PRODUCTION | CAMER IMAGE
LET THE FESTIVAL COMMENCE! IN SPITE OF THIS YEAR’S OBVIOUS CHALLENGES, ENERGACAMERIMAGE 2020 BOLDLY GOES AHEAD. HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
WORDS LEE RENWI CK / P I CTURES UN I VERSAL
D espite this year’s complications, the team behind Camerimage festival believes the show must go on! Naturally, visitor safety is paramount, and the team has worked hard to adapt. “When the festival began in the early 90s, we were very much in our niche, but as it grew, we started to invite directors, costume designers, editors, production designers and performers. While the festival is still focused on cinematography, it’s really evolved,” says Kazik Suwała, programme supervisor. “It’s certainly a celebration of image, but on all possible levels, from the technology, to the artistic creation and beyond. “It’s also a great exchange because the young cinematographers are coming here to meet their masters, and the masters are coming here to seek inspiration from the passion of the young people.” Last year, 800 cinematographers from 60 countries were present, and almost 1000 students from 150 schools. “It’s wonderful,” says Marek Żydowicz, the festival’s director. “We also had some big names from the industry here to support us last year. Quentin Tarantino came, Darren Aronofsky came, and we had Edward Norton and Danny DeVito, too. We were very pleased to see them all.” Naturally, there are changes this year. Taking place between 14-21 November, the
“Marek has managed to convince the city mayor and the deputy prime minister of Poland to find the money in the budget to build a new venue, the European Film Centre Camerimage,” explains Suwała. “We were aiming to secure $150million to construct it and, just a few days ago, it was confirmed that the full sum is there! The centre will be built by the end of 2025.” Suwała himself has stepped up his involvement in the festival and has become the CEO of the European Film Centre Camerimage institution. It looks as though big things are on the horizon. “The centre won’t just be for the festival,” Żydowicz concludes. “It’ll be open year-round, showing and promoting cultural cinema. We also see it as a hub to connect Poland and the best of film production from all over the globe.” WHAT’S ON Despite all the excitement surrounding the funding, it would be amiss to overlook this year’s exciting screenings. There are many promising contenders across Camerimage’s numerous categories, but we reach out to a chosen few to get some insight from the creatives directly.
IMAGES The festival’s live content will go ahead as planned, albeit with Covid-19 regulations added
screenings will be less densely packed and there will be fewer international visitors. Though in-person offerings are still vital, and new virtual access has been organised. “Visitors will have five screens available to view films, including the many great titles in our main competition – we’re very excited about those. Right now, in Poland, cinemas are reduced to 50% capacity, so that’s what we’ll be implementing here, too,” Suwała explains. “Elsewhere, we are going to take all the necessary measurements and follow all regulations in order to keep our visitors safe. We’ll still have as much of our usual live content as possible, including Q&As, seminars and workshops.” For those not able to attend physically, the team will maintain online connections so, according to Żydowicz, “people can still comment on the films and engage with seminar speakers”. Among a few big changes, there’s been some big news. Just last year, Camerimage returned to its original home city, Toruń, and for good reason, as it turns out.
20 DEF I N I T ION | NOVEMBER 2020
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