Festival Director Criticized for Saying More Female Cinematographers Could Lead to ‘Mediocre’ Films

A film festival founder has come under fire for saying that the prominence of female cinematographers and directors could lead to mediocrity.

Poland’s Camerimage Film Festival, the world’s leading cinematography festival, has been plunged into controversy following comments made by its founder and CEO Marek Żydowicz.

In the latest edition of Cinematography World magazine, Żydowicz wrote an article in response to a September petition from Women in Cinematography, an international union representing female directors of photography across the globe, calling on Camerimage to better support the work of women cinematographers.

Instead of committing to enhancing representation in the festival’s programming, Żydowicz argued that including more work by female cinematographers and directors of photography might compromise the event’s artistic quality, according to a report in The Hollywood Reporter.

“The film industry is undergoing rapid changes, affecting the cinematic image, its content, and aesthetics,” Żydowicz writes in an op-ed titled Time for Solidarity.

“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 article immediately drew widespread criticism from industry professionals and the global cinematographer community who described it as sexist. The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), the British Society of Cinematographers (BSC), and the Canadian Society of Cinematographers among others also denounced his comments.

In an open letter, the BSC writes that Żydowicz’s words represent an “outdated notion of male superiority in the field and equate fairer gender representation with a drop in artistic values.”

Camerimage Film Festival is set to kick off this weekend in Torun, Poland. However, following the fallout, British filmmaker Steve McQueen announced that he would no longer attend a screening of his latest feature Blitz at the festival.

“Having read Marek Zydowicz’s op-ed concerning female cinematographers, I have decided not to attend the opening night presentation of my film Blitz this weekend,” McQueen says in a statement to Deadline.

Last month, PetaPixel reported on how Alec Baldwin’s film Rust was set to have its premiere at Camerimage Film Festival to honor the movie’s cinematographer Halyna Hutchins who was fatally shot on set.

The screening of Rust will be followed by a panel discussing the events surrounding the film, including on-set safety and the role of women in cinematography.

 
Image credits: Header photo by Mateuszgdynia/ Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.