Golden Frog for Mexico's Pan's Labyrinth

Dec 3, 2006, 20:18 GMT

Pan\'s Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno), won this year\'s Golden Frog prize for outstanding film-making at the Camerimage International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography

Warsaw - Guillermo Navarro, cinematographer on the Mexican film focused on Franco-era Spain, Pan's Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno), won this year's Golden Frog prize for outstanding film-making at the Camerimage International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography, which closed Sunday in Lodz, central Poland.

This year's Silver Frog was awarded to Dick Pope, cinematographer on the Czech-US co-produced romance-thriller, The Illusionist, while Ricardo Della Rosa took the Bronze Frog for Brazil's House of Sand (Casa de Areia), Polish Radio reported Sunday.

The one-of-a-kind Camerimage is the world's only festival primarily focussed on the work of artists directly behind the camera, rather than actors or directors.

Festival director Marek Zydowicz has long insisted glamour takes a back seat to cinematic craftsmanship and creativity at Camerimage.

The 13-year-old event is Poland's most prestigious festival, attracting leading directors and cinematographers from across the globe.

A loyal Camerimage fan, American cinema legend David Lynch has also developed a fascination for Lodz. Known for its famous film school and synonymous with post-industrial urban decay, Lynch plans to open a centre focused on visual arts in the city in conjunction with Camerimage organisers.