In light of the controversy surrounding Camerimage Director Marek Żydowicz’s recent op-ed in Cinematography World, CSC President Zoe Dirse shares her perspective on the backlash, systemic industry biases, and the CSC’s ongoing initiatives to support gender equity in cinematography.
Q: How did you first react when you read Marek Żydowicz’s op-ed in Cinematography World?
Zoe Dirse: I was dismayed but not surprised.
Q: What do you think Żydowicz’s comments reveal about systemic biases in the film industry?
Zoe Dirse: The biases still exist and are ongoing and need to be seriously challenged.
Q: How has the CSC been addressing issues of gender inequity in cinematography prior to this controversy?
Zoe Dirse: Pre-COVID there was a workshop planned for women operators to help elevate their skills. Catherine Lutes csc, Maya Bankovic csc, and Kristin Fieldhouse csc were the leads. Also, a women’s committee was initiated by Joan Hutton csc at the height of the Me Too Movement. Thirty women gathered at Joan’s house, eager to confront our challenges in the industry. And currently the CSC is developing a series of similar workshops that will be delivered across the country.
Q: Do you believe Żydowicz’s comments could have a ripple effect on how festivals evaluate diversity and inclusion efforts?
Zoe Dirse: The discussion about how festivals handle gender diversity was initially addressed at the IDFA documentary festival in Amsterdam in 2014, which I attended. The Swedish Film Institute presented a study that they conducted about juries. If 50 per cent of the jurors are women, then 50 per cent of the selected works are by women. This was implemented by IDFA and Hot Docs that year, and since then, many festivals have adopted the 50 per cent policy.
Q: How do you respond to the argument that prioritizing gender equity might compromise artistic merit?
Zoe Dirse: Prioritizing gender equity over artistic merit is not the issue. Prioritizing gender opportunity is the key issue. When women are given equal opportunity for employment regularity, the quality of the work skyrockets and often exceeds expectation. Quote Malcolm Gladwell – one needs 10,000 hours to get good at anything.
Q: What can festivals like Camerimage learn from the CSC’s approach to creating opportunities for underrepresented voices?
Zoe Dirse: The main issue is not the festivals, although greater female representation is good as it brings women front and center. The problem is with producers and directors who employ and choose cinematographers. As Cate Blanchett so eloquently said in her closing remarks at Camerimage this past November, “It is a risk to make any film, and so to say that you can’t take a risk on a woman is just insanity. And all risks contain within them the risk of failure. But as we all know as artists, we don’t learn from success, we learn from failure. But as a woman you have the right to fail, and you have the right to be risked upon.”
Festivals need to have educated and enlightened leadership that challenge the notion of inequity and need to take greater risks or look more deeply for talent. Festivals can offer incentives for women, such as sponsorships, workshops, and internships, for example.
Q: What do you hope will come out of this backlash in terms of industry-wide change or conversations about inclusion?
Zoe Dirse: Festivals can take guidance from how societies address inequity by observing, entering into dialogue, collaborating, holding panel discussions during the festival, inviting society representatives, etc. They can offer incentives specifically for female DPs, like special awards, scholarships, and workshops.
Finally, there was a special meeting held at Camerimage on the topic with various attendees and the Camerimage administration. Kristin Fieldhouse attended on the CSC’s behalf. The end result was positive: a dialogue was initiated, and recommendations were presented. The mood of the festival changed from outrage to somewhat relief, with an optimistic and strong statement at the closing by jury head Cate Blanchett.
Feature Photo: Zoe Dirse
