New Zealand filmmaker Niki Caro has been appointed as the president of the main jury at the Camerimage Film Festival in Toruń, Poland, a key event focused on cinematography. This appointment comes in the wake of significant criticism regarding gender imbalance in the festival’s lineup, which has historically favored male representation. While the festival is striving to address this issue, the current competition features only three female directors of photography among the thirteen films nominated for the prestigious Golden Frog award.
Caro, known for her impactful films like Whale Rider and Disney’s live-action Mulan, is candid about the troubling trends she observes across the film industry. “You can just see it statistically,” she comments, highlighting a decline in the number of female directors and cinematographers. “Less female cinematographers are shooting films. Less female directors are directing films,” she notes, expressing her disappointment over the direction these statistics are heading.
Throughout her career, Caro has emphasized the importance of female leadership in film production. She recalls her time directing Mulan, where she assembled a predominantly female crew, stating, “All the head of department roles, except for the production designer, were female.” This approach fostered a collaborative and organized environment, which Caro believes contributes positively to the filmmaking process.
As she prepares to lead the jury, Caro is focused on evaluating films based on their cinematographic merit, rather than the gender of the creators. Her jury includes notable figures such as cinematographers José Luis Alcaine and Ellen Kuras, actor Tim Blake Nelson, and producer Sabrina Sutherland. “We’re all judging the films through the lens of cinematography,” she explains. The primary consideration for her as a director is whether the cinematography effectively tells the story and resonates with the audience.
Caro has navigated a diverse range of productions throughout her career, from independent films to large studio projects. The process of directing Mulan presented unique challenges, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted Disney’s theatrical release plans. “There were other things at large at the time, not the least of them being the pandemic,” she reflects. Despite the setbacks, Caro experienced significant success with The Mother, a Netflix thriller that reached a vast global audience, showcasing her versatility in adapting to the changing landscape of film distribution.
She is currently developing several personal projects, including an adaptation of A Beautiful Family, a novel by first-time New Zealand author Jennifer Trevelyan. Caro describes this new work as thematically linked to her breakout film, Whale Rider. Set on New Zealand’s Kāpiti Coast in 1985, the story follows a young girl named Alix who befriends a Māori boy named Kahu while searching for a girl presumed drowned two years earlier. “I feel like the two films are sort of holding hands across my career,” Caro says, emphasizing the personal connection she feels to the narrative.
With the script nearing completion, Caro is excited to return to small-scale filmmaking, a shift she finds revitalizing. “To be able to develop and nurture these smaller films from seeds is really nice,” she expresses, adding that this hands-on approach offers a more bespoke filmmaking experience.
The 33rd Camerimage Film Festival will take place from November 15–23, 2023, in Toruń, Poland, providing a platform for celebrating cinematography while addressing the ongoing conversation about gender equity in the film industry. As Caro leads the jury, her commitment to fostering talent and advocating for female representation in film remains a central focus.