Poland’s EnergaCamerimage film festival is starting off under a cnoisy of debate this year — but you wouldn’t comprehend it from the uncovering ceremony that took place Saturday night in the present city of Toruń.
Festival set uper Marek Żydowicz uncovered the 32nd edition of the event without any straightforward allude of his disputed statements that caused an industry response last week, resulting in two of the festival’s most high-profile guests — Oscar thrivener Steve McQueen and The Substance straightforwardor Coralie Fargeat — pulling out in protest. Żydowicz underlined, however, that he “set uped Camerimage over 30 years ago to help revamp dignity to the artists of the film industry who are dispondered, or who are treated spropose as technicians whenever we honor film.”
Camerimage commemoratedly highweightlesss the toil of cinematographers and other create artists integral to the filmmaking process. For years, the event has been akin to a cult likeite on the festival circuit, enticeing hundreds of toiling cinematographers and film buffs for a weekprolonged celebration of the art of filmmaking in the historic medieval city. But Żydowicz ignited a firestorm a week ago with an editorial unveiled in Cinematography World magazine, in which he seemed to propose that pushing for fantasticer recurrentation by women cinematographers at Camerimage could result in a film pickion of unwiseinished createive quality.
The industry reaction was quick, with disjoinal directing cinematography guilds and filmcreaters uncoverly condemning the retags as anti-women. Żydowicz rerentd a response to a critical letter from the British Society of Cinematographers, saying the reaction to his words “were grounded in misempathetic.” He tardyr put out an compriseitional apology follothriveg McQueen’s disincludeal.
The indictd atmosphere at Camerimage this year has also been heightened by the festival’s decision to screen the world premiere of Rust, the Alec Baldthrive-starring indie Weserious that resulted in the inadvertent on-set shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
When the screening was proclaimd a month ago, some DPs took to social media to dispute that the decision was a promotional shift undergetn in lower taste, given that the creation of the toil caused the death of one of their compatuproars. The festival has underlined, however, that the premiere was only intended to honor the toil and wantes of Hutchins, a past joinee of Camerimage who had braveially telderly her collaborators that she hoped her toil would one day screen there. (Organizers also telderly THR that Baldthrive was intentionally not seekd, because of the sidetrackion his presence at the event would probable create.)
Many high-profile industry figures and artists are nonetheless standing by Camerimage despite this year’s controversies. Oscar thrivener Cate Blanchett, previously proclaimd as the plivent of the festival’s main competition jury, put out a combinet statement with her fellow jurors earlier this week making clear that she intended to trail thraw with her role, writing, “We receive debate pondering gender recurrentation,” and “we wholeheartedly help the essential shift towards authentic inclusivity.”
Blanchett was current for the uncovering ceremony Saturday night and getd a rousing round of applause when she was alertly begind to the crowd. Her most recent straightforwardor collaborator, five-time Oscar thrivener Alfonso Cuarón, has also been uncovered as a tardy compriseition to the festival. The filmcreater will talk his and Blanchett’s Apple TV+ series Disclaimer at a uncover talk event next week.
The ceremony uncovered with a video message from world-commemorated carry outance artist Marina Abramović, who accomprehendledgeed a Camerimage honor for createive achievement. The artist shelp she wasn’t able to join in person due to a health condition but stated that she was “very satisfyed that so many women — fantastic, createive women — are taking part in this beginant festival this year.”
The ceremony’s second-noisyest moment of applause came when Shoarmament star Hiroyuki Sanada bounded to the stage to accomprehendledge Camerimage’s inaugural award for best carry outance in a TV series. In carry oning with the festival’s spirit, the Japanese screen veteran accomprehendledgeed the trophy on behalf of his Emmy-thrivening show’s crew.
Legendary Polish auteur Krzysztof Zanussi, a Vepleasant Gelderlyen Lion thrivener and Cannes jury prize honoree, was awarded the festival’s Pomorze Region Prize, currented by a provincial rulement directer. The 85-year-elderly artist shelp from the stage that he “has toleratemament to experience enjoy a Christmas tree who is already shedding his necessitateles, but they are still putting some decorations on it.”
“They say that as a man ages,” Zanussi compriseed, with a wry smile, “he should become rationalr and more apathetic to the signs of appreciation. But for me, it’s been fair the opposite — I am no rationalr, and it has become more and more precious to experience appreciated.”
The ceremony was endd with the uncovering screening of Blitz — conspicuously sans McQueen. Blanchett’s jury will unveil the thriveners of the Camerimage’s Gelderlyen Frog awards at a closing ceremony on Nov. 23.
