EnergaCAMERIMAGE 2024 Main Competition Lineup!

Wednesday October 30th, 2024

The Main Competition with the Golden Frog Award has been the most important part of the EnergaCAMERIMAGE Festival from its beginning. The Competition exists since 1993 i.e. since the first edition of the Festival. From the very beginning the idea behind the competition is to present the feature films where the image significantly contributes to the way a story is told. The visual value of these films results from the cooperation between a director and a cinematographer and the unusual sensitivity of the author of a film image. The Main Competition emphasizes the enormous contribution of the cinematographer to the film work.

The aim of the Main Competition is to present films with unique visual appeal which will then be evaluated by International Jury who will choose and award the authors of the best cinematography.

Also this year we will present the most interesting phenomena of world's cinematography, distinctive in terms of creative use of the image in film narration.

BLITZ

Blitz follows the epic journey of George(Elliott Heffernan), a 9-year-old boy in World War II London whose mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan) sends him to safety in the English countryside. George, defiant and determined to return home to his mom and his grandfather Gerald (Paul Weller) in East London, embarks on an adventure, only to find himself in immense peril, while a distraught Rita searches for her missing son. Written and directed by Steve McQueen, the film stars Saoirse Ronan and newcomer Elliott Heffernan, with Paul Weller, Harris Dickinson, Benjamin Clementine, Kathy Burke, Stephen Graham, Leigh Gill, Mica Ricketts, CJ Beckford, Alex Jennings, Joshua McGuire, Hayley Squires, Erin Kellyman and Sally Messham rounding out the cast.

Cinematographer: Yorick Le Saux
Director: Steve McQueen
Produced by: Apple Studios, Lammas Park, New Regency Productions, Working Title Films
Country and year: USA, UK, 2024

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THE BRUTALIST

Escaping post-war Europe, visionary architect László Toth (Adrien Brody) arrives in America to rebuild his life, work, and marriage to his wife Erzsébet (Felicity Jones) after being forced apart during wartime by shifting borders and regimes. On his own in a strange new country, László settles in Pennsylvania, where the wealthy and prominent industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce) recognizes his talent for construction. But power and legacy come at a heavy cost.

Cinematographer: Lol Crawley
Director: Brady Corbet
Produced by: Andrew Lauren Productions, Brookstreet Pictures, Kaplan Morrison
Country and year: UK, 2024

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CABRINI

From Alejandro Monteverde, award-winning director of Sound of Freedom, comes the powerful epic of Francesca Cabrini (Cristiana Dell'Anna), an Italian immigrant who arrives in New York City in 1889 and is greeted by disease, crime, and impoverished children. Cabrini sets off on a daring mission to convince the hostile mayor to secure housing and healthcare for society’s most vulnerable. With broken English and poor health, Cabrini builds an empire of hope unlike anything the world had ever seen.

Cinematographer: Gorka Gómez Andreu
Director: Alejandro Monteverde
Produced by: Angel Studios, Francesca Film Production NY
Country and year: USA, 2024

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CONCLAVE

After the death of the Vatican’s hated pope, cardinals from around the world gather for a conclave to elect a new leader of the Church. The proceedings are presided over by Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), whose only task is to ensure that they run smoothly. However, as the fight between two hostile fractions intensifies and discrediting secrets of their candidates begin to come to light, Lawrence is faced with a dilemma: to remain impartial and let an unworthy person be elected? Or, against the rules, get involved on one of the sides? Or perhaps look for a third solution? The opportunity arises when, just before the voting begins, the unknown Cardinal Benitez (Carlos Diehz), a mysterious associate of the late pope, shows up among the attendees. Who is he? Who stands behind him? What is he up to? Is the institution of the Church facing a shakeup unlike any in its history?

Cinematographer: Stéphane Fontaine
Director: Edward Berger
Produced by: Access Entertainment, FilmNation Entertainment, House Productions, Indian Paintbrush
Country and year: UK, USA, 2024

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THE DEVIL'S BATH

Agnes (Anja Plaschg) is getting married. But nothing is turning out the way she wants – her husband is not particularly interested in her, her mother-in-law criticizes her at every turn and the loan the young couple took to buy a house seems to exceed the financial capabilities of the newlyweds. The woman quickly becomes depressed. However, since the film is set in the Austrian countryside of nearly three centuries ago, everyone thinks she is possessed by Satan. The Devil's Bath is a historically well documented folk drama that lets viewers empathize with a heroine, who is put in a no-win situation, and at the same time look at the actual life of our ancestors (and especially our female ancestors) from a slightly different perspective.

Original title: Des Teufels Bad
Cinematographer: Martin Gschlacht
Directors: Severin Fiala, Veronika Franz
Produced by: Ulrich Seidl Filmproduktion
Country and year: Austria, Germany, 2024

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DUNE: PART TWO

© 2024 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Wszystkie prawa zastrzeżone

Dune: Part Two, based on the second half of the novel, completes the cautionary tale of Paul Atreides’ rise to power. Vengeance, prophecy, fervent followers and political manipulation lead Paul to abandon the pull of love and his conscience to accept a fate he knows will destroy so much.

Cinematographer: Greig Fraser
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Produced by: FGM, Legendary Entertainment, New Zealand Film Commission, Origo Film Studio, The Royal Film Commission, Ubisoft Abu Dhabi, Villeneuve Films, Warner Bros
Country and year: USA, Canada, 2024

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EMILIA PÉREZ

Rita (Zoe Saldana), an underappreciated lawyer, receives an offer she can’t refuse from drug lord Manitas: to organize gender reassignment formalities for him. Rita handles everything perfectly and eventually meets the title character, Emilia Pérez (Karla Sofía Gascón), who is the antithesis of Manitas – a tender, charismatic philanthropist fighting for a peaceful Mexico. But can a bloody past be truly erased? Emilia Pérez is a whimsical fairy tale about the essence of freedom, the beauty of transformation, and female solidarity. Jacques Audiard masterfully blends wild Latin dance with a touching story of love and acceptance, featuring standout performances from a stellar cast.

Cinematographer: Paul Guilhaume
Director: Jacques Audiard
Produced by: Page 114, Pathé, Why Not Productions
Country and year: France, USA, 2024

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THE FIRE INSIDE

The Fire Inside is the inspirational true story of Claressa Shields (Ryan Destiny), arguably the greatest female boxer of all time. Claressa, a high school Junior from Flint, Michigan, aided by her tough-love coach, Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry), pushes past all limitations to become the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in boxing. But even at the pinnacle of success, Claressa has to reckon with the fact that not all dreams are created equal, and the real fight has only just begun.

Cinematographer: Rina Yang
Director: Rachel Morrison
Produced by: Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM), Michael De Luca Productions
Country and year: USA, 2024

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THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE

Karoline (Victoria Carmen Sonne), a young factory worker, finds herself abandoned and pregnant while striving to climb out of poverty in post WW1 Copenhagen. Amidst her struggles, she meets Dagmar (Trine Dyrholm), a charismatic woman running a hidden adoption agency within a candy store, helping poor mothers in finding foster homes for their unwanted children. To escape poverty, Karoline takes on the role of wet-nurse. A strong connection is formed between the two women, yet Karoline’s world shatters as she stumbles upon the dreadful revelation of the nightmarish fate she unknowingly embraces.

Original title: Pigen med nålen
Cinematographer: Michał Dymek
Director: Magnus von Horn
Produced by: Creative Alliance, Lava Films, Nordisk Film Production
Country and year: Denmark, Poland, Sweden, 2024

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GLADIATOR II

Years after witnessing the death of the hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius (Paul Mescal) is forced to enter the Colosseum when his home is conquered by tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome. With the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to return the glory of Rome to its people.

Cinematographer: John Mathieson
Director: Ridley Scott
Produced by: Paramount Pictures, Red Wagon Films, Scott Free Productions
Country and year: UK, USA, 2024

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SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE

It is 1985 in the run-up to Christmas in a small town in County Wexford, Ireland. Bill Furlong (Cillian Murphy) toils as a coal merchant to support himself, his wife and his five daughters. Early one morning while out delivering coal at the local convent, he makes a discovery that forces him to confront his past and the complicit silence of a town controlled by the Catholic Church. Based on the novel of the same name by Claire Keegan.

Cinematographer: Frank van den Eeden
Director: Tim Mielants
Produced by: Artists Equity, Big Things Films
Country and year: Ireland, Belgium, USA, 2024

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VERMIGLIO

In four seasons nature completes its cycle. A girl can become a woman. A belly can swell and become a creature. One can lose the path that led safely home, one can sail seas towards unknown lands. In four seasons one can die and be reborn. It’s 1944. In the small mountain village of Vermiglio, the war seems distant, but its presence is felt every day. The sudden appearance of Pietro (Giuseppe De Domenico), a deserter who is fleeing from the front, disrupts the dynamics of the local teacher's family that lives there and changes its members forever. Set at the end of World War II, Vermiglio is a subtle and full of emotional nuances tale of family secrets that is stunning in its visual design and great acting.

Cinematographer: Mikhail Krichman
Director: Maura Delpero
Produced by: Charades, Cinedora, RAI Cinema, Versus Production
Country and year: Italy, France, Belgium, 2024