Polish Directors
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Krzysztof Kieslowski graduated from Lódz Film School in 1969, and became a documentary, TV and feature film director and scriptwriter. Before making his first film for TV, Przejscie podziemne (1974) (The Underground Passage), he made a number of short documentaries. His next TV title, Personnel (1975) (The Staff), took the Grand Prix at Mannheim Film Festival. His first full-length feature was The Scar (1976) (The Scar). In 1978 he made the famous documentary From a Night Porter's Point of View (1979) (Night Porter's Point of View), and in 1979 - a feature Camera Buff (1979) (Camera Buff), which was acclaimed in Poland and abroad. Everything he did from that point was of highest artistic quality.Director of global scale and universal topics. One of top directors in the entire movie history. Watching his "Decalogue" is an unforgettable mystical experience. A great artist and a great human being.- Director
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Andrzej Wajda is an Academy Award-winning director. He is the most prominent filmmaker in Poland known for The Promised Land (1975), Man of Iron (1981), and Katyn (2007).
He was Born on March 6, 1926, in Suwalki, Poland. His mother, Aniela Wajda, was a teacher at a Ukrainian school. His father, Jakub Wajda, was a captain in the Polish infantry. Wajda described his childhood as a happy pastoral country life before the Second World War. In 1939, Poland was invaded by Nazi Germany and Soviet Union. In 1940, Wajda's father was killed by Stalin's agents in the Katyn massacre.
Young Wajda survived the Second World War with his mother and his brother in Nazi-occupied Poland. In 1942, Wajda joined the Polish resistance and served in the Armia Krajowa until the war ended in 1945. In 1946 he moved to Kraków. There Wajda went to Academy of Fine Arts. He studied painting, particularly the impressionist and post-impressionist painting, and was especially fond of Paul Cezanne. From 1950-1954 he studied film directing at the High Film School in Lódz under directors Jerzy Toeplitz and Aleksander Ford. Later, Wajda described the influential and eye-opening experience from seeing French avant-garde films, like Ballet mécanique (1924) by artist-director Fernand Léger.
In 1955 he made his debut as director of full-length A Generation (1955), about the generation of youth coming of age during the Nazi occupation of Poland. His award-winning Kanal (1957) and Ashes and Diamonds (1958) concluded the trilogy about life in Poland during WWII. Although he was under pressure from the Soviet-dominated Polish authorities, Wajda positioned himself as an artist who was above the conflict. He still managed to show the undeclared civil war between two anti-Nazi Polish forces, which were divided by political ideology: the Polish communists and the partisans - folk heroes of the Home Army.
His Oscar-nominated The Promised Land (1975) was a work of multi-layered allegory and Symbolism. Wajda's witty depiction of the 19th century capitalism in Poland actually alluded to the contemporary Communist politics. The shooting of workers in the final scenes was actually unmasking of the official politics of killing workers in the Soviet Union in 1962, under Nikita Khrushchev, and in Poland a few years later. The story of a film student who traces the life of defamed "hero" in Man of Marble (1977) was a deconstruction of the false impressions that official propaganda was using to brainwash the public. The same main characters in Man of Iron (1981) continued unmasking the Communist regime's manipulations against working class people. In 1981, Wajda joined the "Solidarity" labor movement of Lech Walesa.
From 1989 to 1991 Wajda was elected Senator of the Republic of Poland. From 1992 to 1994 he was Member of Presidential Council for Culture. In 1994 he founded the Center of Japanese Art and Technology in Kraków, and was awarded the Order of Rising Sun in Japan (1995). Wajda was President of Polish Film Association (1978-1983). He was Member of "Solidarity" Lech Walesa Council (1981-1989). He won an honorary Oscar (2000) for his contribution to cinema, and an honorary Golden Bear (2006) at the Berlin Film Festival.
Wajda's Katyn (2007) was nominated for Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year in 2008, and received many other awards and nominations. The film shows historic events in Katyn during WWII, where Wajda's father was among thousands of Polish officers killed by Soviet communists under the dictatorship of Joseph Stalin. Wajda's film was well received by the last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, who initially opened the facts about Katyn to help people understand each other and overcome the tragic past.
"We never hoped to live to see the fall of the Soviet Union, to see Poland as a free country", said Andrzej Wajda.Master of Polish cinema, Honorary Oscar winner and a towering figure in movie history. 40 features made between 1954-2016. About 10 of them are masterpieces. All are closely tied with Polish history, literature and culture.- Director
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Marcel Lozinski was born on 17 May 1940 in Paris, France. He is a director and writer, known for 89 mm od Europy (1993), Katyn Forest (1990) and Zeby nie bolalo (1998).The most distinguished Polish documentary director. In 1970s and 80s his movies were revealing the duplicity of the communist system. However, his greatest achievement "Anything Can Happen" came in 1995 - a tiny masterpiece made in the park during strolls with his 6-year-old son.- Writer
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Tadeusz Konwicki was born on 22 June 1926 in Nowa Wilejka, Wilenskie, Poland [now Naujoji Vilnia, Vilnius, Lithuania]. He was a writer and director, known for Lawa. Opowiesc o 'Dziadach' Adama Mickiewicza (1989), Dolina Issy (1982) and The Last Day of Summer (1958). He was married to Danuta Konwicka. He died on 7 January 2015 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.One of the best Polish directors and writers. He's made only 6 feature films but all of them are great works of art. It's a pity that he's probably too incomprehensible abroad.- Director
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Roman Polanski is a Polish film director, producer, writer and actor. Having made films in Poland, Britain, France and the USA, he is considered one of the few truly international filmmakers. Roman Polanski was born in Paris in 1933.
His parents returned to Poland from France in 1936, three years before World War II began. On Germany's invasion in 1939, as a family of mostly Jewish heritage, they were all sent to the Krakow ghetto. His parents were then captured and sent to two different concentration camps: His father to Mauthausen-Gusen in Austria, where he survived the war, and his mother to Auschwitz where she was murdered. Roman witnessed his father's capture and then, at only 7, managed to escape the ghetto and survive the war, at first wandering through the Polish countryside and pretending to be a Roman-Catholic kid visiting his relatives. Although this saved his life, he was severely mistreated suffering nearly fatal beating which left him with a fractured skull.
Local people usually ignored the cinemas where German films were shown, but Polanski seemed little concerned by the propaganda and often went to the movies. As the war progressed, Poland became increasingly war-torn and he lived his life as a tramp, hiding in barns and forests, eating whatever he could steal or find. Still under 12 years old, he encountered some Nazi soldiers who forced him to hold targets while they shot at them. At the war's end in 1945, he reunited with his father who sent him to a technical school, but young Polanski seemed to have already chosen another career. In the 1950s, he took up acting, appearing in Andrzej Wajda's A Generation (1955) before studying at the Lodz Film School. His early shorts such as Two Men and a Wardrobe (1958), Le gros et le maigre (1961) and Mammals (1962), showed his taste for black humor and interest in bizarre human relationships. His feature debut, Knife in the Water (1962), was one of the first Polish post-war films not associated with the war theme. It was also the first movie from Poland to get an Oscar nomination for best foreign film. Though already a major Polish filmmaker, Polanski chose to leave the country and headed to France. While down-and-out in Paris, he befriended young scriptwriter, Gérard Brach, who eventually became his long-time collaborator. The next two films, Repulsion (1965) and Cul-de-sac (1966), made in England and co-written by Brach, won respectively Silver and then Golden Bear awards at the Berlin International Film Festival. In 1968, Polanski went to Hollywood, where he made the psychological thriller, Rosemary's Baby (1968). However, after the brutal murder of his wife, Sharon Tate, by the Manson Family in 1969, the director decided to return to Europe. In 1974, he again made a US release - it was Chinatown (1974).
It seemed the beginning of a promising Hollywood career, but after his conviction for the sodomy of a 13-year old girl, Polanski fled from he USA to avoid prison. After Tess (1979), which was awarded several Oscars and Cesars, his works in 1980s and 1990s became intermittent and rarely approached the caliber of his earlier films. It wasn't until The Pianist (2002) that Polanski came back to full form. For that movie, he won nearly all the most important film awards, including the Oscar for Best Director, Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or, the BAFTA and Cesar Award.
He still likes to act in the films of other directors, sometimes with interesting results, as in A Pure Formality (1994).Director-celebrity with international acclaim. Has made only 2 features in Poland. Both are masterpieces: Oscar-nominated "Knife in the Water" and Oscar-winning "The Pianist". Simply a genius.- Director
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Wojciech Wiszniewski was a son of a lawyer Wlodzimierz Wiszniewski, who died when the boy was only five. In order to make ends meet his mother Irena Czajkowska decided to rent rooms in their apartment to the students of the Film School in Lódz. Thanks to that her two sons got acquainted with a lot of future renowned film directors, such as Roman Polanski, Andrzej Kostenko, Stefan Schabenbeck or Henryk Kluba. The two brothers got so fascinated with cinema and carefree lives of film-makers that they decided to make their living in the same way. And they both succeeded in it. Wojciech became a director, while his elder brother Wlodzimierz Wiszniewski started his acting career.
Between 1965 and 1969 Wojciech Wiszniewski was a student at the world-famous PWSFTviT (Polish National Academy of Film, Theatre and TV in Lódz). The first two years he spent in the Department of Cinematography and then moved to the Department of Directing due to various health problems (bad eyesight, heart failures). Wiszniewski was one of the school's best and most promising students. His fellow students on the same year included Marcel Lozinski, Tomasz Zygadlo and Maciej Wojtyszko.
He managed to make merely 12 films (6 student shorts, 5 documentary short subjects and 1 TV feature) before his premature death of heart attack at the age of 34. In spite of this Wiszniewski has been considered one of the most outstanding personalities of his generation and without a doubt a classic of Polish documentary cinema. Although his shorts made him a master of innovative documentary film-making, most of them were shelved by the government censors, who also disabled him to eventually make his own feature debut. The last years of his life he spent fighting for making an adaptation of the novel "Królobójcy" ('King Slayers') by Jerzy Lojek about the kidnapping of King Stanislaus Augustus Poniatowski by the Bar Confederates. Wiszniewski died suddenly a few days before the shooting was scheduled to begin.
He is survived by his wife, painter Joanna Milobedzka-Wiszniewska, and their son Mateusz.Incredibly creative documentarian whose influential films are milestones of the genre. His distinct alegorical style made all his efforts totally unique. What a shame he died so early!- Director
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Born in 1939 in Warsaw, Poland. Documentary and feature film director. Studied physics at Warsaw University and philosophy at Jagiellonian University in Cracow. Graduated from Lodz Film Academy in 1966. Amateur film maker. His school diploma film 'Death of a Provincial' (Smierc prowincjala (1968)) won an awards in Venice, Mannheim, Valladolid and Moscow in 1967. Other early films made for TV include: 'Next Door' (_Za sciana (1971)_), Grand Prix in San Remo; 'Hypothesis' (Hipoteza (1973)).
Scriptwriter or co-writer of all of his TV and cinema films. Other early feature films: 'Structure of a Crystal' (The Structure of Crystal (1969)), which won in Mar del Plata 1970; 'Family Life' (Zycie rodzinne (1971)), which won in Chicago 1971, Valladolid 1972 and Colombo 1973; 'Illumination' (The Illumination (1973)), Grand Prix in Locarno 1973, award in Gdansk 1974; 'Quarterly Balance' (A Woman's Decision (1975)); 'Camouflage' (Camouflage (1977)), Spiral (The Spiral (1978)).The intellectual of Polish cinema. His movies deal with moral, religious and philosophical dilemmas of his generation. One of the key directors of the so-called moral anxiety cinema of the 1970s.- Director
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Born in Kraków, Poland, in 1925. Feature film director. Graduated in 1946 from Cracow Film Institute, also studied painting. From 1947 to 1957 made a number of documentary shorts and educational films. Feature film debut: _The Noose_ (Petla, 1958, co-scr.). Other films: _Farewells_ (Pozegnania, 1958, co-scr.), awarded in Locarno and London 1959; _Roommates_ ((Wspolny pokoj, 1960, co-scr.); _Parting_ (Rozstanie, 1961); _Gold_ (Zloto, 1962); _How to Be Loved_ (Jak byc kochana, 1962), Polish Film Critics award, also awarded in San Francisco 1963 and beirut 1964; _The Saragossa Manuscript_ (Pamietnik znaleziony w Saragossie, 1964), awarded in San Sebastian and Edinburgh 1965, in Sitges 1966; _Codes_ (Szyfry, 1966), _The Doll_ (Lalka, 1968, co-scr.), awarded in Panama 1969; _The Sandglass_ (Sanatorium pod Klepsydra, 1973), awarded in Cannes 1973, Grand Prix in Trieste 1974.Uniquely versatile auteur, inspired by great literature. His most famous film "The Saragossa Manuscript" has been admired by many, including Bunuel, Coppola, Scorsese...- Director
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Having graduated from FAMU in Prague film (1971), Agnieszka Holland returned to Poland and began her film career working with Krzysztof Zanussi as assistant director, and Andrzej Wajda as her mentor. Her first feature film was PROVINCIAL ACTORS (1978), one of the flagship pictures of the "cinema of moral disquiet" and the winner of the International Critics Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1980. Subsequently, she made the films FEVER (1980) and THE LONELY WOMAN (1981). In 1981, just before the declaration of the state of emergency in Poland, Agnieszka Holland emigrated to France.
She directed ANGRY HARVEST (1985) which was nominated for a foreign-language Oscar. Her film EUROPA EUROPA (1990) also received a U.S. Academy Award nomination (best screenplay) and IN DARKNESS (2011) was again nominated as best foreign-language film. She also collaborated with her friend Krzysztof Kieslowski on the screenplay of his trilogy, THREE COLOURS (1993).
Holland's other films include TO KILL A PRIEST (1988), OLIVIER, OLIVIER (1992), THE SECRET GARDEN (1993), TOTAL ECLIPSE (1995), WASHINGTON SQUARE (1997), THE THIRD MIRACLE (1999), SHOT IN THE HEART (2001), JULIE WALKING HOME (2001), COPYING BEETHOVEN (2006), IN DARKNESS (2011), BURNING BUSH (2013), SPOOR (2017), MR. JONES (2019) and CHARLATAN (2020). She also directed several episodes of many notable TV series, including THE WIRE, JAG, COLD CASE, TREME (for the pilot of the latter she was nominated for an Emmy) and HOUSE OF CARDS. Agnieszka Holland has also written or co-written screenplays for films made by other directors and directed plays for Polish television. She was elected chairwoman of the Board of the European Film Academy in 2014 and was elected as its President in 2021.Her films are uneven but some are fantastic, especially early works in Poland like "A Lonely Woman" and most of all "Europa Europa". Her political engagement in the situation in Poland is also worth appreciation.- Director
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Marek Koterski was born on 3 June 1942 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland. He is a director and writer, known for Day of the Wacko (2002), 7 uczuc (2018) and Wszyscy jestesmy Chrystusami (2006). He is married to Malgorzata Bogdanska. He was previously married to Iwona Ciesielska.Cinema is for him an act of self-therapy. By revealing his character's obsessions and frustrations (the character Adam Miauczynski is always the same), he describes the lives of many frustrated Polish intellectuals.- Actor
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Born in Lódz, Poland, in 1938. Director, playwright, scriptwriter, and actor. Graduated in ethnology, literature and history from Warsaw University in 1959. Graduated from Lódz Film Academy in directing in 1962. Feature debut: _Identification Marks - None_ (Rysopis, 1964, scr., dir, act.), awarded in Warsaw 1964 and Arnhem 1965. Other films: _Walkover_ (Walkower, 1965, scr., act.), awarded in Mannheim; _The Barrier_ (Bariera, 1966, scr.), awarded in Bergamo 1966 and Valladolid 1968; _Le Depart_ (1967, scr., belg. prod.), Grand Prix in Wets Berlin); _Dialogue 20-40-60_ (Dialog 20-40-60, 1968, scr. - Polish part of "The Twenty Years Olds", czech. prod.); _Hands Up!_ (Rece do gory!, 1967)Director, actor, writer, poet, painter. Artist in all fields. He represented Polish 1960s New Wave movement. And his films from that time are marvellous. So are his new works from the 21st century.- Director
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Jerzy Kawalerowicz was born on 19 January 1922 in Gwozdziec, Stanislawowskie, Poland [now Hvizdets, Ukraine]. He was a director and writer, known for Night Train (1959), Mother Joan of the Angels (1961) and Death of a President (1977). He was married to Lucyna Winnicka, Maria Güntner and Malgorzata Dipont. He died on 27 December 2007 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.Nicknamed the pharaoh of Polish cinema ("Pharaoh" was his Oscar-nominated film), was known for his exceptional versatility. I appreciate him greatly for the Hitchcockian "Night Train", one of the best Polish movies of all time.- Director
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Stanislaw Rózewicz was born on 16 August 1924 in Radomsko, Lódzkie, Poland. He was a director and writer, known for Kobieta w kapeluszu (1985), Drzwi w murze (1974) and Opadly liscie z drzew (1975). He was married to Irena Rózewiczowa. He died on 9 November 2008 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.The most modest and humble of all Polish filmmakers. Made intelligent, sensitive and lyrical stuff. Even for most movie fans, he remains an undiscovered diamond.- Director
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Zbigniew Rybczynski (Rib-chin-ski) was born on January 27, 1949, in Lodz, Poland, but was raised in Warsaw, where he attended an arts high school and was trained as a painter. He went on to study cinematography at the world-renowned Lodz Film School, where he began experimenting with the film medium. His first projects were Kwadrat (1972) and "Take Five" (1972). Along with his other works, they broke new ground in the use of pixelation, optical printing, animation and other compositional film devices. "Zbig", as he's known, was active in the avant-garde group Warsztat Formy Filmowej and he cooperated with Se-Ma-For Studios in Lodz, where his art movies were shot, including Plamuz (1973), Zupa (1975), Nowa ksiazka (1976) and Tango (1981). At the same time he worked as a cinematographer on several feature films, including shorts by 'Andrzej Baranski', Piotr Andrejew and the acclaimed The Dancing Hawk (1977) by 'Grzegorz Krolikiewicz'.
Between 1977 and 1983 Rybczynski worked in Austria, where Weg Zum Nachbarn (1977) and Mein Fenster (1979) were made. He also set up a visual effects studio in Vienna for Austrian TV. As the director of photography, co-writer and editor, he contributed to the cult horror feature Angst (1983) (also known as "Fear"), directed by Gerald Kargl. In the meantime, Zbig was involved in the Solidarity (Solidarnosc) movement in Poland. When martial law was declared, he received political asylum in Austria and it was there that he learned of his Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film nomination for "Tango". After winning the Oscar for that film in 1983, Zbig and his family emigrated to the US and settled in New York City. At his Manhattan and Hoboken (NJ) studios, equipped with state-of-the-art high definition video, Rybczynski conceived and produced - as the first filmmaker ever- pioneer video films using HD technology. In 1984 he was assigned by
The greatest Polish animator and video clips creator. Won an Oscar for his best effort "Tango". Is the only Oscar winner to get to the top and bottom during the same night - right after accepting the Academy Award, he was arrested and spent the rest of the night in jail.- Director
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Born in 1929 in Szopienice, Upper Silesia, to a railway worker's family. After graduating from secondary school he enrolled in the Directing Faculty at Theatre and Film School, graduating in 1954.
In 1959, he debuted with a film entitled Krzyz Walecznych (1959). He has gone on to direct over 20 feature films, including Nikt nie wowa (1960), Panic on the Train (1961), _Sol ziemi czarnej (1970)_ , Perla w koronie (1972)_ , _Paciorki jednego rozanca (1980)_ and _Pulkownik Kwiatkowski (1996)_ . Worked in many theatres, most recently at Teatr Stary (Old Theatre) in Kraków and Teatr Narodowy (National Theatre) in Warsaw. He is a current-affairs commentator, writes about films and topics related to Silesia.
In 1972, he founded the Silesia Film Company in Katowice and, until 1978, was its Artistic Director. Between 1981 and 1983, he lectured in the Radio and Television Faculty at Silesian University in Katowice, and, between 1985 and 1991, taught directing at the Higher Theatre School in Krakow.
From 1987, he was Principal Director in the Polish Television Centre in Katowice and, between 1990 and 1991, headed the Centre. 1966 - founding member of the Association of Polish Filmmakers. Member of the Writers' Section of the Union of Stage Writers and Composers. Member of Senate (Higher Chamber of Polish Parliament) of 4th term. Deputy Chairman of Senate of 5th term.Has brought the poetic vision of his native Silesia to the silver screen. Unfortunately, he left movies for politics - he's been a senator for a long time now. His long-lasting silence as a director is a huge loss for Polish cinema.- Director
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Krzysztof Krauze was a Polish movie director and writer. In 1976, he completed his studies at the National Film School in Lodz. He started his career as a director of short movies and documentaries. His fame as a creator addressing social issues was established by the award-winning movies The Debt (1999) and Plac Zbawiciela (2006). He also directed the biographies of Nikifor Krynicki in Mój Nikifor (2004) and Bronislawa Wajs in Papusza (2013). In his movies, either fictionalized versions of true stories or biographies of real characters predominated, in which Christian values such as empathy, mercy, and forgiveness played a significant role. His last known script was a biographical movie about Czeslaw Niemen, which was never realized. His wife completed their joint project Birds Are Singing in Kigali (2017) after his death.His brutal yet true portrayal of the 1990s Polish capitalism in "The Debt" remains one of the most remarkable visions in modern cinema. After that triumph, he achieved more success with "My Nikifor" and the unforgettable "Saviour Square".- Director
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Andrzej Munk was born on 16 October 1920 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland. He was a director and writer, known for Passenger (1963), Eroica (1958) and Man on the Tracks (1957). He died on 20 September 1961 in Lowicz, Lódzkie, Poland.One of the pillars of the Polish Film School movement of the late 1950s. Holds a strong position of an undisputable classic auteur of Polish cinema. His ironic look at history and morality never stops to be missed.- Director
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Pawel Lozinski was born on 4 December 1965 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland. He is a director and writer, known for The Balcony Movie (2021), Chemia (2009) and Sisters (1999).Like his father Marcel, he's become a remarkable documentarian. Among his many fabulous titles, the most outstanding is "Birthplace" about a Holocaust survivor investigating the death of his loved ones in his native village. A true gem!- Director
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Jan Jakub Kolski was born on 29 January 1956 in Wroclaw, Dolnoslaskie, Poland. He is a director and writer, known for Venice (2010), Jancio Wodnik (1993) and To Kill a Beaver (2012).Director of a unique poetic language, who constantly revolves around his small-town homeland and family history. Of his numerous works, "Jancio Wodnik" stands out as the one which has lost nothing of its freshness and authenticity.- Director
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Dorota Kedzierzawska was born on 1 June 1957 in Lódz, Lódzkie, Poland. She is a director and writer, known for Nothing (1998), Time to Die (2007) and Crows (1994).She's made so many films which are actually still the same constantly repeated vision of lost childhood and the harshness of coming of age. "The Crows" are most recommended.- Director
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Aleksander Ford was born on 24 November 1908 in Kiev, Russian Empire [now Ukraine]. He was a director and writer, known for Five from Barska Street (1954), Knights of the Teutonic Order (1960) and The Eighth Day of the Week (1958). He was married to Eleanor Griswold, Olga Minska and Janina Wieczerzynska. He died on 4 April 1980 in Naples, Florida, USA.The founding father of Polish cinema after the industry's wartime destruction. His "Border Street" is still touching in its utter sincerity. It's a pity that at the end of his life Ford was forced to emigrate and fall into oblivion, which finally resulted in his suicide.- Director
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Andrzej Jakimowski was born on 17 August 1963 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland. He is a director and writer, known for Imagine (2012), Zmruz oczy (2002) and Sztuczki (2007).One of the best 21st century directors in the business. His works are characterized by lightness, grace, vitality and intelligence. A name to remember for the future.- Additional Crew
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Wojciech Marczewski was born on 28 February 1944 in Lódz, Lódzkie, Poland. He is a director and producer, known for Shivers (1981), Escape from the 'Liberty' Cinema (1990) and Nightmares (1979). He is married to Teresa Marczewska. They have two children.Made it to the list mainly for his wonderful Stalinist drama "Shivers", which is hard to get out of your head. Marczewski is also a talented teacher of directing, who used to advise and inspire the future Dogma filmmakers in Denmark.- Director
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Andrzej Baranski was born on 2 April 1941 in Pinczów, Swietokrzyskie, Poland. He is a director and writer, known for Kobieta z prowincji (1985), A Few People, a Little Time (2005) and Nad rzeka, której nie ma (1991).A fan of real and mental provincial life portrayals, which we can see in all of his films, even if they are set in Warsaw (like the marvellous "A Few People, A Little Time"). No one has captured the thick small-town atmosphere better than he has.- Director
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Stanislaw Bareja was born on 5 December 1929 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland. He was a director and actor, known for Teddy Bear (1981), Przygoda z piosenka (1969) and Maz swojej zony (1961). He was married to Hanna Kotkowska-Bareja. He died on 14 June 1987 in Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.The king of Polish comedy, well-known for laughing out loud at the absurdities of communism. But his greatness is best visible in a few lyrical moments in his movies, like in the memorable carol-singing ending of the cult classic "Teddy Bear".- Writer
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Wojciech Smarzowski is a famous Polish screenwriter and director. He studied filmmaking at the Jagiellonian University and the National Film School in Lódz. He started his film career as a video camera operator. He received Polish Academy Award for Best Director for 4 times (2004, 2009, 2011, 2017). His 2004 film, The Wedding (not to be confused with the Andrzej Wajda film of the same title) earned special jury mention at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 2005.One of those filmmakers of today that you should watch out for. His scope and talent is nothing short of spectacular. Smarzowski's brutal and candid eye-opening look at Polish history and modern life is utterly overwhelming.- Director
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Witold Leszczynski was born on 16 August 1933 in Lódz, Lódzkie, Poland. He was a director and writer, known for Axiliad (1986), Zywot Mateusza (1968) and The Linnet (1982). He died on 1 September 2007 in Lódz, Lódzkie, Poland.His depictions of Polish countryside, always based on great literature, are real discoveries for the viewers. Entered the world of movies with his undoubtful masterpiece entitled "The Life of Matthew".- Additional Crew
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Filip Bajon was born on 25 August 1947 in Poznan, Wielkopolskie, Poland. He is a director and writer, known for Aria dla atlety (1979), Wizja lokalna 1901 (1980) and Poznan 56 (1996).Seems to have his best years far behind, with such great 1980s flicks like "The Magnate" and "Shilly-Shally". It's a shame that his last works are just vague reflections of his undisputable talent.- Additional Crew
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Robert Glinski was born on 17 April 1952 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland. He is a director and writer, known for Hi, Tereska (2001), Swinki (2009) and Niedzielne igraszki (1983).A very uneven director who managed to make some wonderful movies about a troubled and disturbing childhood - in Stalinist times ("Sunday Pranks") as well as in modern Warsaw suburbs ("Hi Tessa"). Used to be the rector of the legendary Łódź National Film School.- Director
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Feliks Falk was born on 25 February 1941 in Stanislawów, Stanislawowskie, Poland [now Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine]. He is a director and writer, known for Joanna (2010), Komornik (2005) and Bohater roku (1987).A great craftsman and talented storyteller. I especially admire his unbelievably sharp early classic "Top Dog", which is a milestone in Polish moral anxiety cinema of the 1970s.- Writer
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Lech Majewski was born on 30 August 1953 in Katowice, Slaskie, Poland. He is a writer and director, known for The Mill and the Cross (2011), Valley of the Gods (2019) and Wojaczek (1999).Director-painter with his own poetic style of storytelling. His films usually deal with the lives and works of other artists, like Dutch painter Pieter Bruegel or Polish suicidal poet Rafal Wojaczek. Majewski is capable of turning a static painting into a passionate movie scene and vice versa.- Director
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Janusz Morgenstern was born on 16 November 1922 in Mikulince, Tarnopolskie, Poland [now Mikulintsy, Ternopil Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a director and producer, known for Jovita (1967), Mniejsze niebo (1981) and Komornik (2005). He died on 6 September 2011 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.His debut film still lives vividly in my memory, just like a great summer holiday experience. The importance of his works doesn't have anything to do with their originality or uniqueness but with their truthful nature and down-to-earth realism.- Writer
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Tadeusz Chmielewski was born on 7 June 1927 in Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Lódzkie, Poland. He was a writer and director, known for Eva Wants to Sleep (1958), Wierna rzeka (1987) and In Heaven as It Is on Earth (1998). He was married to Halina Chmielewska. He died on 4 December 2016 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.His classic screwball comedies, like "Ewa Wants to Sleep" or "I Hate Mondays", are so sweet and warm-hearted that it's hard not to resist their humour, sensitivity and intelligence in capturing the absurdities of living under communism.- Director
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Wladyslaw Pasikowski was born on 14 June 1959 in Lódz, Lódzkie, Poland. He is a director and writer, known for Jack Strong (2014), Psy (1992) and Kroll (1991).A recluse who always stays away from the media and interviews. Stood behind the biggest blockbusters of 1990s and then for a long time kept silent. His newest efforts "Aftermath" and "Jack Strong" are bold attempts to reveal the secrets of modern Polish history.- Director
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Andrzej Kondratiuk was born on 20 July 1936 in Pinsk, Poleskie, Poland [now Pinsk, Belarus]. He was a director and writer, known for Cztery pory roku (1985), Dziura w ziemi (1970) and Wrzeciono czasu (1995). He was married to Iga Cembrzynska. He died on 22 June 2016 in Grójec, Mazowieckie, Poland.After his spoof of superhero movies "Hydromystery", he moved to a country house with his wife and never stopped making films there, close to nature and far away from the big city life. Invented his own distinct style and used his family members to tell touching stories, largely without any plots.- Writer
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Film director, script writer and actor. Born in Olsztyn, Poland, in 1955. In 1978 graduated from the Lodz Film Academy. 1984-85 studied in Cal Arts, Valencia, California. Winner of the Stanislaw Wyspianski Award for Young Artists 1985, and a number of festival honours. Since 1988 artistic manager of the Zebra Film Productions. His filmography includes the following: _Do It Yourself_ (Zrob to sam, 1978, documentary); _Direct Connection_ (Bezposrednie polaczenie, 1979, TV film); _Va Banque_ (Va Bank, 1981), awarded Bronze Lions in Gdansk, Golden Eagle in Manila, Grand Prix in Vevey 1982, prize for debut in Karlovy Vary 1982, Grand Prix Marseille 1983; _Sexmission_ (Sexmisja, 1983), awarded Silver Lions in Gdansk; _Va Banque II or Revenge_ (Va Bank II czyli riposta, 1984), awarded audience prize in Gdansk 1985; _Kingsize_ (Kingsajz, 1987), awarded special jury prize in Avoriaz 1989; _Deja Vu_ (Deja vu, 1989, pol-ussr prod.); _VIP_ (VIP, 1991, pol-fr. prod.); _Squadron_ (Szwadron, 1993, pol.-ukr.-fr.-belg. prod.)Enfant terrible of Polish cinema aka the local Steven Spielberg. Has made numerous hits among both critics and viewers. His best work is still "Sexmission", the hilarious antifeminist dystopia.- Director
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Marek Piwowski was born on 24 October 1935 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland. He is a director and writer, known for Foul Play (1976), Psychodrama (1972) and Korkociag (1971).One of the greatest comic talents among Polish directors. Responsible for the immortal cult classic "The Cruise", but also memorable shorts, docs and TV productions.- Director
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Jerzy Hoffman was born on 15 March 1932 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland. He is a director and writer, known for With Fire and Sword (1999), The Deluge (1974) and Trzy kroki po ziemi (1965). He is married to Jagoda Pradzynska. He was previously married to Valentina Trakhtenberg and Marlena Nazarian.This skillful craftsman was behind many historical blockbuster epics, including Oscar-nominated "The Deluge". But what I value most is the artistry in his classic early docs and features, like the western-style "The Law and the Fist".- Director
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Janusz Majewski was born on 5 August 1931 in Lwów, Lwowskie, Poland [now Lviv, Ukraine]. He was a director and writer, known for Mala matura 1947 (2010), Sublokator (1966) and Excentrycy, czyli po slonecznej stronie ulicy (2015). He was married to Zofia Nasierowska. He died on 10 January 2024 in Poland.Having been active for nearly half a century, he's responsible for many light comedies and period pieces, but always with a meaning. What distinguishes his works is their clear historical setting and focus on ordinary people with humour and wit.- Director
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Andrzej Fidyk was born in 1953 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland. He is a director and writer, known for Defilada (1989), Yodok Stories (2008) and Battu's Bioscope (1999).Another great documentarian. He's specialised in portraying distant cultures, like India, Africa or North Korea. In fact his best work, "The Parade", is an ironic look at North Korean dictatorship shot when the country was celebrating the 40th anniversary of its existence.- Director
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Janusz Zaorski was born on 19 September 1947 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland. He is a director and writer, known for Matka Królów (1987), Pokój z widokiem na morze (1978) and Szczesliwego Nowego Jorku (1997). He is married to Anna Osmólska-Metrak.In the 1970s and 80s was one of the most seminal Polish directors, making such acclaimed classics as "The Mother of Kings" or "Lake Constance". Later on his career has only gone downhill, but he still deserves much appreciation.- Director
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Jan Lomnicki was born on 30 June 1929 in Podhajce, Tarnopolskie, Poland [now Pidhaytsi, Ukraine]. He was a director and writer, known for Ocalic miasto (1976), Narodziny statku (1961) and Poslizg (1972). He died on 18 December 2002 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.A modest creator of classic docs and features. Especially worthwhile are "Dowry" about a provincial doomed love triangle, and "Just Beyond This Forest" - the story of a bond between an old Polish woman and a Jewish girl from the Warsaw ghetto.- Director
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A literature and philosophy graduate, with extensive post-graduate work at Oxford on German literature, Polish-born Pawel Pawlikowski started as a documentary filmmaker in British television.
His second feature, Last Resort (2000), earned him international critical acclaim at numerous festivals, including Toronto and Sundance, and won the 2001 British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) award for "Most Promising Newcomer in British Film."
His next film, My Summer of Love (2004), won the Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film at the BAFTA Awards in 2005.Director behind the only Oscar-winning movie from Poland to win in the Best Foreign Language Film category. "Ida" is the work of astonishing subtlety, grace and humanism. It's a post-Holocaust story firmly set in the Polish reality of the 1960s.- Writer
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Born 1980. Polish scriptwriter and director. Member of European Film Academy. He graduated from Academy of Film and Television and The National Film School in Lodz. His full - length feature debut In a Bedroom (W sypialni) had it's world premiere in Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 2012 and was one of the most frequently presented Polish films at the international film festivals. In a Bedroom received several prizes including Ecumenical Jury Award in Mannheim-Heildelberg International Film Festival 2012. His second feature film Floating Skyscrapers (Plynace Wiezowce) had it's world premiere at Tribeca Film Festival in New York City 2013. American film criticts chose Floating Skyscrapers the best movie presented at Tribeca; the film went on to win East of the West Competition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 2013, the Best Directing Award at Transilvania International Film Festival 2014, the Audience Award at the International Competition New Horizons in Wroclaw, the Best New Directing Talent and the Grand Prix of Juth Jury at Gdynia Film Festival, Poland. His third movie United States of Love (Zjednoczone Stany Milosci) had it's world premiere at 66th Berlin International Film Festival 2016 (Competition) and won Silver Bear for Best Script as well Tomasz Wasilewski was nominated as Best European Scriptwriter at 29th European Film Awards. For Best Director he received awards at Valleta FF and Gdynia FF. He is working on his third feature film Fools.After the groundbreaking first Polish gay movie "Floating Skyscrapers", this new talented helmer made "United States of Love" - a thought-provoking film about the democratic changes in Poland from women's perspective. Watch out for this name in the future!- Director
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Ryszard Bugajski began his career working with Andrzej Wajda at Studio X in the late 70's. When he was pressured by the secret police to become an informant at the Studio, Bugajski vowed to try and bring down the Communist regime. To that end he shot his first feature film, "Interrogation", as society crumbled around him during the Solidarity uprisings. A scathing attack against the system, "Interrogation" was completed in secret during martial law. Banned by the authorities, the film was watched illegally by millions of Poles on newly acquired VCRs.
Persecuted by the secret police and banned from working, Bugajski and his wife fled to Canada in 1985, where he quickly learned English and got work directing television series and films.
On the fall of Communism in Poland, "Interrogation" became the official Polish entry at the Cannes Film Festival in 1990, where it was nominated for the Palme d'Or, and its leading actress Krystyna Janda won Best Actress for her stunning performance.
Bugajski returned to his homeland in 1995 where he has been making feature films, documentaries, television series and television features. He has also published several novels and continues to receive awards at film festivals. In 2009, Bugajski made his acclaimed feature film, General Nil, and in 2013 "The Closed Circuit" opened to both critical acclaim and commercial success in Poland.Filmmaker responsible for the best movie about Stalinism - the award-winning "Interrogation". The legendary title was banned in 1980s Poland but distributed illegaly on videos. After the fall of communism, the director pursued his career with films about history, injustice and corruption.- Additional Crew
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Maciej J. Drygas was born on 3 April 1956 in Lódz, Lódzkie, Poland. He is a writer and director, known for Stan niewazkosci (1994), Jeden dzien w PRL (2006) and Uslyszcie mój krzyk (1991).Distinguished documentary filmmaker whose fascinating debut "Hear My Cry" is one of the best Polish docs ever made. It's a harrowing tale of an ordinary man who burned himself alive in protest against the Soviet invasion in Czechoslovakia.- Director
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One of the most prominent Polish directors of today, Malgorzata Szumowska was born in Kraków in 1973. She's been directing, writing and producing feature and documentary films and has received numerous awards at international and Polish film festivals. After two noticed shorts, her first feature Happy Man (2000) was nominated at the European Film Awards as "Discovery of the Year" and won a Special Prize in Thessaloniki. Her second feature Strangers (2004) was presented in Sundance and in Berlin and with 33 Scenes From Life (2008), she received the Special Jury Prize at the Locarno Festival. She later directed Elles (2011) with Juliette Binoche, and In The Name Of, winner of the Teddy Award at the Berlin Festival. In 2015, the Berlinale awarded her the Best Director Silver Bear for Body and in 2018 distinguished Mug with the Grand Jury Prize. Her first English language feature The Other Lamb (2019) has been selected to screen in Toronto, San Sebastian and London. She has recently completed a short film for Miu Miu and is working on her next feature Wonderful Zenia.Her films are extremely uneven - all of them have potential but none gives real fulfilment. However, the personal "33 Scenes from Life" and the award-winning "Body" prove that she's got a talent. I hope we'll see more proof in the not so distant future.- Director
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Joseph Lejtes was born on 22 November 1901 in Warsaw, Poland, Russian Empire [now Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland]. He was a director and writer, known for The Faithful City (1952), Dzien wielkiej przygody (1935) and My Father's House (1947). He died on 27 May 1983 in Santa Monica, California, USA.The most distinguished director of pre-war Poland. Made adaptations of modern literature and historical pieces, usually with romantic foreground. Although he left for Israel at the start of WW2 and continued to make films there and later on in the USA, it was in 1930s Poland that he achieved his greatest success.- Writer
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Born in Lvov, Ukraine; then he moved with his father Miroslaw Zulawski to Czechoslovakia and later to Poland. In the late 1950s, he studied cinema in France. In the 1960s, he was an assistant of the famous Polish film director Andrzej Wajda. His feature debut The Third Part of the Night (1971) was an adaptation of his father's novel. His second feature The Devil (1972) was prohibited in Poland, and Zulawski went to France. After the success of his French debut That Most Important Thing: Love (1975) in 1975, he returned to Poland where he spent two years in making On the Silver Globe (1988). The work on this film was brutally interrupted by the authorities. After that, Zulawski moved to France where became known for his highly artistic, controversial, and very violent films. Zulawski is well known for his ability to discover and "rediscover" actresses. Romy Schneider, Isabelle Adjani and Sophie Marceau played their best parts in his films.What a controversial figure! Started out in the 1970s with brilliant innovative works like "The Third Part of the Night" or "The Devil", both in a nightmare-like style. Then he moved abroad and made pretentious movies, hitting the total bottom with the disgusting "Szamanka".- Director
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Wanda Jakubowska was born on 10 October 1907 in Warsaw, Poland, Russian Empire [now Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland]. She was a director and writer, known for The Last Stage (1948), Król Macius I (1958) and Pozegnanie z diablem (1957). She died on 24 February 1998 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.The founding mother of Polish cinema, an Auschwitz survivor, a devout communist and a respected film school professor. Most of her movies were pure communist propaganda. However, her painful debut "The Last Stage" remains the first ever cinematic depiction of Auschwitz and the first international post-war success of a Polish movie.- Director
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Slawomir Fabicki was born on 5 April 1970 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland. He is a director and writer, known for Loving (2012), Z odzysku (2006) and Meska sprawa (2001). He is married to Joanna Fabicka. They have two children.- Director
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Stanislaw Lenartowicz was born on 7 February 1921 in Dziankowo, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Poland. He was a director and writer, known for Czerwone i zlote (1969), Pamietnik pani Hanki (1963) and Spotkania (1957). He died on 28 October 2010 in Wroclaw, Dolnoslaskie, Poland.- Director
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Jan Rybkowski was born on 4 April 1912 in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski, Poland, Russian Empire [now Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski, Swietokrzyskie, Poland]. He was a director and writer, known for Dzis w nocy umrze miasto (1961), Dom na pustkowiu (1949) and Sposób bycia (1966). He died on 29 December 1987 in Konstancin-Jeziorna, Mazowieckie, Poland.- Cinematographer
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Cinematographer in many significant works of contemporary Polish cinema; two-time winner of the award for Best Cinematography at the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia and Bronze Frog at Camerimage, thrice nominated for the Polish Film Awards: Eagles. A member of the Polish and European Film Academy. Marcin is also a director of documentaries and feature films, for which he writes scripts and is involved in the editing process. Marcin obtained a PhD degree at Lodz Film School and additionally he teaches the Art of Cinematography at the Krzysztof Kieslowski Film School in Katowice.
In 1999, after making two short films, he made his debut as a director with "Such a nice boy I gave birth to", a document focused on relations within his own family. The movie was awarded at festivals in Berlin, Cracow and Nyon. His subsequent movies brought him numerous awards at festivals in Karlovy Vary, Chicago, Leipzig, Cracow, Tampere, Tehran, Trento. Most recently he was nominated for Romanian film awards Gopo for Best Pictures in "Love 1: Dog" movie directed by Florin Serban.
His best known movies are: "The existence", "Death with a human face", "Whole day together", "Till it hurts", "Let's run away from her", "Declaration of immortality", "The lust killer".- Director
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One of the most awarded young Polish filmmakers. Graduated Film Science in Jagiellonian University Cracow, Krzysztof Kieslowski Film Department in Katowice University and Andrzej Wajda Master School of Film Directing. He makes both documentaries and features. Received over 30 awards for his films which had been cinema released and broadcast in over 30 TV stations around the world.- Director
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Michal Rosa was born on 27 September 1963 in Zabrze, Slaskie, Poland. He is a director and writer, known for Rysa (2008), Cisza (2001) and What the Sun Has Seen (2006).- Director
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Czeslaw Petelski was born on 5 November 1922 in Bialystok, Podlaskie, Poland. He was a director and writer, known for Black Wings (1963), The Depot of the Dead (1959) and Naganiacz (1964). He was married to Ewa Petelska. He died on 19 September 1996 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.- Director
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Maria Zmarz-Koczanowicz was born on 8 November 1954 in Cieplice Slaskie, Jelenia Góra, Dolnoslaskie, Poland. She is a director and writer, known for Pokolenie '89 (2002), Kocham Polske (2008) and Zwyczajny marzec (2009).- Director
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Mariusz Trelinski is a film, opera and theatre director. He graduated from The Lodz Film School (PWSFTviT), where directors such as Krzysztof Kieslowski, Roman Polanski and Andrzej Wajda studied. His television debut, The Rump of a big whale (1987) was acclaimed by critics becoming the manifesto of the "children of the martial law" generation. His next film, Farewell To Autumn (Pozegnanie Jesieni) (1990) premiered in competition at the Venice Film Festival in 1990 next to movies directed by Jane Campion, as well as Martin Scorsese. The film, a multiple award winner, was one of the most spectacular events in the Polish film industry of the 1990s. In 1995 he directed A Gentle Creature based on the short story by Dostoyevsky (an award-winner of the Moscow festival and the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia) as well as television plays. His last film, Egoists, also premiered in Gdynia (2000), giving rise to heated discussions and becoming one of the festival's greatest events. The director himself said that of all the films he had made so far, "this one is probably the most dangerous". He was the artistic director of the Teatr Wielki - Polish National Opera from 2005 - 2006 and returned in 2008. He's an award nominated director of numerous films (both for theatre and TV), as well as nearly twenty operas. His works were presented in New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Paris, Berlin, St. Petersburg, Valencia, Tel Aviv and Brussels, in the world's leading theatres, in which he teamed up with great conductors, including Daniel Barenboim, Kent Nagano, Lorin Maazel, Valery Gergiev and Carlo Rizzi. Mariusz Trelinski is also a scriptwriter.- Additional Crew
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Jacek Blawut was born on 3 November 1950 in Zagórze Slaskie, Dolnoslaskie, Poland. He is a cinematographer and director, known for Nienormalni (1990), Jeszcze nie wieczór (2008) and Born Dead (2004). He is married to Elzbieta Blawut. They have two children.- Director
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Kazimierz Karabasz was born on 6 May 1930 in Bydgoszcz, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Poland. He was a director and writer, known for A Year in the Life of Franek W. (1968), Muzykanci (1960) and Pierwszy krok (1962). He was married to Lidia Zonn. He died on 11 August 2018 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.- Writer
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Edward Zebrowski was born on 26 July 1935 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland. He was a writer and director, known for Hospital of the Transfiguration (1979), Ocalenie (1972) and W bialy dzien (1981). He died on 13 February 2014 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.- Director
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Sylwester Checinski was born on 21 May 1930 in Susiec, Lubelskie, Poland. He was a director and assistant director, known for Kochaj albo rzuc (1977), Nie ma mocnych (1974) and Katastrofa (1966). He died on 8 December 2021 in Wroclaw, Dolnoslaskie, Poland.- Additional Crew
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Piotr Dumala was born on 9 July 1956 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland. He is a writer and director, known for Las (2009), Ederly (2015) and Zbrodnia i kara (2000).- Director
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Maciej Pieprzyca was born on 5 May 1964 in Katowice, Slaskie, Poland. He is a director and writer, known for I'm a Killer (2016), Life Feels Good (2013) and Icarus. The Legend of Mietek Kosz (2019).- Director
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Barbara Sass was born on 14 October 1936 in Lódz, Lódzkie, Poland. She was a director and writer, known for Bez milosci (1980), Pokuszenie (1995) and Debutante (1982). She was married to Wieslaw Zdort. She died on 2 April 2015 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.- Director
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Daniel Szczechura was born on 11 July 1930 in Wilczogeby, Mazowieckie, Poland. He is a director and writer, known for The Chair (1964), Hobby (1968) and Podróz (1970).- Director
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Polish film director, born in 1939. Married, three children. He has been getting experience by making documentary films and TV theater of fact, before he made in 1972 his first feature film ''Right through''. By that time he perpetually takes advantages of his talent in many topics and technics. Especially it refers to his feature films and TV theater - works about historical and current events, connected with social and ethical problems. He consider it his duty to get dramatic elements. The critic's opinions about his productions are very different. He is particularly appreciated by those, who are interested in widening means of cinema's expression and those, who appreciate not only subjective problems, but also ability to react on social events. He makes actors engaged in absolute co-operation, what give them a chance to make the best creations just in his films. Apart from his film productions, Grzegorz Krolikiewicz, who graduated State Theatrical and Film Collage in Lodz in 1970, engages in pedagogical work (he carries on authors lessons: "Analysis of a film productions" and "Filmming an actor" with students from different faculties: staging, theatrical art, operators) and in writing theoretical books and lectures based on his discussions with students about the best film art.'s achievements. His literary and film output: documentary films, TV theater spectacles, feature films, performances, theoretical books, lectures, screenplays. Grzegorz Krolikiewicz has been awarded many times for his productions. Awarded 30 times in Poland (Golden Lions in Gdynia) and 16 times abroad (in Mannheim, Chicago, Panama, SanRemo). Compositions revealing on a field of mental values and the language of film, appear consistently from artist's own film theory.- Director
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Leonard Buczkowski was born on 5 August 1900 in Warsaw, Poland, Russian Empire [now Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland]. He was a director and writer, known for Orzel (1959), Szyb L-23 (1932) and Sprawa pilota Maresza (1956). He was married to Barbara Orwid. He died on 19 February 1967 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.- Director
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Witold Giersz was born on 26 February 1927 in Poraj, Slaskie, Poland. He is a director and writer, known for Red and Black (1964), Kaskader (1972) and A Little Western (1961).- Director
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Stanislaw Jedryka was born on 27 July 1933 in Sosnowiec, Slaskie, Poland. He was a director and writer, known for Dom bez okien (1962), Porwanie (1985) and Theatre Macabre (1971). He died on 22 April 2019 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.- Additional Crew
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Jerzy Bossak was born on 31 July 1910 in Rostov-on-Don, Russian Empire [now Russia]. He was a director, known for Wrzesien - tak bylo... (1961), Requiem dla 500 tysiecy (1963) and Peace Will Win (1951). He died on 23 May 1989 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.- Director
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Lukasz Palkowski was born on 2 March 1976 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland. He is a director and assistant director, known for Bogowie (2014), Rezerwat (2007) and Breaking the Limits (2017).- Director
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Wladyslaw Slesicki was born on 5 January 1927 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland. He was a director and writer, known for Family of Man (1966), Before Leaves Fall (1964) and The Rafts Sail On (1962). He died on 9 December 2008 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.- Director
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Henryk Szaro was born on 23 October 1900 in Warsaw, Poland, Russian Empire [now Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland]. He was a director and writer, known for Mocny czlowiek (1929), Dzikuska (1928) and Rok 1914 (1932). He died on 8 August 1942 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.- Director
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Radoslaw Piwowarski was born on 20 February 1948 in Olszówka Dolna, Bielsko-Biala, Slaskie, Poland. He is a director and writer, known for Yesterday (1985), Kochankowie mojej mamy (1986) and Sequence of Feelings (1993).- Director
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Janusz Kondratiuk was born on 19 September 1943 in Ak-Bulak, Kazakh SSR, USSR [now Kazakhstan]. He was a director and writer, known for A Cat with a Dog (2018), Milion dolarów (2011) and Klakier (1983). He was married to Ewa Szykulska. He died on 7 October 2019 in Los, Mazowieckie, Poland.- Director
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Marcin Krzysztalowicz was born on 19 April 1969 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland. Marcin is a director and writer, known for Oblawa (2012), All About My Parents (2014) and Mister T. (2019).- Director
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Borys Lankosz is one of the most popular Polish filmmakers of his generation. Alumnus of the famous National Film School in Lodz, he made his debut in 2001 with a harrowing documentary 'Evolution' about neglected patients of a mental institution, awarded on various international documentary festivals, including San Francisco International Film Festival. His documentary 'Radegast' (2008) tells the story of Western European Jews, deported to the ghetto of Lodz via the namesake train station, the Nazi gates of hell. Polish moviegoers known Lankosz primarily for his feature movies - his dark comedy about Stalinism 'Reverse' (2009) (the plot can be summarized as 'Arsenic and Old Lace' meets '1984') was the Polish official entry for the Academy Award. His thriller 'A Grain of Truth', where the phantoms of medieval antisemitism seem to reappear in a contemporary small Polish town, was a box office hit of 2015.- Director
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Michal Waszynski was born on 29 September 1904 in Kowel, Poland, Russian Empire [now Kovel, Volyn Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a director and producer, known for Fiamme sul mare (1948), Bedzie lepiej (1936) and District Attorney (1933). He died on 20 February 1965 in Madrid, Spain.- Director
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- Animation Department
Jan Lenica was born on 4 January 1928 in Poznan, Wielkopolskie, Poland. He was a director and writer, known for Adam 2 (1968), Rhinoceros (1964) and Labyrinth (1963). He died on 5 October 2001 in Berlin, Germany.- Director
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Janusz Kijowski was born on 14 December 1948 in Szczecin, Zachodniopomorskie, Poland. He is a director and writer, known for Kung-fu (1979), Index (1977) and Stan strachu (1989).- Actor
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Jerzy Stuhr is a Polish actor, director, and writer. He completed his education in Polish Philology at the Jagiellonian University and then graduated from the National Academy of Theatre Arts in Krakow. Stuhr's acting career began in the theaters in Krakow, where he performed in plays such as "Noc listopadowa" and "Biesy". His movie career includes notable roles in Camera Buff (1979), Sexmission (1984), and Persona non grata (2005). He also directed movies like Spis cudzoloznic (1994) and Love Stories (1997). In addition to his acting and directing career, Stuhr has also made significant contributions to academia. He served as the rector of the National Academy of Theatre Arts in Krakow from 1990-1996 and 2002-2008. He was awarded the title of Professor of Theatrical Arts in 1994 and received an honorary doctorate from the University of Silesia in Katowice in 2007.- Producer
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Tomasz Baginski was born on 10 January 1976 in Bialystok, Podlaskie, Poland. He is a producer and director, known for Fallen Art (2004), The Cathedral (2002) and The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf (2021).- Director
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Maciej Dejczer was born on 15 July 1953 in Gdansk, Pomorskie, Poland. He is a director and writer, known for 300 Miles to Heaven (1989), Bandyta (1997) and Letters to Santa 2 (2015).- Actor
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Henryk Kluba was born on 9 January 1931 in Przystajnia, Wielkopolskie, Poland. He was an actor and director, known for 5 i 1/2 Bladego Józka (1970), Sowizdrzal swietokrzyski (1980) and Chudy i inni (1967). He died on 11 June 2005 in Konin, Wielkopolskie, Poland.- Director
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Janusz Nasfeter was born on 15 August 1920 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland. He was a director and writer, known for I Won't Love You (1974), Ten okrutny, nikczemny chlopak (1972) and Niekochana (1966). He was married to Teresa Nasfeter. He died on 1 April 1998 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Wieslaw Saniewski, born 1948, graduated in mathematics at the Wroclaw University and went on to study screenwriting at the Lodz Film School. After writing several screenplays, he worked as an assistant for Andrzej Wajda. In 1971, he graduated with the short film Wielki Swiat (The Great World), based on Alberto Moravia's "Smells and a Bone". His first feature film was finished in 1981 : Wolny Strzelec (The Free Lancer). It was his next film, Nadzor (Custody), made in 1983 that gave him international renown. The film received several prizes and awards at various film festivals, among which the FIPRESCI Prize at the Mannheim Festival and a Gdansk Lion for the best debut, the best actress and the best cinematography. Saniewski's films brought him into conflict with the authorities and his films were banned, to be shown in Poland only after the socialist regime had fallen.- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Waldemar Krzystek was born on 23 November 1953 in Swobnica, Zachodniopomorskie, Poland. He is a director and writer, known for Mala Moskwa (2008), The Photographer (2014) and 80 Millions (2011).- Director
- Writer
- Animation Department
Born in Kwilcz, Poland, Walerian Borowczyk trained as a painter and lithographer, winning Poland's National Prize in 1953. He began his film career as a film poster designer, then started making short animated films in the late 1950s. Moving to France in the early 1960s, he gained a reputation as a leading animator before switching to live-action features, which have become increasingly controversial due to their explicitly erotic and sensational content.- Director
- Actor
- Writer
Xawery Zulawski was born on 22 December 1971 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland. He is a director and actor, known for It Came from the Water (2022), Snow White and Russian Red (2009) and Chaos (2006).- Director
- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Andrzej Brzozowski was born on 20 February 1932 in Lódz, Lódzkie, Poland. He was a director and writer, known for To jest jajko (1966), Salome (1969) and Archeologia (1968). He died on 26 July 2005 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.- Director
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Jan Komasa was born on 28 October 1981 in Poznan, Wielkopolskie, Poland. He is a director and writer, known for Suicide Room (2011), The Hater (2020) and Warsaw '44 (2014).- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Leszek Wosiewicz was born on 1 November 1947 in Radomysl Wielki, Podkarpackie, Poland. He was a director and writer, known for Kornblumenblau (1989), Kroniki domowe (1997) and Rozdroze Cafe (2005). He died on 29 December 2023 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.- Director
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Writer
Marek Lechki was born on 9 July 1975 in Brzeg Dolny, Dolnoslaskie, Poland. Marek is a director and assistant director, known for Erratum (2010), Moje miasto (2002) and Interior (2019).- Director
- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Director, scriptwriter, producer.
Graduated from schools in Poland and Amsterdam. Member of the European and the Polish Film Academy. Annual Award of the Ministry of Culture in 2011 PhD in film directing 2011.
His short diploma film "Magnet Man" (2001), won acclaim at numerous film festivals including winning Best Student Film Award at the Tribeca Film Festival 2002.
Marcin's first feature "My Flesh My Blood" (2009) had its premiere at the Rome FF 2009. The picture received: the Jounalist's Award and The Best Script Award at the Polish Debuts Film Festival 2009 also the Grand Prix of the Polish Edition Hartley-Merrill Award in 2007 and the Third Prize of Hartley-Merrill International Screenwriting Award in Cannes 2007 (working title: "Tamagotchi"), also many other awards at film festivals, including Avanca IFF, Nikosis IFF.
"The Christening" (2010), second feature directed and co-produced by Marcin Wrona, premiered in 2010 at the San Sebastian IFF (Europe), Toronto FF (North America), Warsaw FF (Poland). The film received The Silver Lion Award for the best film, the Best Actor Award and award for the Best Editing at the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia in 2010. "The Christening" also won awards in: Rejkyavik IFF (Special Mention), Mons - Love IFF (Grand Prix & Best Scenario), Prague - Febio FF (Grand Prix), Cracow - Off Plus Camera (Grand Prix in Polish films competition), Ploiesti, Romania - Golden Carpathian FF (Best Director), Tarnow FF, Poland - Youth Jury Award The film has been showing at many international festivals, and received distribution in USA, UK, Romania, Hungary and Spain.
His third film "Demon" is in post-production. It is a Polish-Israeli co-production with Itay Tiran in the lead role.
Marcin Wrona directed also several well-received and awarded TV dramas (inc: Harold Pinter's "Collection" and recently "The Morality of Mrs. Dulska") and some popular TV series. During the European Film Awards ceremony in Barcelona 2004, he presented his short film "Telefono" which was later included in Pedro Almodovar's DVD collection. In the 2013 he made musical "Chopin must die" premiered simultaneously in Warsaw and London.- Additional Crew
- Director
- Writer
Lukasz Barczyk was born on 2 September 1974 in Olkusz, Malopolskie, Poland. He is a director and writer, known for Przemiany (2003), Nieruchomy poruszyciel (2008) and Influence (2015).- Director
- Writer
- Actress
Magdalena Piekorz was born on 2 October 1974 in Sosnowiec, Slaskie, Poland. She is a director and writer, known for The Welts (2004), Drowsiness (2008) and Close-ups (2014).- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Przemyslaw Wojcieszek was born on 18 March 1974 in Miloszyce, Dolnoslaskie, Poland. He is a writer and director, known for W dól kolorowym wzgórzem (2004), Made in Poland (2010) and Louder Than Bombs (2001).- Director
- Writer
- Music Department
Born in 1968 in Warsaw. Former guitarist and bassist in rock formations in Switzerland, where he lived for 15 years. Pantomime and acting schools in Zurich, language schools in France and Australia. He graduated in 1996 from the film directing department at the Film School in Lodz (PWSFTViT) under the artistic supervision of Krzysztof Kieslowski. Winner of many awards at international film festivals, including at the 61st Venice Film Festival in 2004 for the Swiss-Belgian debut feature "Tout un hiver sans feu" (All Winter Without Fire), which was also the Swiss candidate for the Oscar in 2005. His second feature film "Courage" (Wymyk) was produced in Poland in 2011 and won several main awards at Film Festivals incl. Vilnius, Gdynia and Warsaw. Director and co-creator of the multi-award-winning television series "Londynczycy" (The Londoners) in 2008/9, as well as the well-received crime series "Paradoks" in 2012 and "The Crime" (Zbrodnia) in 2014, first TV production for AXN (Sony Pictures) in Central Europe. In 2015 he directed in Switzerland the TV feature film "Le temps d'Anna" (Anna's Time), shown with great success on TSR and ARTE. The following year he made a Swiss-Austrian-Polish cinematic feature film "Animals" (Tiere), which had its world premiere at the Berlinale in February 2017. He is a member of the Polish and Swiss Film Academy.