Sam Mendes talks about his work with cinematographers from Conrad Hall to Roger Deakins, while also expressing his love for Ukraine at the opening ceremony of the 30 EnergaCamerimage International Film Festival.
On Saturday in Torun, Poland, the Academy’s award-winning helmer accepted the Krzysztof Kieslowski Director’s Special Award, while hearing and seeing pictures of the Ukrainian presented at the awards ceremony Acknowledging that “it’s hard to talk about celebrating”. “I made a movie with Roger [Dickins] about two young men caught up in a pointless war. The question I get asked over and over is, ‘Does it matter? “I dare not say it, it is and always will be. We stand with everyone in Ukraine.”
He thanked the cinematographers he had worked with, from Mendes’ first two films began with the Oscar-winning late Hall, American Beauty and Road to Perdition (after death). “Conrad was my guide, and the cinematographer has been my guide since Conrad,” he said to applause.
Mendes has worked with Deakins for 19 years in the past and expresses this partnership “Gives me more joy and joy than any collaboration I’ve had in a film.”
When accepting the award, the director also cited his latest film, Deakins Lens , Movie Sets Empire of Light . “At the beginning of the film, the wall in the cinema says ‘Looking for the light in the dark.’ That’s all we do. It’s the work of the cinematographer, and I’m happy to have a little light in the dark.”
Filmmaker Alex Gibney received the Outstanding Achievement Award in Documentary Making and Ulrike Ottinger received the Film Avant-Garde Achievement Award.
“Camerimage, is the cinematographer and filmmaker doing their best to bring the world Bright idea,” Gibney said. “The world can be a devastating and dangerous place. A lot of my films focus on the abuse of power, but I think in a much more important way, focus on the everyday heroes who stand up against the abuse of power. So this year came to me here Saying it’s especially important, in Poland, when we’re so close to Ukraine, and people are fighting for freedom and life for us all.”
This week, Camerimage is supporting two causes Ukrainian Film Festival Displaced by War: OKO International Ethnography Film Festival and KINOKO Film Festival. “Please help Ukraine win in every possible way,” urged the tearful Tetiana Stanieva, founder of the OKO festival. “Our economy and our way of life have stopped. We have lost our dreams. … We have lost loved ones.” This part of the show includes a video featuring the filmmaker who joined the Ukrainian army.
The opening includes a reflection on Camerimage 1917*) year history. Festival director Marek Żydowicz said: “It is important to remember that the sky over Poland is red and such a meeting is impossible. … Things have not changed in some ways. We have to keep fighting.”
He also talks about how the early involvement of influential cinematographers Vittorio Storaro and the late Sven Nykvist helped get the event off the ground. In doing so, they hailed cinematographer and former Nykvist collaborator Lukasz Bielan as a “friend of the festival”.
In honor of Camerimage, Toruń to Żydowicz President and Festival Manager Kazik Suwala was present in the presence of Toruń to Żydowicz Mayor Michal Zaleski.
At the opening ceremony, both the competition film and the judges appeared. The main competition jury, chaired by polyhyphenated Lech Majewski, includes producer Fred Berger, cinematographer Marcus Förderer, cinematographer Arthur Reinhart and production designer Jan Roelfs. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw is chair of the TV competition jury, Elvis DP Mandy Walker chairs the jury for the student competition.
The opening night movie, Empire of Light , followed.
The festival will last until November .
