Director, writer, and producer Baz Luhrmann<\/strong> is most definitely such a filmmaker and an artist whose stories have molded the modern perception of how images and sounds should and could be merged into unique cinematic experiences. It is therefore our immense pleasure to announce that the Academy Award\u00ae<\/sup>-nominated filmmaker and will attend this year’s festival in-person in Toru\u0144<\/strong> alongside acclaimed cinematographer Mandy Walker<\/strong>. During EnergaCAMERIMAGE 2022 Luhrmann<\/strong> is going to collect the Special Award for Outstanding Director<\/strong>, whereas together with Walker<\/strong> they will present to our audience the latest audio-visual spectacle on which they partnered \u2013 Elvis<\/span> <\/em>\u2013 which will be screened as a part of this year’s Main Competition<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \n \nDuring the thirty years of his filmmaking career, Baz Luhrmann<\/strong> directed only six features and one series, yet in his case it is quality not quantity that matters as each of the projects awed the audiences with a uniquely Luhrmannesque<\/strong> mix of drama, romance, music, comedy, heightened emotions and lavish set pieces. He debuted in 1992 with Strictly Ballroom<\/span><\/em> (shot by Steve Mason<\/strong>), basing this charming romantic comedy of love and dancing on a stage play he wrote eight years prior during his time at the prestigious National Institute of Dramatic Arts in Sydney. With the next film, 1996\u2019s Romeo + Juliet<\/em> <\/span>(with cinematography by Donald McAlpin<\/strong>e), Luhrmann<\/strong> announced himself to the world as a talent to watch, successfully challenging the preconceived notions of how a Shakespeare adaptation should look and feel like and making the everlasting tale of star-crossed lovers more approachable to the young generations of cinemagoers.<\/p>\n To say that 2001\u2019s Moulin Rouge!<\/span> <\/em>(shot by Donald McAlpine<\/strong>) had an impact on both the worldwide audience and the filmmaking community would be a gross understatement as this cinematic extravaganza taking the audiences to Paris at the turn of the 20th century changed the way many of us perceived the art of film. Luhrmann<\/strong> used every word, every move, ever gesture, every dance number to reflect on universal themes of love, hate, passion, or constant struggle between how we perceive ourselves and how we are perceived by others, making Moulin Rouge!<\/span> <\/em>a marvel to watch and experience. With Australia<\/span> <\/em>(2008, cin. Mandy Walker<\/strong>), Luhrmann<\/strong> resurrected the old-fashioned Hollywood epic and transferred its melodramatic conventions into his home country, while The Great Gatsby<\/span> <\/em>(2013, shot by Simon Duggan<\/strong>) saw the director once again proving he was the master of reinterpreting classics through the modern lens, making poor James Gatz\u2019s transformation into the glamorous, enigmatic Jay Gatsby a riveting watch.<\/p>\n \n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/archive.camerimage.pl\/assets\/uploads\/2022\/11\/rsz_1210503_bazluhrmann_hstewart_13301.jpg\")
<\/a>Baz Luhrmann<\/em>
\nphoto by Hugh Stewart<\/em><\/p>\n<\/a>Still from “Moulin Rouge!”<\/em><\/p>\n