After recent comments from Camerimage CEO Marek Zydowicz, Coralie Fargeat, director of The Substance, which stars Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, has decided to pull her film from the 2024 Camerimage Film Festival. Fargeat’s decision is a response to what she called “highly misogynistic and offensive” comments made by Zydowicz.
The Substance director announced her decision to pull the film from Camerimage in a statement on X, noting that the cinematographer, Benjamin Kracun, had also decided not to attend this year’s film festival, which kicked off last Saturday in Poland.
“After discovering the highly misogynistic and offensive words of the director of the Camerimage Film Festival, I have decided to pull The Substance from the festival … The Substance is about the impact of exactly these types of behaviors on our world. We shouldn’t tolerate them anymore. We send our support to all involved in the festival and hope this decision will help create a much-needed change,” Fargeat and Kracun added in their joint statement.
Controversial Comments by Zydowicz
Fargeat and Kracun’s decision stems from an op-ed written by Camerimage’s CEO, Marek Zydowicz, which was a response to Women in Cinematography’s August change.org petition. The petition called on the film festival to further showcase the work of female cinematographers.
The CEO sparked controversy with his remarks in the op-ed about the festival’s lack of female cinematographers in past editions, seemingly arguing that the greater representation of females at the festival could result in a lineup of diminished artistic quality.
“The film industry is undergoing rapid changes, affecting the cinematic image, its content, and aesthetics,” Zydowicz wrote in Cinematography World magazine. “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?”
Showing his resolve to oppose what he considers to be an ideological trend, Zydowicz’s letter was opposed by many individuals in the film industry. Some film industry organizations, including the British Society of Cinematographers, the American Society of Cinematographers, the Association of Brazilian Cinematographers (ABC), the Society of Camera Operators, the Canadian Society of Cinematographers (CSC), Women Cinematographers Network (from Germany, Austria & Switzerland), found the Camerimage CEO’s comments wildly offensive. Both cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt and cinematographer/director Reed Morano released statements of their own criticizing Zydowicz’s offensive comments.
Blitz writer/director Steve McQueen was scheduled to attend the opening night screening of his latest film; however, he decided to cancel his appearance at Camerimage this year (though the film itself was still shown as the opening night selection).
In a statement, McQueen wrote, “Having read Marek Żydowicz’s op-ed concerning female cinematographers, I have decided not to attend the opening night presentation of my film Blitz this weekend. Although he 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.”
Camerimage Competition Jury Thoughts
Headed by Cate Blanchette, the Camerimage main competition jury includes Anna Higgs, Sandy Powell, Anthony Dod Mantle, Rodrigo Prieto, Lukasz Zal, and Jolanta Dylewska. The competition jury responded to the comments from Zydowicz while also expressing support for the festival.
“We welcome debate regarding gender representation,” the group wrote. “While we will be focused on the task we have the great privilege to have been invited to take on—to watch and celebrate the work of cinematographers—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. 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.”
Zydowicz also issued a second statement, apologizing for his comments.
“It was never my intention to undermine the achievements of any filmmakers, whose work I deeply appreciate and respect,” he wrote. “Whether this misunderstanding stemmed from an unfortunate choice of words or inaccurate translation from Polish is irrelevant. I apologize for this misunderstanding. I assure you that we will prevent this kind of ambiguity from occurring in our communications in the future.”
Fargeat’s film, The Substance, stars Moore as Elisabeth Sparkle, a celebrity host ultimately fired from her daytime TV fitness show who begins to inject a secret serum to produce a younger, more perfect version of herself, Sue, who is played by Qualley.
