Coming Out of the Shadows: Polish Camerawomen in the Spotlight
Cinematography was once considered a masculine fiefdom, but in 2026, the shadows have truly lifted. From the grit of Hollywood franchises to the prestige of European arthouse, Polish women are no longer just getting their foot in the door – they are commanding the frame as the primary architects of light.
In 2016, it emerged that no African American actor had been nominated for Best Actor, and the media was consequently dominated by discussions on racism in Hollywood. This was much-needed; in the Academy Awards’ then 89-year history, no Black director had ever won Best Director. On the margins of this debate, a vital question was raised: what about women cinematographers?
The mills of Hollywood grind slowly, and the industry’s movers and shakers often seem slow to grasp that, in the 21st century, the gender gap remains both a scandal and a shameful anachronism. There has been some notable success lately, however.
Thanks to the courage of prominent actresses, it has been possible to break the conspiracy of silence regarding the wage gap. In 2009, Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Director, and 2017 saw the #MeToo movement take on sexual harassment and assault in the industry. These milestones have paved the way for a broader reckoning that continues into 2026.
This notwithstanding, certain areas of film continue keep their doors shut to women.
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Still from ‘Australia’, directed by Baz Luhrmann, cinematography by Mandy Walker, 2008, photo: Kino Świat
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This is first and foremost the case for women cinematographers. For nearly a century, a woman had never even been nominated for a Best Cinematography Academy Award – a barrier finally broken by Rachel Morrison in 2018, followed by Ari Wegner and Mandy Walker. While women historically made up only a tiny fraction of the cinematographers behind Hollywood’s top 250 films, the numbers are finally beginning to climb.
It may be argued that this was a mere coincidence or that there simply weren’t enough talented women. But none of that is true. The film industry has long been overflowing with talented women cinematographers: take Maryse Alberti, known for her work on The Wrestler by Darren Aronofsky, Velvet Goldmine by Todd Haynes, or Happiness by Todd Solondz. There’s also Ellen Kuras, who lensed the splendid Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and recently made her directorial debut with Lee. We must also count Mandy Walker, who made history with her work on Elvis, and Natasha Braier, who gave us spectacular cinematography for The Neon Demon by Refn.
Polish cinematographers go further afield than just Hollywood. They also shoot in South America, the Himalayas, Ethiopia, Bollywood, and the Kazakh desert.
Although the Academy was slow to recognise women cinematographers, the industry itself is finally moving towards change. As proof, recent years have seen the prestigious American Cinematographer run a list of 10 up-and-coming cinematographers with an equal split of men and women. It features five men (including one Pole, Kuba Kijowski) and five women whose voices have been most distinctively heard in cinema these last years.
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Poster of ‘The Wrestler’, directed by Darren Aronofsky, cinematography by Maryse Alberti, 2008, photo: SPInka
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The change has been felt in the Polish film industry as well. Keep in mind that it was long a more misogynic milieu than Hollywood, however. This was perhaps best epitomised by the words of Jolanta Dylewska, who is one of Poland’s best in the field today:
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Before I got into the [Łódź] Film School, I had never followed the man-woman division. I’d rather think of people as either yielding something more or those indifferent to me. It was at the Film School that I realised that the world is divided into two genders, and it is, of course, better to be a man. Till this day, I don’t feel like a fully fledged member of the industry. I feel rather estranged. [...] Whether at the Gdynia, Toruń or Camerimage festivals, it’s been very much felt that for the industry, I’m nothing else but... a freak of nature.
Author
From ‘Kino’ nr 12/1994, trans. MS
Dylewska may have said this 20 years ago, but she is definitely not the only woman cinematographer to have suffered from gender ostracism.
When Magdalena Górka, another recognised artist, got into the Łódź Film School, she was one of only two women admitted. While this men-to-women ratio has significantly transformed by 2026, she initially became an easy target for sexist jokes on the part of the teaching staff.
Professor Mieczysław Jahoda, the cinematographer for Aleksander Ford’s Teutonic Knights, had a habit of collecting new students’ photos. It was precious little otherwise with Gorka’s. After the photo was taken, and before the class had started, however, she had shaved her blond hair. During the first session, Jahoda reportedly said: Why would you do this? We only admitted you to be our pet.
It was also another eminent professor, Witold Sobociński, who would jokingly advise Gorka to drop out, learn how to make borscht and get married.
A new opening
Luckily, neither of these talented women laid down their weapons: Dylewska continued to fight for recognition in the industry, whilst Gorka never dropped out. As a result, the former has come to be one of the most appreciated cineastes in Poland; the latter, instead of cooking borscht, has made it in Hollywood.
Other Polish women cinematographers followed in their footsteps. Monika Lenczewska left for Los Angeles to participate in some of the most interesting international projects run around the globe – from Ethiopia, through Greece and Iceland, before returning to Los Angeles. Featured on Variety’s list of 10 Cinematographers to Watch in 2016, she has since become a global powerhouse. By 2026, her portfolio includes major international works like the critically acclaimed Greek feature Animal (2023) and the high-profile television series Faithless (2024-2025), directed by Tomas Alfredson. Today, she is a definitive star of the international cinematography industry.
She is not the only one, though. Ita Zbroniec-Zajt was the first woman in history to be awarded the Guldbaggen, the prestigious Swedish film prize for best cinematography. Building on her historic 2017 win, her work continues to define European arthouse cinema, most notably with the 2024 film Redoubt (Varn), where her rich 35mm monochrome imagery earned widespread international acclaim.'
Every film by Weronika Bilska, too, confirms that she is endowed with extraordinary intuition and can simply sense the cinematic space. Her prolific career continues to reach new heights in 2026 with the release of the feature films Three Loves (Trzy Milosci) and Tell Me What You Feel (Powiedz mi, co czujesz), further cementing her status as one of Poland’s most sensitive and sought-after visual storytellers.
While promoting his film Strange Heaven at the Gdynia Festival, director Dariusz Gajewski justified choosing a woman cinematographer by saying that the film needed a womanly perspective. Seen today, the comment has an absurd touch to it. For Polish women cinematographers – including the film’s director of photography, Monika Lenczewska – continually prove that cinematography has no gender. Attention to detail, skilful composition, or staging are ascribed neither to women nor men.
Women behind the camera challenge the stereotype. Technological advancement has forever buried the worn-out argument that women are not strong enough to carry the heavy gear cinematographers use. This means they will only continue to gain ground.
Just take a look at works by Monika Lenczewska, Jolanta Dylewska, Maryse Alberti, or Natasha Braier, and you will see the greatness of their talents – as well as how each of them shines with her enormous individuality.
Originally written in Polish; translated by MS, May 2018
Sources: author’s own sources, ‘American Cinematographer’ 2/2017, IndieWire