The Poland-based Camerimage Film Festival is unique because it celebrates cinematography in film, television, streaming, and music videos.

Alfred Hitchcock famously said, "To make a great film you need three things -- the script, the script, and the script." While the script is the soul of the film, the cinematography is the face of the film. All that is depicted on screen is what the cinematographers or the directors of photography capture on their cameras. It isn't just the breathtaking moments owing to vast landscapes or gargantuan sets that the cinematographer captures. The most sensitive moments on film are the results of the cinematographer capturing every nuance of expression on the countenance of an actor. 

Cinematic milestones such as Gone with the Wind (1939), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), The Godfather (1972), Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Blade Runner (1982), etc. wouldn't be regarded as masterful without the exquisite cinematography.

The Camerimage festival this year was marred due to 'sexist' opinions of the festival's director Marek Żydowicz in an op-ed for Cinematography World about female directors and cinematographers. Żydowicz received intense backlash from many in the film industry and tried to extinguish the fire with not just one but two apologies but the outraged mob thought his sexism was too severe for forgiveness.

The British Society of Cinematographers replied to Żydowicz that they were "disheartened and angered by your profoundly misogynistic comments and aggressive tone, which we view as symptomatic of a deep-rooted prejudice."

Filmmaker Steve McQueen and his cinematographer Yorick Le Saux for the film Blitz pulled out of the festival in protest. McQueen was to receive a special award.

Director Coralie Fargeat and cinematographer Benjamin Kračun of the film The Substance withdrew their film from the competition and didn't attend the festival.

The festival jury didn't withdraw but "committed to being part of any gender representation debate."

Most articles covered news of boycotts, statements of protests, and withdrawal from the festival, but few covered the contents of the remarks that offended. So here's what the festival's director Marek Żydowicz said: 

“The film industry is undergoing rapid changes, affecting the cinematic image, its content, and aesthetics.”

"One of the most significant changes is the growing recognition of female cinematographers and directors. This evolution is crucial as it rectifies the obvious injustice present in societal development. However, it also raises a question: Can the pursuit of change exclude what is good? Can we sacrifice works and artists with outstanding artistic achievements solely to make room for mediocre film production?”

Żydowicz was raising important questions about the DEI mandates that are ubiquitous in current times. The challenge usually arises during the implementation of DEI recommendations. Consider the following scenario:

Five filmmakers have been shortlisted as nominations for 'Best Director.' The films were judged purely on merit and the nominees happened to be men. Among these nominations is a first-time filmmaker who made a masterful film on a shoestring budget.

The award committee then sends a directive to the jurors that one nomination must be a woman. The question remains who will be sacrificed to satisfy this request?

The jurors who are from the film business reject the debut filmmaker because the rest of the nominees are established filmmakers and the jurors don't want to upset potential employers. A filmmaker who struggled financially and sacrificed for his art is being discriminated against to facilitate better representation of another category.

DEI fails because you cannot counter discrimination by engaging in discrimination. The only way to end discrimination is to award and reward merit and only merit.

"That's an unlikely scenario' is what a DEI proponent will respond.

To test the resilience of an SUV, you don't just drive it on smooth motorways, you subject it to rough terrains. Similarly, an idea such as DEI must be subjected to the worst of test scenarios to evaluate the harm it causes. 

What about including a special category of awards for women filmmakers? That is demeaning, since it implies that women cannot compete generally hence a special category has to be invented for women.

Żydowicz raised valid questions that should have led to discussions and debates, but alas, they led to condemnation and boycotts. 

Perhaps many agreed with Żydowicz but remained quiet because they didn't want to suffer the ignominy of being accused of sexism.

Most of the articles that covered the news didn't hesitate to tarnish Żydowicz's reputation. The articles merely characterized his remarks as sexist, the word 'sexist' wasn't prefixed with 'alleged,' perhaps out of fear of being accused of sexism. 

Ideally, the festival should have been used as a forum for debate about DEI. But the likes of McQueen knew that they wouldn't win that debate, hence they chose the easier route which enables more attention.

Back to the allegations of sexism. This is another hoax by shallow, publicity-hungry, virtue-signaling individuals. The result of these constant hoaxes is that allegations of bigotry are no longer believed or taken seriously. 

Liberals have trivialized bigotry by gratuitous allegations. The real beneficiaries of these hoaxes are real bigots. Because if everything is bigotry, nothing ever is.

How did this insanity begin? It began in the 70s. While conservatives and traditionalists who believed in merit were occupied with earning a living and supporting their families, liberal activists began infiltrating both public and private organizations and introducing ideas such as DEI. In time, virtue was attached to these ideas and soon they were mandated. Those who asked valid questions were slammed and sidelined as bigots, resulting in total domination. 

This isn't just an occurrence at an obscure film festival in Europe, this is a widespread phenomenon.

It is time for those who believe in the spirit of competition and merit to stand up to these bullies. Fear is not an option, because the next person to be discriminated against and accused of bigotry could be you.

Image: PxHere