Zsigmond was born and raised in Szeged, Hungary. When he was 17, he read The Art of Light, written by Eugene Dulovits. The book sparked his fascination with photography, but after completing secondary school, Zsigmond was required to work in a factory, because his parents were considered bourgeois.
It took a combination of determination, fate and courage for Zsigmond to make his mark as a cinematographer. He saved money to buy a camera, and organized a photography club at the factory. The authorities rewarded Zsigmond by sending him to the state film school in Budapest. He deplored living under communism, but said that he learned a great truth at film school which has permeated his work. "They taught us that a movie is only art if it has something to say," he said. "It should be more than entertainment. It should have some value."
In October of 1956, Zsigmond was continuing his education as an apprentice at the state's film studio when a spontaneous uprising rocked Budapest. For a few days, it seemed likely that the populace would succeed in installing a more democratic government. Zsigmond and Laszlo Kovacs, ASC, who was still a student, used a 35mm camera and film belonging to the school to record the historic events happening on the streets.
The tide quickly turned when Russian tanks and troops poured into the city and crushed the revolt. Zsigmond and Kovacs captured the entire siege on film, and then took it upon themselves to carry some 12,000 feet of film through the forest and defect to Austria a dangerous and tense journey, to say the least.
The duo's daring escape eventually brought them to Hollywood, where Zsigmond shot his first mainstream feature, The Sadist, in 1963. He has subsequently compiled more than 50 narrative film credits, including Close Encounters, which earned him an Oscar for cinematography; The River and The Deer Hunter, which received Academy nominations; and Stalin, which garnered an Emmy. "I felt it was important for the audience to see Stalin, because he had such a tremendous influence on their lives, mainly before the students were born," the cinematographer said. "It's an English-language film, but they didn't need to know the words. The images tell the story."
While introducing Zsigmond at one event, Zydowicz compared the cinematographer to the classic master painters whose work he has studied. He told the cameraman, "Everyone has some talent, but few can discover and use it to give something great to others. You are one of those lucky people."
Zydowicz freely admitted that CamerImage still faces considerable hurdles as it approaches its sixth year. During its first three years, the festival was the official meeting place for IMAGO, a confederation of 17 European cinematography organizations. Now, IMAGO has formed an alliance with the new MadridImagen festival in Spain.
CamerImage is dependent on the largest of government and corporate sponsors, including Samsung Electronics, Eastman Kodak Company, Arriflex, Dedo Weigert Film, Panther, Deluxe Labs, Moviecam, Tiffen, Panavision and others. That reliance probably won't change in the near future, since large numbers of celebrities and tourists aren't likely to decide that it's hip to flock to Torun to attend a winter cinematography festival.
Still, there's something special about CamerImage: the generosity of the people, the enthusiasm of the students, the instant camaraderie of the cinematographers who meet in Torun, the purity of the competition, and the fact that the cinematographers are on center stage.
"You could see how touched Vilmos was by the reception he got," concludes Victor Kemper. "He deserves that recognition. He has made enormous contributions to advancing the art of filmmaking. I was very glad that I was there to witness the affection that the students have for him, and the admiration of the audience. That alone was worth the trip."
Contact information for the Torun Film Festival:Tumult Foundation, Festival Office, Rynek Nowomiejski 28, 87-100 Torun, Poland, tel. (+48 56) 248 79 62 100 19, fax (+48 56) 275 95.
