Camerimage Meets With Roughly 50 Cinematographer Group Reps to Discuss Inclusion
An estimated 55 delegates from various women’s and cinematographer organizations around the world participated in a two-hour meeting on Thursday with EnergaCamerimage representatives, for what was described as a private forum to voice views and ideas as a step toward continued discussion and a goal of addressing diversity, inclusion and representation at the annual cinematography film festival. Sources who were in attendance described, in the words of one, a general “willingness to cooperate” among the participants.
The topic is at the center of a controversy that has plagued this year’s festival, which is taking place this week in Torun, Poland. The outcry heightened roughly a week before the opening ceremony when festival director Marek Zydowicz wrote a column published in Cinematography World magazine, which appeared to suggest that having greater representation of women DPs and directors in the event’s selection could lead to the inclusion of “mediocre film productions.”
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The comments prompted Steve McQueen to cancel his plans to attend the opening night screening of his film, “Blitz,” and Coralie Fargeat to pull her film, “The Substance,” from the festival. It also generated responses from numerous women and cinematographer groups.
The official invitation for Thursday’s gathering came from Camerimage and the Polish Society of Cinematographers. Among the groups that had delegates at the meeting were the American Society of Cinematographers, British Society of Cinematographers, Australian Cinematographers Society, Brazilian Association of Cinematographers, French Society of Cinematographers, Swedish Society of Cinematographers and Women in Cinematography, a collective formed in recent months that comprises people from dozens of collectives and societies around the world.
Several sources reported that festival director Zydowicz wasn’t among the Camerimage reps at the meeting.
Diversity and inclusion was already a discussion topic prior to the publication of Zydowicz’s column. Women in Cinematography started a change.org petition last August urging Camerimage “to take greater strides towards equal gender representation of cinematographers at its prestigious festival.” That petition currently has nearly 4,000 signatures. This year, WIC also facilitated several sessions taking place this week at Camerimage, sessions that were being planned with the festival, prior to the publication of the controversial remarks.
On Tuesday, a festival panel with participants included Cate Blanchett, this year’s main competition jury president, and cinematographer Mandy Walker discussed diversity and inclusion.
An estimated 4,400 attendees are expected at the 32nd Edition of Camerimage, which runs through Nov. 23.
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