Bailey Remembered During Camerimage Opening Ceremony
Clips from the DP’s 2019 Camerimage Lifetime Achievement Awards presentation were played during Saturday’s event.
During Saturday’s opening ceremony, festival director Marek Żydowicz gave heartfelt tribute to the DP as he opened the festival, which is held annually in Toruń, Poland.
“It is very difficult for me to talk about it,” he said, introducing a black-and-while clip featuring portions of Bailey’s 2019 speech when he accepted the Camerimage Lifetime Achievement Award.
Bailey and his wife, Oscar-nominated editor Carol Littleton, had attended the festival on multiple occasions. Żydowicz also emphasized the bond between Camerimage and the Motion Picture Academy that Bailey helped to strengthen. He said, “John, you will forever be in our hearts.”
Adam Driver accepted the special award for an actor, calling Camerimage a “cool” festival that really highlights cinematographers.
Driver recognized those he has worked with that attend this week–Mandy Walker, Rodrigo Prieto, Salvatore Totino, Robbie Ryan, and Erik Messerschimidt, the DP of his latest film, Ferrari, which will unspool as part of the main competition.
Peter Biziou
British cinematographer Peter Biziou received standing ovation as he accepted the Lifetime Achievement Award. The DP lensed films including Mississippi Burning, for which he was Oscar- and BAFTA-nominated, The Truman Show and In The Name of the Father.
He remembered learning at early age that “we can make magic” with film, and he stated that he shares the award with his dedicated crews.
Jon Kilik, who produced Babel, for which he earned a best picture Oscar nom, The Hunger Games and Malcolm X, said he was grateful for the collaborations with cinematographers, as he accepted the award for a producer with unique visual sensitivity.
He admitted, “It’s a time now where I think the producer credit has gotten a bit monetized; it’s transactional. But it’s something I really have a lot of pride in.”
Saturday is Poland’s National Independence Day, which was recognized during the ceremony. Toruń Mayor Michał Zaleski also expressed his hopes for peace amid world events.
After the ceremony, the festival screened Poor Things as its opening film, which is also in this week’s main competition.
With the SAG-AFTRA strike over, Willem Defoe joined cinematographer Robbie Ryan for a Q&A following the screening.
