Lodz celebrates cinematographers
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The sixth edition of the famous Camerimage Festival (November 29-December 6) – which puts the spotlight on cinematographers from across the world – kicks off tomorrow in Lodz.
As usual, the programme includes a wide variety of events: official competitions, retrospectives, workshops, conferences and presentations of new technology.
This year’s new additions are a documentary section and a music video contest.
In official competition, 16 features (produced in 2007 and 2008 - see list below) will vie for the Golden Frog and other awards. The jury comprises of Gabriel Beristain, Steven Goldblatt, Ryszard Horowitz, Pierre Lhomme, Nicola Pecorini, Steven Rosenblum, Juan Ruiz Anchia, John Toll and Nigel Walters.
Meanwhile, the winner of the student film contest – open to works from all countries – will receive the Laszlo Kovacs (Golden Tadpole) Award.
Another competitive section devoted to ten new Polish productions will take advantage of the international event in Lodz to exhibit local films.
Moreover, the jury of the new competition entitled "Image of the world, the world in images" will crown the Best DoP in the Documentary Genre. This section will also include a panorama of the best international documentaries, as well as conferences and workshops for professionals in the field. In addition, the "Oscar-winning documentaries" sidebar will show 13 films selected in co-operation with the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Audiences will also have the chance to see documentaries by Polish masters Krzysztof Kieslowski, Marcel Lozinski, Jacek Blawut and Kazimierz Karabasz. The latter will receive – for the first time in the history of the festival – a Special Award for Lifetime Achievement in Documentary Filmmaking.
The Lodz Festival will also offer ten chosen directors the opportunity to shoot shorts (90-150 seconds long) as part of the Nokia Mobile Movie Competition. The films will be presented at the closing ceremony.
Dorota Hartwich Cineuropa.org