Camerimage: ‘The Fortress’ Wins Golden Frog

The Fortress — director Dong-hyuk Hwang’s 2017 historical drama about China’s 17th century invasion of Korea, wihch was lensed by cinematographer Ji-yong Kim — won the Golden Frog in the main competition at EnergaCamerimage, the 26th annual cinematography film festival held in Bydgoszcz, Poland.

Meanwhile, two potential Academy Award contenders, Cold War and Roma, grabbed the Silver and Bronze Frogs, respectively. Cold War, a black-and-white love story set against the Cold War in the 1950s and the foreign-language film Oscar entry from Poland, claimed the Silver Frog for cinematographer Lukasz Zal and director Pawel Pawlikowski (the pair previously won the Golden Frog in 2013 for Ida), while Netflix’s closely watched Roma, for which Alfonso Cuaron served as writer, director and cinematographer, grabbed the Bronze Frog. A black-and-white drama inspired by Cuaron’s youth, Roma is also Mexico’s submission in the foreign-language film Oscar category.

These films topped some high-profile Oscar hopefuls that were also in competition, including Damien Chazelle’s First Man, lensed by Oscar winner Linus Sandgren (La La Land); The Favourite, helmed by Yorgos Lanthimos and lensed by Robbie Ryan (which won the Audience Award); A Star Is Born, Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut, which was lensed by Oscar-nominated DP Matty Libatique (who was not in attendance following a brush with the law); Peterloo, from director Mike Leigh and two-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer Dick Pope (which won the FIPRESCI international critics prize); and the Coen Bros.’ The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, lensed by five-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel. 

Camerimage has emerged as a bellwether for what’s to come during Oscar season. In three of the past five years, the winners of Camerimage’s Golden Frog, the top prize in the main competition, have gone on to earn Oscar nominations in cinematography. Those films include 2013’s Ida, 2015’s Carol and 2016’s Lion. (The 2014 Golden Frog winner, Leviathan, and 2017 Camerimage champ, On Body and Soul, were each nominated for a foreign-language film Oscar.)

Led by jury president and production designer David Gropman (Life of Pi), this year’s main competition jury includes production designer Lilly Kilvert (Valkyrie) and cinematographers Jean-Marie Dreujou (Two Brothers), Dan Laustsen (The Shape of Water), Florian Ballhaus (The Book Thief), Arthur Reinhart (Crows) and ASC president Kees Van Oostrum (Gods and Generals).

A full list of honorees follows.

MAIN COMPETITION

Golden Frog: The Fortress
cin. Ji Yong Kim 
dir. Dong-Hyuk Hwang 

Silver Frog: Cold War
cin. ?ukasz ?al
dir. Pawe? Pawlikowski

Bronze Frog: Roma
cin. Alfonso Cuarón
dir. Alfonso Cuarón

FIPRESCI AWARD 

The International Critics Prize to the director of the best film in the Main Competition – under specific consideration of its cinematography: Peterloo
cin. Dick Pope
dir. Mike Leigh

AUDIENCE AWARD 

Camerimage Audience Award: The Favourite
cin. Robbie Ryan
dir. Yorgos Lanthimos

POLISH FILMS COMPETITION

Best Polish Film: Nina
cin. Tomasz Naumiuk
dir. Olga Chajdas

STUDENT ETUDES COMPETITION

Laszlo Kovacs Student Award – Golden Tadpole: Sirene
cin. Douwe Hennink 
dir. Zara Dwinger 
school: Nederlandse Filmacademie – Netherlands Film Academy (AHK) 

Silver Tadpole: Almost Everything
cin. Simon Bitterli 
dir. Lisa Gertsch 
school: Zürcher Hochschule der Künste – Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) 

Bronze Tadpole: Them
cin. Holger Jungnickel 
dir. Tim Dünschede 
school: Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin – German Film and Television Academy (dffb), Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film München – University of Television and Film Munich (HFF München), Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg GmbH 

DOCUMENTARY FEATURES COMPETITION

Golden Frog — best documentary feature: When the Bull Cried
cin. Karen Vázquez Guadarrama 
dir. Bart Goossesn, Karen Vázquez Guadarrama 

Golden Frog — best docudrama: I, Dolours
cin. Kate McCullough 
dir. Maurice Sweeney 

DOCUMENTARY SHORTS COMPETITION

Golden Frog — Grand Prix: Horse Riders
cin. Tomasz Wolski
dir. Anna Gawlita 

Special Mention: Pain Is Mine
cin. Farshid Akhlaghi 
dir. Farshid Akhlaghi 

DIRECTORS’ DEBUTS COMPETITION

Under the patronage of the Polish Filmmakers Association (SFP)

Best Director’s Debut: The Guilty
cin. Jasper J. Spanning
dir. Gustav Möller

CINEMATOGRAPHERS’ DEBUTS COMPETITION

Under the patronage of the Polish Filmmakers Association (SFP)

Best Cinematographer’s Debut: Obey
cin. Albert Salas
dir. Jamie Jones 

MUSIC VIDEOS COMPETITION

Best Music Video: Novo Amor “Birthplace”
cin. Nihal Friedel 
dir. Jorik Dozy, Sil Van Der Woerd 

Best Cinematography in a Music Video: Childish Gambino “This Is America”
cin. Larkin Seiple 
dir. Hiro Murai

FIRST LOOK – TV PILOTS COMPETITION 

Best Pilot: Patrick Melrose: Bad News
cin. James Friend
dir. Edward Berger 

ADVERTISING SPOTS COMPETITION “EUROPEAN FUNDS IN FOCUS”

Organized in co-operation with Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region

Main Award: The Marshal Office of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship for Zmieniamy Podkarpackie z Funduszami Europejskimi – Do??cz do bohaterów lokalnych zmian. Katarzyna By? – Pracownia Ceramiki i R?kodzie?a By?

Special mention: The Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship for Województwo Kujawsko-Pomorskie mecenasem kultury w regionie