The French director planned to present her new feature film at the Polish Camerimage film festival. After the publication of a column deemed “offensive” by its director, on the place of women in the film industry, it removed it from the programming.
« We should no longer tolerate them », were indignant Coralie Fargeat and her head of photography Benjamin Kracun in a press release published on November 15 on The Substance the French director’s horror film starring Demi Moore, was to be screened from November 16 to 23 at the Polish Camerimage festival, the film team decided to abruptly withdraw it from the event.
The reason? Its director and organizer, Marek Zydowicz, published an article in the magazine Cinematography World in which he implies that the inclusion of women in cinema could lead to a decline in the artistic quality of films. “ Should we reject valuable works just to “make room” in the name of social change? ? “, he asked. To the point of decreeing that this development could lead to “ mediocre film productions ».
Steve McQueen also retires
Enough to make Coralie Fargeat jump, because her film The Substance « is precisely about the effect that this type of behavior has on our world “, she wrote in the press release. The French director was quick to denounce the comments “ highly misogynistic and offensive » from the director of the festival organized in the Polish city of Torun and to withdraw his film from the programming.
The director is not the only one to consider these comments shocking. British filmmaker Steve McQueen also made the decision to cancel his visit. The director of Twelve Years a Slave (2013) was to present his new film Blitz at the opening of the festival and receive a prize. He told the American magazine Variety that he was “ our duty to make and demand more space for everyone to sit at the table “. Before adding about Marek Zydowicz: “ I cannot move past what I consider to be deeply offensive comments ».
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Marek Zydowicz apologizes
Faced with the controversy, the director of the Camerimage festival made a point of apologizing, saying he was open to discussion in order to “ to move forward together in a more open and inclusive way “. Australian actress Cate Blanchett – star of Robin Hood (2010), Lord of the Rings (2001-2003) et The Hobbit (2012-2014) – will however remain at the head of the jury for this 2024 edition. We look forward to engaging in meaningful discussions with our festival peers about greater inclusion and recognition of excellence in all its forms in our industry », declared the jury in a press release relayed by Variety .
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