The 31st Energa Camerimage Film Festival in Torun, Poland, draws global participants with over 250 films, 850 cinematographers, and notable awards.
Torun, otherwise, a quite little UNESCO heritage city in Poland is abuzz with people coming from across the world, to be part of the 31st Energa Camerimage Film Festival which started on 11 November and conclude on 18 November.
This film festival is unique for it is dedicated to the craft of film making and celebrates cinematography with more than 250 films, 4000 delegates mingling with 2600 film industry representatives including more than 850 cinematographers from 72 countries.
You can feel the energy once in the theatre, for as soon as the opening logo begins to roll, there is this simultaneous clapping ushering in the Camerimage logo, this done for every screening with the same enthusiasm.
This year’s program has some strong contenders for the coveted Golden Frog; Killers of the Flower Moon, All of Us Strangers, El Condo, Ferrari, Filip, Lee, Maestro, The New Boy, Poor Things, Napoleon, Society of the Snow and The Zone of Interest.
The delegates eagerly wait for their chosen film in long queues without hesitation and follow up later meeting over coffee to discuss the films watched, such is the energy of Energa Camerimage 2023.
It is not the films that see long queues but also interesting seminars to learn from the best of the industry like Peter Biziou, Bsc, talking about a career in film, or the most interesting perspective presented by Walter Murch on Art inspiring science, or the technical seminars like Atlas lens co presents: cinematographers on lensing anamorphic, or the ARRI seminar on Color Science. Bill Kramer, the CEO of the academy, also shed light on the importance of creating new cultural centres.
This year the festival also celebrated the 100 years of Walt Disney Animation studios by screening some of the masterpieces from the early years of Walt Disney like 1922 Laugh O Grams, the first Mickey Mouse short Showboat Willie to short animations like 1937 Clock Cleaners to their Oscar winners like The Old Mill and the Academy Award-winning short The Paperman in 2012.
During this presentation, Disney premiered Lambert the sheepish lion (1952) in Poland.
The festival also honoured cinematographer Peter Biziou, with the Lifetime Achievement Award; Adam Driver, the special award for an actor; Jon Kilik, the award for a producer with unique visual sensitivity; the Brothers Quay, the award for directors with unique visual sensitivity.
While at the closing ceremony on 18 November, Krzysztof Zanussi, will be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award for a director; cinematographer Peter Zeitlinger and director Werner Herzog, the cinematographer/director duo award; Jenny Beavan, a special award for achievements in costume design; and Floria Sigismondi, the award for directing achievements in music videos.
