Awards contender “Poor Things” will open EnergaCamerimage, the cinematography-focused film festival that will take place in Torun, Poland, on Nov. 11-18.
The film, starring Emma Stone and directed by Greek helmer Yorgos Lanthimos (“Dogtooth,” “The Lobster”), won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. Irish cinematographer Robbie Ryan, who lensed the film, will introduce “Poor Things” at Camerimage.
Lanthimos and Ryan previously collaborated on “The Favourite,” which in 2018 competed for Camerimage’s Golden Frog Award in the fest’s main competition, and came away with the Audience Award. “The Favourite” received 10 Oscar noms, including for best picture, directing and cinematography.
As well as “The Favourite,” Lanthimos has had two other films in contention in the Oscar race, “Dogtooth” (2008) and “The Lobster” (2015).
“Poor Things,” in keeping with the eccentricities of Lanthimos’ other movies, traces the evolution of Bella Baxter (Stone, who also produced), a young Victorian woman brought back from her death by suicide by a brilliant scientist, Dr. Godwin Baxter (played by Willem Dafoe). Bella runs off with Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), a slick and debauched lawyer, on a whirlwind adventure as she seeks self-discovery and sexual liberation.
Lanthimos directed “Poor Things” from a screenplay by Tony McNamara based on the 1992 novel of the same name by Alasdair Gray. The film also stars Ramy Youssef, Christopher Abbott and Jerrod Carmichael.
Searchlight Pictures will release “Poor Things” in the U.S. on Dec. 8.
Ryan’s credits also include Andrea Arnold’s “Fish Tank,” “Wuthering Heights” and “American Honey,” Sally Potter’s “Ginger and Rosa,” and Ken Loach’s “I, Daniel Blake,” “Sorry We Missed You” and “The Old Oak.”
