The 2024 Camerimage Film Festival continues to be embroiled in controversy as “The Substance” writer/director Coralie Fargeat now joins the growing list of filmmakers pulling their entries from being screened.
In a statement shared over her social media pages, including Instagram, she and DP Benjamin Kračun wrote, “After discovering the highly misogynistic and offensive words of the director of the Camerimage Film Festival, I have decided to pull ‘The Substance’ from the festival (and Benjamin Kračun has decided not to attend). ‘The Substance’ is about the impact of exactly these types of behaviors on our world. We shouldn’t tolerate them anymore. We send our support to all involved in the festival and hope this decision will help create a much needed change.”
The issues currently facing Camerimage stem from an op-ed written by festival director Marek Żydowicz in response to Women in Cinematography’s August change.org petition, which called on the festival to further showcase the work of female cinematographers. In a column for Cinematography World, Zydowicz wrote, “The film industry is undergoing rapid changes, affecting the cinematic image, its content, and aesthetics. One of the most significant changes is the growing recognition of female cinematographers and directors. This evolution is crucial as it rectifies the obvious injustice present in societal development. However, it also raises a question: Can the pursuit of change exclude what is good? Can we sacrifice works and artists with outstanding artistic achievements solely to make room for mediocre film production?”
Żydowicz’s letter goes on to show steely resolve in bucking what he considers to be merely an ideological trend. Despite his tenacity, many found his claims wildly offensive, including the British Society of Cinematographers, the American Society of Cinematographers, the Association of Brazilian Cinematographers (ABC), Society of Camera Operators, Canadian Society of Cinematographers (CSC), Women Cinematographers Network (from Germany, Austria & Switzerland), as well as cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt and cinematographer/director Reed Morano, both of whom penned statements of their own against Żydowicz’s vitriol.
Fargeat isn’t the only one striking back at Camerimage this year. Earlier this week, “Blitz” writer/director Steve McQueen also decided to avoid attending the festival, though the film itself will be shown as the opening night selection. In a statement obtained by IndieWire, McQueen wrote, “Having read Marek Żydowicz’s op-Ed concerning female cinematographers, I have decided not to attend the opening night presentation of my film ‘Blitz’ this weekend. Although he has issued an apology, I cannot get past what I consider deeply offensive words. I have enormous respect for cinematographers of all genders including women, and believe we have to do and demand better to make room for everyone at the table.”
Though many have called on her to drop out in a similar fashion, this year’s Camerimage Jury President, Cate Blanchett, has chosen to stay on, signing her name to a letter from the entire jury that claims they will “welcome debate regarding gender representation.” For his part, Żydowicz did release a second statement that attempted to course correct.
“It was never my intention to undermine the achievements of any filmmakers, whose work I deeply appreciate and respect,” he wrote. “Whether this misunderstanding stemmed from an unfortunate choice of words or inaccurate translation from Polish is irrelevant. I apologize for this misunderstanding. I assure you that we will prevent this kind of ambiguity from occurring in our communications in the future.”
Camerimage Film Festival is held yearly in Toruń, Poland and celebrates the work of cinematographers.
