Seth Emmons, director of communications at Leitz, moderated the mentoring panel at the Manaki Cinema today, which was attended by cinematographers Fabian Wagner, Agnieszka Szeliga, Alice Brooks and Teresa Medina. Wagner noted that he had mentored young people many times before, for the needs of various organizations.

“I want to be there for them as long as they need me. It`s not just about being a mentor, but also a friend. I mentor beginners with different backgrounds and ambitions. Anyone can apply, whether they have experience or not. The first question I ask the candidate is, what does he want to gain from this, so some say they want to be directors of photography, others to be producers or something else. I work with each individual, so I can focus on each of them“, Wagner said.

Cinematographer Medina said she mentors women cinematographers in Spain. She has built a team with them and she constantly supports them while studying.

„I have to say that sometimes people think that their mentor should get them a job. But as a mentor, I am not obliged to do that. Another important thing is that it is not our obligation to find them, but they should find us if they need us as mentors. We are here for them“, Medina said.

Alice Brooks shared an interesting example, stating that she mentored a 17-year-old high school boy, and his parents knew that he was very creative.

„I talked to the boy, he asked me if I wanted to see his music video. I was shocked by what he had done, it was extraordinary. At that time I was working on small projects and he was coming with me, helping me. Now he`s shooting himself, we shot a lot of commercials this summer, he worked with me. That relationship with that young man is very dear to me, I am proud of him. It is a beautiful story about how a high school student grew into a wonderful cinematographer. That`s why I think mentoring is very important“, Brooks noted.

Cinematographer Agnieszka Szeliga said that in her mentoring, she strives to create a connection with the people she mentors, to be as a family so that they can build success together.

„There is no single formula. We need to understand the needs of different young people. Everyone has different affinities, desires. Our applicants must have at least some filming experience, because they are immediately given duties. It is a program that lasts three weeks, a period in which they build their self-confidence and learn many new things“, Szeliga stressed on the panel.