Cate Blanchett and her fellow jury members from Poland’s Camerimage festival have released a statement affirming their support for the festival and commitment to “meaningful discussions” after controversial comments made by the festival’s director to justify the dearth of female cinematographers in the lineup.
“We welcome debate regarding gender representation,” the jury members wrote in a statement that was posted by jury members Anna Higgs and Sandy Powell. The jury is comprised of Blanchett, Anthony Dod Mantle, Higgs, Powell, Rodrigo Prieto, Lukasz Zal and Jolanta Dylewska.
“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,” the statement continued.
“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,” the statement concludes.
Blanchett is jury president of the main competition at the 32nd edition of the EnergaCamerimage International Cinematography Film Festival which takes place Nov. 16-23 in Toruń, Poland.
On Tuesday, McQueen dropped out of attending the opening night screening of his new film “Blitz.” He had been set to receive the outstanding director award at the event. McQueen said in a statement to Variety that “although (Marek Żydowicz) 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.”
In a column published in Cinematography World magazine, Żydowicz seemed to suggest that the selection in the program of more female cinematographers and directors could lead to the inclusion of “mediocre film productions” at the expense of “works and artists with outstanding artistic achievements.” His column triggered a widespread backlash, including from the British Society of Cinematographers, which wrote an open letter to Żydowicz, blaming him for his “profoundly misogynistic comments and aggressive tone.” Żydowicz reacted to the accusations, claiming they were “entirely misplaced and quite offensive.” He also argued Camerimage has “always strived to showcase only the best of contemporary cinema, regardless of who creates it.”
