a new award recognizing outstanding achievements in television, while iconic independent cinematographer Ed Lachman will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award. The festival will also host world premieres, triggering widespread industry moments rustis an indie western starring Alec Baldwin that resulted in the accidental shooting of cameraman Halina Hutchins on the set.
Photographic images will also come under greater scrutiny in 2024. Remains woefully underrepresented in the industry. Camerimage founder and CEO Marek Zydowicz responded in an editorial last week movie world Magazine. But rather than working to improve representation at their events, as the leaders of Cannes, Berlin and Tokyo have done in recent years, Zhidovich seemed to argue in his somewhat confusing column that The push for more female representation could lead to a decrease in the artistic quality of films. Reaction from the international film community was swift, with several major cinematography associations publicly condemning the remarks, while Oscar-winning director Steve McQueen was scheduled to attend the premiere of Camerimage’s latest film, Blitzkriegcanceling his appearance. Filmmaker Coralie Fargeat followed suit on Friday, withdrawing her film substancestarring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, is from the festival lineup.
Zhidovic issued a formal apology and said he “wanted to take this opportunity to sit in an open forum and discuss how we can move forward together in a more open and inclusive way.” Blanchett insisted on attending the festival and competing with the competition Jury members issued a statement saying, “We welcome the debate on gender representation” and “look forward to meaningful discussions with our peers at the festival.”
This year’s Photography Image Festival takes place from November 16 to 23 in the medieval Polish city of Toruń, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Before the carnival comes, THR Catch up with Zhidovic’s deputy Suvava to discuss the vision behind this year’s edition and the steps the festival plans to take to address issues raised by the recent controversy.
There are at least two critically acclaimed films in this year’s Camerimage competition – Brady Corbet’s fauvism and Sean Baker’s Anora ——Shoot on film. There is a growing trend among young filmmakers to embrace classic formats. What do you think about this?
Well, it’s great to see more filmmakers returning to classic formats – which still have such a legacy – because they’re just as good as anything else we have available to us today. What we always emphasize at the festival is that all forms of film technology are simply tools or colors available to a painter – whether it’s 35mm or generative AI. Of course, there’s a lot of anxiety surrounding artificial intelligence – some fear it will eventually allow us to replace everything in the filmmaking process, including directors of photography, actors, set designers, etc. – so this is what we’re planning to focus on at the festival. Is technology the beginning of the end or just the latest tool to support filmmakers? This type of dialogue has always been an important part of our activities.
Can you tell us about the decision to premiere? rust? It elicited mixed reactions among international cinematographers.
Yes, I know it has become divisive. Some people thought we were doing it for promotional purposes and that it was inappropriate to show a film that resulted in death. But for us, the motivation is very simple. Halyna has a strong connection with the festival. She has participated several times. We were contacted by her friends, who told us that before filming began rustshe told them that this film was very important to her and it was her dream to show it at Camerimage. So the screening was just to fulfill her wish to have the film shown at a film festival. Halyna’s mother is Ukrainian and if she could leave her country she would attend the screenings, but it’s not easy now because of the war. It has been suggested that we hold this screening just to draw attention to the festival, but we don’t need that attention. We didn’t invite Alec Baldwin, and we never considered doing so. That’s too distracting. This is to fulfill Halyna’s dream of working.
Regarding the controversy that has arisen in recent days in response to the founder’s editorial, it’s fair to say that the festival has been slow to recognize that these words have disappointed and offended many in the industry. What will happen now? What measures will the festival take?
Well, of course, we have to change. To move forward, the next step is to meet during the festival to explore ways to address the changes needed both at the festival and across the film industry. Film festivals have an important role to play, but we are only the last step – inclusivity needs to start in the project development process and continue throughout the filmmaking process. The festival is coming up and we’re still trying to put some things together, but I’m hoping we can have an open workshop near the end of the week to talk about the future of the festival – inclusion and diversity will be the future of the festival. topic. In statements from female cinematographers and other filmmakers, we propose some very detailed steps to improve inclusivity at Camerimage. We want to achieve this, but we also have to make sure everything is achievable before we commit as an organization. So, there is still work to be done.
What advice would you usually give to first-time attendees to get the most out of Camerimage and the city of Toruń?
Soak up the festival and its atmosphere. Watch as many movies as you can and discuss them enthusiastically with the many people you meet here. This is the easiest festival in the world to meet and talk to filmmakers. Whether at a screening or in a bar after a screening, you’ll meet filmmakers everywhere. Take this opportunity to connect and share your thoughts on this art form we all love.
This story appears in the Nov. 13 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
