Camerimage Festival to Honor ‘Empire of Light’ Director Sam Mendes

EnergaCamerimage, the international cinematography-focused film festival, will honor Oscar winner Sam Mendes with the Special Krzysztof Kieslowski Award for Director during its 30th anniversary edition, which will run in Toruń Poland Nov. 12-19.

The helmer’s “Empire of Light,” starring Academy Award winner Olivia Colman (‘The Favourite,” “The Lost Daughter”) and BAFTA-winner Michael Ward (“Blue Story,” “Top Boy”), will open the Camerimage fest in addition to being one of the Main Competition nominees.

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Aside from “Empire of Light,” Mendes’ notable films include “American Beauty” (for which he won his best director Oscar), “Road to Perdition,” “Revolutionary Road,” “Skyfall,” “Spectre” and “1917.”

In theatre, Mendes founded and ran the Donmar Warehouse in London for ten years. He was also the founding director of Neal Street Productions and The Bridge Project. His work has been seen at the National Theatre, RSC, Royal Court, Old Vic, Young Vic, BAM, the West End and on Broadway.

“Empire of Light,” his latest film, is a critically acclaimed drama about the power of human connection during turbulent times. Set in and around a faded old cinema in an English coastal town in the early 1980s, it follows Hilary (Colman), a cinema manager struggling with her mental health, and Stephen (Ward), a new employee who longs to escape the provincial town. The two find a sense of belonging through their unlikely and tender relationship.

“Empire of Light” also reunites Mendes with Oscar-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins, who lensed two of the directors films: “1917” and “Skyfall”.

In addition to his Oscar, Mendes has been nominated for three additional Academy Awards and has won multiple BAFTA Awards, Golden Globes, Tonys and Olivier Awards.

Mendes will be on hand at Camerimage to accept the award and participate in a Q&A after the screening of his film.

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