PLUS CAMERIMAGE, the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography celebrating its landmark 20th anniversary this year, announced today that Keanu Reeves’ new documentary “Side by Side” has been selected to open the Festival, which takes place November 24th – December 1st. The announcement was made by Festival Director Marek Żydowicz.

Said Żydowicz, “We are truly excited that ‘Side by Side’ will open the 20th edition of our Festival and that the film’s creators – director Chris Kenneally, cinematographer Chris Cassidy, producer Justin Szlasa, and producer/host Keanu Reeves – will come to Bydgoszcz to talk to our audiences about it. It will be a very special opening evening.”

Keanu Reeves visited Bydgoszcz two years ago to attend the 18th edition of Plus Camerimage Festival, generating much excitement both in media and among the audiences in attendance. Apart from presenting the viewers with his film, Henry’s Crime, Reeves set another important task before himself – to interview the eminent festival guests for the sake of his new documentary.

On one hand ‘Side by Side’  is a love letter to the power of cinema and the magic of celluloid, while on the other, it becomes a truly inspiring display of the possibilities being offered by the still-evolving digital technology, and additionally, an invitation to join the heated debate over the direction in which the cinema is going. Chris Keneally and Keanu Reeves talk openly about the decline of the film stock era with cinematographers (Wally Pfister, Vittorio Storaro, Anthony Dod Mantle, Michael Ballhaus, Michael Chapman, Vilmos Zsigmond), directors (Christopher Nolan, David Fincher, David Lynch, George Lucas, James Cameron, Martin Scorsese), editors (Walter Murch, Anne V. Coates, Chris Lebenzon), and other film industry professionals. They elicit personal preferences, discuss the pros and cons of 35mm vs. digital, explain the basics of both technologies. They illustrate the documentary with the history of cinema’s evolution of cameras, starting with black-and-white ones, through the period of Technicolor, and finishing with the last decade of evolution of digital cinematographers’ tools.

There are filmmakers who swear that digital technology gave them the desired creative freedom, therefore they do not intend to go back to celluloid. There are those who believe that digital cameras will never give them the same artistic freedom as the “traditional” way of shooting films. There are also those who cannot simply choose one of the sides. Anyway, there is not one answer, or to paraphrase – there are as many answers as the interviewees, as cinema itself has always been the sum of all the talented people creating it. Keneally, Reeves, and all the artists they have talked to created a one-of-a-kind portrait of the cinema as a visual art in which artistry has always stayed side by side with science; new ways of expression drove the creativity, and imagination and going beyond what was conceivable drove the need to pursue innovative technologies.

Tumult Foundation, the organizer of the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography PLUS CAMERIMAGE, the film's Polish producer and owner of Polish distribution rights, is very proud to invite you over for a screening of Side by Side, and joining the ever-so-important debate about the future of film. Meeting with Chris Kenneally, Chris Cassidy, Justin Szlasa, and Keanu Reeves should be a perfect benchmark.

The International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography PLUS CAMERIMAGE encourages guests to join the ever-so-important debate about the future of film.

It was previously announced that that four-time Academy Award® nominated director, writer and producer David Lynch (“Mulholland Dr.,” “The Elephant Man,” “Blue Velvet”) will be the recipient of the Festival’s prestigious ‘Lifetime Achievement Award for Directing’ at this year’s Festival.

About PLUS CAMERIMAGE

Celebrating its landmark 20th anniversary this year, the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography, PLUS CAMERIMAGE is the most recognized festival dedicated to the art of cinematography and the biggest international film festival in Poland. The unconventional format of the Festival, which awards films according to their visual, aesthetic and technical values, is a unique alternative to traditional film festivals.

PLUS CAMERIMAGE proves to be a great forum not only for presentation but also for further development of international moviemaking and provides a platform for young filmmakers to explore new artistic areas.

In addition to the main competition, the Festival offers a Polish Films Competition, Student Etudes Competition, Documentary Films Competition, Feature Debuts Competition, Music Videos Competition, Plus Camerimage Market, Plus Camerimage Forum, special screenings and premieres, various reviews, retrospectives, meetings and also accompanying events such as art exhibitions and music performances.

Various presentations of modern film equipment and of the latest production and postproduction technologies (both traditional and digital) are also an inherent aspect of the Festival and have been organized with cooperation from companies such as Plus, Arri, Panavision, Kodak, Hawk, K5600, J.L. Fisher, Sony, Panasonic, KinoFlo, Deluxe, Technicolor and Zeiss.

PLUS CAMERIMAGE is an extraordinary event where art and technology meet, creating a unique and unforgettable atmosphere. Please visit http://www.pluscamerimage.pl for more information.