Poland Chamber Festival begins its 32nd edition amid controversy
Times of discover News: Poland's Energecamerimage Film Festival has been dogged by controversy this year - but you wouldn't have known it from the opening ceremony on Saturday night in host city Torun. Festival founder Marek Zydowicz kicked off the 32nd edition of the event without making any direct mention of the controversial statements that sparked widespread industry criticism last week, which resulted in the exit of two of the festival's high-profile guests - Oscar winner Steve McQueen and Coralie Fargeat, director of Substance - in an act of protest.
However, Zydowicz says he founded CameraImage 30 years ago to help "restore the dignity of the artists of the film industry who are overlooked when we celebrate cinema, or ignored if they are, seen as merely technical." CameraImage highlights the integral role of filmmakers and other craft artists in the filmmaking process. For years, the event has been a cult favorite on the festival circuit, drawing hundreds of working filmmakers and film lovers to the historic medieval city for a week-long celebration of the art of filmmaking.
But Zydowicz drew fire with an editorial published in Cinematography World magazine a week earlier, in which she suggested that Camerimage's emphasis on greater representation of female filmmakers could lead to the selection of films of less artistic quality. The industry response was immediate, with several major film associations and filmmakers publicly condemning the comment and calling it misogynistic. Zydowicz issued a response to a critical letter from the British Society of Cinematographers, saying that the reaction to her comments was "based on misunderstanding."
She later issued an additional apology after McQueen withdrew. The jubilant atmosphere at Camerimage has grown this year as the festival has decided to present the world premiere of Rust. It's an indie Western film starring Alec Baldwin that results in the death of cinematographer Helena Hutchins in an accidental shootout on set. When the screening was announced a month ago, some DPs took to social media to argue that the decision was a publicity move done in bad taste, since the production of the drama led to the death of a compatriot.
The festival, however, insisted that the premiere was intended to celebrate the work and wishes of Hutchins, a former Camerimage colleague who privately told his colleagues that he hoped his work would one day be shown there. (Organizers also told THR that they intentionally didn't invite Baldwin, as his presence would have distracted from the event.) Despite this year's controversy, several high-profile industry figures and artists attended Camerimage. Oscar winner Cate Blanchett, who has already been elected president of the festival's main jury, released a joint statement with her fellow judges earlier this week, writing: "We welcome you to the debate." gender representation,” and “we wholeheartedly support the necessary change toward true inclusion.”
Blanchett attended the opening ceremony Saturday night and was greeted with a standing ovation when she briefly introduced herself to the crowd. Her latest directorial collaborator, five-time Oscar winner Alfonso Cuarón, also appears to be a late addition to the festival. The filmmaker will discuss his Apple TV+ series and Blanchett’s disclaimer at a public speaking event next week. The ceremony opened with the news of a video from world-renowned performance artist Marina Abramovic, who accepted the Camerimage Award for Artistic Achievement. The artist said she was unable to attend in person due to a health problem, but added that she was “glad that so many women — great, creative women — are participating in this important festival this year.”
The second loudest moment of applause at the ceremony came when Shogun star Hiroyuki Sanada took the stage to accept the inaugural Camerimage Award for Best Performance in a TV Series. In keeping with the festive spirit, the Japanese screen legend accepted the trophy on behalf of the crew of his Emmy-winning show. Renowned Polish author Krzysztof Zanussi, a Venice Golden Lion winner and Cannes Jury Prize winner, was presented with the Pomorze Region Award at the festival by the leader of the provincial government.
The 85-year-old artist said from the set that "it's beginning to feel like a Christmas tree where the needles have fallen off, but they're still putting some decorations on it." "They say that as a man gets older," Zanussi says with a wry smile, "he should get wiser and more indifferent to exclamation marks, but for me, it was just the opposite – I wasn't getting that wise, and I felt more and more taken for granted."
