The 34th Camerimage Film Festival has unveiled its 2026 programme, bringing together major Hollywood productions, international features and awards-season contenders for an event dedicated to the art of cinematography. Scheduled to take place in Toruń, Poland, from November 7 to 14, the festival’s main competition will feature 15 films competing for the Golden Frog, its award recognising outstanding cinematography.
Among the prominent titles selected are Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s Project Hail Mary, Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day and Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine. The lineup also includes Tony Gilroy’s Behemoth!, Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Minotaur and May el-Toukhy’s Woman Unknown, bringing together filmmakers working across different genres, countries and visual styles.
Unlike festivals that primarily focus on directors or performances, Camerimage places cinematographers at the centre of its programme. The main competition recognises films in which visual storytelling makes a significant contribution to the audience’s experience, highlighting the collaboration between directors and directors of photography.
Project Hail Mary, directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and photographed by Greig Fraser, is among the high-profile studio productions competing for the Golden Frog. The science-fiction film follows Ryland Grace, a teacher who finds himself far from home and forms an unexpected connection with an unlikely ally.
Spielberg’s Disclosure Day, shot by his longtime collaborator Janusz Kamiński, is another major selection. The film follows meteorologist Margaret Fairchild, whose unexplained actions during a live broadcast lead her towards a secret that has remained hidden for decades.
McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine, photographed by Ben Davis, also joins the competition. Set shortly before the 1973 Chilean coup, the film follows two CIA agents travelling to Easter Island as personal histories and political tensions complicate their journey.
The selection also includes Behemoth!, directed by Tony Gilroy and shot by Damián García. Pedro Pascal stars as a cellist returning to Los Angeles after 20 years away, with the film exploring the role of music in his life. Meanwhile, Minotaur, from Russian filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev and cinematographer Mikhail Krichman, brings another internationally focused drama to the programme.
Beyond its high-profile Hollywood titles, the main competition features films from filmmakers across Europe and other international markets. Paweł Pawlikowski’s Fatherland, photographed by Łukasz Żal, centres on the relationship between writer Thomas Mann and his daughter Erika during a road trip across a divided postwar Germany. Hans Petter Moland’s Growth of the Soil, shot by Oskar Dahlsbakken, follows a couple building a life in the wilderness as changing ambitions and family circumstances challenge their relationship.
The competition also includes Visitation, directed by Volker Schlöndorff and photographed by Axel Schneppat. The film follows generations of people connected to a house near Berlin as major historical events transform the world around them.
Other titles in the 15-film selection are La Bola Negra, directed by Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo and photographed by Gris Jordana; Through the Wall, directed by Maciej Sobieszczański and shot by Jolanta Dylewska; and Ulya, directed by Viesturs Kairišs and photographed by Wojciech Staroń.
The remaining competition films are Peter Berg’s The Mosquito Bowl, photographed by Jacques Jouffret; Wicker, directed by Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson and shot by Lol Crawley; and Zero A.D., directed by Alejandro Monteverde and photographed by Gorka Gómez Andreu. Alongside Woman Unknown, these titles complete the 15-film competition, offering a range of visual approaches to storytelling.
The wider festival programme extends beyond the main competition. Special screenings include Cristian Mungiu’s Fjord, photographed by Tudor Vladimir Panduru, and Possible Love, directed by Lee Chang-dong and shot by Kim Ji-yong.
The documentary selection includes NAZA, directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, with Szor also serving as cinematographer. The film received a Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival. Its inclusion broadens the programme beyond narrative features, bringing documentary filmmaking into a festival examining how cinematography shapes different forms of screen storytelling.
Now in its 34th year, Camerimage has built its identity around the creative contribution of directors of photography and their collaboration with directors. The Golden Frog competition recognises films in which the visual approach plays a significant role in shaping the narrative, placing cinematography at the centre of the festival’s artistic programme.
The 2026 edition extends beyond its main competition, with the official programme featuring nine competition sections, eight non-competition sections and more than 200 screenings. The festival will also provide opportunities for filmmakers and cinematographers to meet through discussions, workshops and question-and-answer sessions.
With Project Hail Mary, Disclosure Day and Behemoth! appearing alongside international dramas and documentary cinema, this year’s programme offers a broad view of the ways cinematography can shape the cinematic experience across genres and production scales.
The 34th Camerimage Film Festival will take place in Toruń, Poland, from November 7 to 14, 2026.
