Women Cinematographers ‘Being Judged Still,’ Say Top Industry Talents at Camerimage

variety.com:

Will Tizard Contributor Top figures in the cinematography world took on what they described as “a really critical issue that we all know about in our industry” on Tuesday, sharing war stories from the ongoing fight for greater diversity and inclusion.

The broader film industry and cinematography in particular are still woefully out of step with diverse filmmaking talent, said the group during a panel held at the 32nd edition of the EnergaCamerimage film festival in Torun, Poland. “The idea that inclusion dilutes excellence is not up for debate,” said producer and columnist Anna Higgs as she introduced the hastily assembled talk, called “Widening the Lens: Inclusion and Excellence in our Industry,” which organizers put together this week in the wake of a controversy that saw some top filmmakers boycotting Camerimage.

Industry organizations have decried published remarks made by fest president Marek Zydowicz that seemed to imply that a focus on inclusion can lead to “mediocre film productions,” which also led to director Steve McQueen skipping Camerimage and Coralie Fargeat pulling her film “The Substance” from competition.

On Tuesday, the largest audience yet seen for a diversity and inclusion panel at the fest packed a cinema hall to hear insights from a group that included cinematographers Mandy Walker and Rodrigo Prieto, director Maura Delpero, costume designer Sandy Powell and actor/producer Cate Blanchett.