Camerimage begins with a tribute to former Academy President John Bailey, Adam Driver accepts an acting honor and a last-minute appearance from Willem Dafoe

Thick fog hung over Torun, Poland this evening as the 31st edition of the city’s EnergaCamerimage film festival kicked off with a lengthy opening ceremony at the stylish Jordanki Cultural Centre.

As always at Camerimage, the debate started the night before with a series of speeches from local politicians and dignitaries. These scripted interventions were followed by an emotional tribute to the late cinematographer and former president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, John Bailey, who died on Friday in Los Angeles. He was 81.

As a cinematographer, Bailey was responsible for, among other things, the Oscar for best film “Ordinary People” and “The Big Chill”. Bailey’s resume is also included Silverado, The Accidental Tourist, Groundhog Day, In the Line of Fire, So Good as It Can Get, How to Lose a Man in 10 Days, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, And Must like dogs over a career spanning five decades.

Camerimage festival director Marek Zydowicz paid tribute to Bailey, telling the audience at Jordanki that it was “very difficult” for him to talk about Bailey, with whom he had become close friends through his frequent festival visits over the years. Oscar-nominated editor Carol Littleton (ET the stranger). Zydowicz continued by introducing a black-and-white video clip containing an extended portion of a speech Bailey gave on Camerimage five years ago. During the speech, Bailey explained his goal to internationalize the American Academy and build strong relationships with global film institutions such as Camerimage. Bailey has been a member of the Academy’s Cinematography Department since 1981 and has served as the Academy’s Governor for fifteen years and President for two terms (2017 to 2019). He was the first cameraman to hold this position.

The star power in the evening at Jordanki came elsewhere Ferrari Actor Adam Driver, who accepted the festival’s special award for an actor. In his acceptance speech, Driver noted his military background and wished the Polish audience a happy Independence Day before telling them that today is also Veterans Day in the United States. Driver concluded his brief remarks by describing Camerimage as a “cool” festival that truly celebrates the work of cinematographers. He listed the names of some cinematographers he has worked with in the past, including Mandy Walker, head of this year’s Camerimage competition jury, Erik Messerschimidt, who shot his latest film, FerrariRobbie Ryan and Rodrigo Prieto.

Ryan directed Noah Baumbach’s Oscar-nominated film Marriage story passengers. However, the Irish cinematographer will be present at Camerimage this year Poor stuff, his latest collaboration with Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos. With SAG’s strike against Hollywood studios almost over, Ryan was ushered to the stage for a pre- and post-show Q&A session with actor Willem Dafoe, a last-minute new addition to the Cameraimage program . Dafoe appears alongside Emma Stone, Ramy Youssef and Mark Ruffalo in the photo, which won the Golden Lion in Venice.

Dafoe told the Polish audience that he was last at Camerimage in 2002 and he was happy to see the festival “blooming” on his return.

“We missed the actors a lot, so it’s really great to have one here on stage,” Ryan said of the end of the SAG strike.

poor things, The film, which is shown as part of the festival’s main film competition, was greeted with thunderous applause after the evening screening. Other photos featured in the main Camerimage competition include those by Pablo Larrain El Conde Ridley Scott’s Napolean, Martin Scorsese’s Flower Moon Killerand Bradley Coopers master.

In another tribute to producer Jon Kilik, whose credits include all of the Hunger games Series based on Spike Lee’s Malcolm X, won the Camerimage Award for Producer with Unique Visual Sensitivity. In accepting the honorary gong, Kilik said that in today’s Hollywood, “the producer credit is a little bit monetized,” but that he is still “very proud” of his credits, which he chose out of instinct and passion. British cinematographer Peter Biziou (Mississippi is burning) was also awarded the festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Camera image runs until 18 November.