The pioneering Polish cinematography festival has come under scrutiny after its founder published an op-ed that industry guilds slammed as “deeply sexist.”
Cate Blanchett and fellow jury members at the 2024 Camerimage Film Fest have put out statement of support for the event after it was engulfed in controversy due to controversial editorial penned by the festival’s director.
The world’s leading specialty festival dedicated to the art of cinematography, Camerimage is scheduled to kick off on Saturday in Toruń, Poland. The festival has long been an industry favorite, especially among directors and their craft collaborators, but it has come under scrutiny after its founder and CEO Marek Zydowicz published an editorial last week attempting to explain the event’s dearth of female cinematographers in the selections of past editions. In his somewhat muddled column, the festival head seemed to argue that pushing for greater female representation could result in a lineup of diminished artistic quality. The reaction from the film community was swift, with several leading cinematography guilds publicly condemning the remarks and Oscar-winning director Steve McQueen, who was scheduled to attend the opening-night screening of Blitz, canceling his appearance.
“We welcome debate regarding gender representation,” the group wrote. “While we will be focussed on the task we have the great privilege to have been invited to take on — to watch and celebrate the work of cinematographers — we look forward to being part of meaningful discussions with our peers at the festival about greater inclusion and recognition of excellence in all its forms in our industry. We wholeheartedly support the necessary shift towards genuine inclusivity, and festivals can be a great forum for engaging in such conversations and championing positive change.”
Sources close to Camerimage say discussions are underway for Blanchett and some of the other jurors to potentially take part in a public roundtable discussing the important issues and changes underway in the film industry — including representation.