Renowned filmmaker Niki Caro has taken on a pivotal role as the head of the jury at the Camerimage Film Festival in Toruń, Poland. This prestigious event, which runs from November 15 to 23, 2023, is the foremost festival dedicated to cinematography. Caro’s appointment comes at a time when the festival faces scrutiny over gender imbalance, particularly in its competition lineup for the coveted 2025 Golden Frog, which features only three female directors of photography among thirteen competing films.
Caro, a New Zealand native, has established a notable career that bridges indie successes and major studio projects. Her breakthrough came with the acclaimed film Whale Rider, which garnered international attention and earned an Oscar nomination for actress Keisha Castle-Hughes. Caro continued her ascent with films like North Country (2005), The Zookeeper’s Wife (2017), and the much-talked-about live-action adaptation of Mulan (2020), which was produced during the pandemic and became one of the most scrutinized releases of that period. Most recently, she directed the Netflix thriller The Mother (2023), which has emerged as a significant hit for the platform.
In her new role at Camerimage, Caro is vocal about the broader trend of gender disparity in the film industry. She points out that statistics indicate a decline in female involvement in key roles, including cinematography and directing. “You can just see it statistically,” Caro states. “Less female cinematographers are shooting films. Less female directors are directing films. They’re going in the opposite direction, and it’s quite depressing.” This reflects a concerning trend that extends beyond the festival itself.
Caro’s commitment to fostering female talent is evident from her experience on Mulan, where she ran a largely female crew. “All the head of department roles, except for the production designer, were female,” she explains. “When you get a group of women running a show like that, everybody’s communicating, everybody’s organized.” She emphasizes that the issue lies not in the lack of talent but in the limited opportunities available for emerging filmmakers.
Despite the industry’s regressions, Caro believes in the resilience of female artists. “Do not underestimate the brilliance and the tenacity of these artists,” she says. As jury president, Caro leads a panel that includes notable figures such as cinematographers José Luis Alcaine and Ellen Kuras, actor Tim Blake Nelson, and producer Sabrina Sutherland. She clarifies that her criteria for judging films will be based on the effectiveness of cinematography in storytelling rather than gender dynamics.
Reflecting on her extensive career, Caro notes that directing Mulan was a monumental task that required meticulous planning alongside cinematographer Mandy Walker. She recalls the exhilarating experience of filming, stating, “When I first read it, I was like, ‘Holy shit, this is huge.’ And then it just got huger.” The production faced significant challenges, particularly with the pandemic impacting Disney’s theatrical release plans, complicating an already ambitious project.
The streaming era has shifted the landscape for filmmakers. Caro’s recent project, The Mother, bypassed traditional theaters but reached a vast global audience on Netflix. “As somebody who has kind of come up through independent film, it took my breath away to understand how many people were watching this film,” she reflects.
While taking part in the Camerimage festival, Caro is also developing personal projects, including an adaptation of the novel A Beautiful Family by Jennifer Trevelyan. This new film, which she describes as a spiritual companion to Whale Rider, is set in New Zealand’s Kāpiti Coast in 1985 and follows a young girl’s journey to find a friend presumed drowned.
Caro is excited about returning to smaller-scale productions, stating, “To be able to develop and nurture these smaller films from seeds is really nice. It’s very hands-on. Feels very bespoke.” As the 33rd Camerimage Film Festival unfolds this month, Caro’s leadership and insights will be closely watched, particularly as the industry grapples with the pressing need for greater gender equity in filmmaking.
