The reason why the female director withdrew 'The Substance' from the Camerimage Film Festival

"After discovering the extremely racist and misogynistic words of the director of the Camerimage Film Festival, I have decided to withdraw The Substance from the festival, and the director of photography Benjamin Kracun has also decided not to attend," Fargeat wrote in a statement posted on her X account.

Director Coralie Fargeat (left) and Demi Moore at the premiere of The Substance

" The Substance is about the impact that this kind of behavior has on the world . We should no longer tolerate it. We send our support to everyone involved in the festival and hope this decision will help create much-needed change."

In an article published in Cinematography World magazine, Camerimage Film Festival director Marek Żydowicz argued that having more female directors in the selection process for films to participate in the event could lead to the inclusion of "mediocre works".

"Should we reject what is respected and valuable just to 'make space' for the need for social change? While festivals like Cannes, Berlin or Venice are criticized for their choices being subjugated or motivated by political or ideological trends, Camerimage remains committed to artistic values ​​as the primary criteria for evaluating and promoting the art of cinema," Marek Żydowicz commented.

Star Steve McQueen also pulled out of the Camerimage Film Festival in Toruń, Poland, which included the opening screening of his new film Blitz . McQueen was set to receive the best director award at the event in Toruń, Poland.

"After reading Marek Zydowicz's op-ed about female cinematographers, I have decided not to attend the Blitz premiere this weekend. Although he has apologized, I cannot get past what I find to be extremely offensive words. I have great respect for cinematographers of all genders, including women, and believe we must do and demand better to make room for everyone," McQueen said in a statement to Variety .

Margaret Qualley plays Sue in the movie The Substance

Responding to McQueen's departure, Żydowicz told Variety : "It is with great sadness that I accept Steve McQueen's decision to withdraw from the festival. I apologize again and I would like to take this opportunity to sit down in an open forum and talk about how to move forward together in a more open and inclusive way. The Toruń Film Festival is about welcoming each other as a community and sharing our appreciation for the images we hold dear. Let's have a meaningful discussion together as a community so we can start rebuilding in a more equitable way. Let's have this conversation and identify steps to make our film festivals, our industry, more open, more unified and representative of all voices."

Cate Blanchett remains the president of the Camerimage jury despite the controversy. She and her fellow jury members (Anthony Dod Mantle, Higgs, Powell, Rodrigo Prieto, Lukasz Zal and Jolanta Dylewska) shared a statement addressing the situation earlier this week. "We welcome the debate on gender representation. We look forward to engaging in meaningful discussions with our colleagues at the festival about inclusion and recognizing excellence in all its forms in the film industry," the statement read.

After receiving criticism from the American Society of Cinematographers, the International Society of Cinematographers and the British Society of Cinematographers, Żydowicz said: "We always strive to present only the best contemporary cinema, regardless of who makes it. And that is how my statement should be understood, nothing more than that and has nothing to do with disrespecting women."

The Substance (Vietnamese title : Than Duoc ) starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley is showing in theaters nationwide.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ly-do-nu-dao-dien-rut-the-substance-khoi-lhp-camerimage-185241116095359829.htm