21st Camerimage Festival Winners

Arakadiusz Tomiak, Bodo Kox, Fot. Piotr Szymański, PISF

The winners of the 21st Camerimage International Festival of the Art of Cinematography, co-financed by the Polish Film Institute, have been announced.

Golden Frog Award for Ida

The festival’s Golden Frog Grand Prize for Best Cinematography went to Polish DPs Łukasz Żal and Ryszard Lenczewski, who lensed Ida, a film directed by Paweł Pawlikowski and co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.

The Main Competition lineup of the 21st Camerimage IFF featured a total of 14 films, judged by international jury members Denis Lenoir, Tom Stern, Adam Holender, Ed Lachman, Timo Salminen, Todd McCarthy, Franz Lustig, and Jeffrey Kimball.

“This is a grand award. I would like to thank Paweł; we built this picture together. For me, this was an exceptionally important encounter, on a professional as well as a personal level. I would like to thank the whole crew […] and the jury. I am happy that our still film moved them the way it did,” said Łukasz Żal as he accepted the award.

Dziewczyna z szafy (The Girl from the Wardrobe) Voted Best Polish Film

“The winners of this award were recognized for a very sensitive sense of directing as well as visually appealing camerawork on a film that shows the lives of people who lead troubled lives in a troubled world, but shows them in a way that is filled with humour, empathy, and human dignity,” said Jost Vacano, chairman of the Polish Film Competition, about Dziewczyna z szafy (The Girl from the Wardrobe). The award was accepted by director Bodo Kox and cinematographer Arkadiusz Tomiak.

Golden Tadpole Award Goes to Polish Student Film

This year’s winner of the Golden Tadpole Award, the top prize in the International Student Film Competition, was Zuzanna Pyda for the cinematography on Taki pejzaż (Such a Landscape), a film by Jagoda Szelc, produced at the National Film School in Łódź. “I would like to thank Jagoda for this journey on which we embarked together, and I thank everyone who helped us in the making of this film: our colleagues and professors,” said Zuzanna Pyda. The winner of the Golden Tadpole Award also received the Special Prize of the Polish Filmmakers Association.

Polish Film Institute and Mastershot Special Award

The winner of this year’s Polish Film Institute and Mastershot Special Award, presented to a selected film screening in the Student Film Competition for the use of creative cinematic language and the ability to provoke strong emotions that take hold of both the content and perception of the film, was Paul Özgür for his work on Magnesium, a film directed by Sam de Jong.

Lifetime Achievement Award for Sławomir Idziak

“Many of those present here today deserve to receive this award. Filmmaking is teamwork. This award also goes to everyone who has worked with me. A willingness to compromise and absorb the ideas of others is exactly what sets this festival apart from the rest. This is a festival of friends; an event that has an extraordinary atmosphere,” said Sławomir Idziak in his lifetime achievement award acceptance speech.

The winners of the 21st Camerimage International Festival of the Art of Cinematography:

Main Competition

• Golden Frog: Ida, cinematography by Łukasz Żal, Ryszard Lenczewski, directed by Paweł Pawlikowski;
• Silver Frog: Heli, cinematography by Lorenzo Hagerman, directed by Amat Escalante;
• Bronze Frog: Inside LLewyn Davis, cinematography by Bruno Delbonnel, directed by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen;

Polish Film Competition

Dziewczyna z szafy (The Girl from the Wardrobe), cinematography by Arkadiusz Tomiak, directed by Bodo Kox;

Student Film Competition

• Golden Tadpole and Polish Filmmakers Association Award: Taki pejzaż (Such a Landscape), cinematography by Zuzanna Pyda, directed by Jagoda Szelc;
• Silver Tadpole: Zinneke, cinematography by Erika Medav, directed by Rémi Allier;
• Bronze Tadpole: Funeral of Harald Kramer, cinematography by Anselm Hartmann, directed by Marc Schlegel;
• Polish Film Institute and Mastershot Special Award: Magnesium, cinematography by Paul Özgür, directed by Sam De Jong;

Feature-Length Documentary Film Competition

• Golden Frog – Grand Prix: Winter Nomads, cinematography by Camille Cottagnoud, directed by Manuel von Stürler;
• Special Mention: Matthew’s Laws, cinematography by Aage Hollander, Marc Schmidt , directed by Marc Schmidt;

Short Documentary Film Competition

• Golden Frog – Grand Prix: Grandpa and Me and a Helicopter to Heaven, cinematography by Johan Palmgren, directed by Åsa Blanck, Johan Palmgren;
• Special Mention: Not Anymore: A Story of Revolution, cinematography by Matthew VanDyke, directed by Matthew VanDyke;

Directors’ Debuts Competition

• Augustine, cinematography by Georges Lechaptois, directed by Alice Winocour;

Cinematographers’ Debuts Competition

• Medeas, cinematography by Chayse Irvin, directed by Andrea Pallaoro;

3D Films Competition

• Best 3D Documentary Film: Pina, cinematography by Hélene Louvart, directed by Wim Wenders;
• Best 3D Feature Film: Gravity, cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki, directed by Alfonso Cuarón;

Music Video Competition

• Best Music Video: Gesaffelstein, Pursuit, cinematography by Nicolas Loir, directed by Fleur&Manu;
• Best Cinematography in a Music Video: Ghostpoet, Cold Win, cinematography by Nicolas Loir, directed by Cyrille de Vignemont;

Advertising Spots Competition “European Funds in Focus… New Perspective”

• Special Mention: Ministry of Regional Development, Każdy korzysta, nie każdy widzi (Everyone Benefits, Not Everyone Sees) series of commercials;

Special Awards

• Lifetime Achievement Award: Sławomir Idziak;
• Lifetime Achievement Award for Directing: Jim Sheridan;
• Award for Outstanding Achievements in Documentary Filmmaking: Joan Churchill;
• Special Camerimage Award for Actor-Director: John Turturro;
• Special Award for Production Designer with Unique Visual Sensitivity: Rick Carter;
• Camerimage Award for Editor with Unique Visual Sensitivity: Joel Cox;
• Cinematographer-Director Duo Award: Roberto Schaefer i Marc Forster;
• Award for Outstanding Achievements in the Field of Music Videos: Samuel Bayer.

Further details about the festival are available at: www.camerimage.pl.

Paulina Bez

Translated by Karolina Kołtun