Born: March 6, 1926, Suwalki, Poland.
Summary. A major figure of world and Eastern European cinema after World War II, Wajda has made his reputation as a sensitive and uncompromising chronicler of his country's political and social evolution. Once dubbed a symbol for a besieged country, Wajda is known for drawing from Poland's history to suit his tragic sensibility, crafting an oeuvre of work that devastates even as it informs.
Early days. His father, Jakub Wajda, was a Polish cavalry officer murdered by the Soviets in Katyn. His mother, Aniela Wajda, was a teacher. During the Nazi occupation of Poland he attended drawing lessons at an art school owned by a professor from Lodz, which the Germans still allowed at that time. He also worked at his brother’s locksmith shop. After the war, he enrolled in 1945 at the Cracow's Academy of Fine Arts Academy to be a painter By the end of the third year he realized that he was rather lost, and then, completely by chance, he read in some weekly magazine that the Film School in Lodz is searching for students. So he decided to leave Krakow for Lodz. In 1950 together with fellow students from Lodz he went to Nowa Huta. We were making a student movie - a feature - about the construction of the first socialist city in Poland…
Professional career. On the heels of his apprenticeship to director Aleksander Ford, Wajda was given the opportunity to direct his own film. With A Generation (1955), the first-time director poured out his disillusionment over jingoism, using as his alter ego a young, James Dean-style antihero played by Zbigniew Cybulski. Wajda went on to make two more increasingly accomplished films, which further developed the antiwar theme of A Generation: Kanal (1956) and Ashes and Diamonds (1958), also starring Cybulski. While capable of turning out mainstream commercial fare, Wajda was more interested in works of allegory and symbolism, and certain symbols (such as setting fire to a glass of liquor, representing the flame of youthful idealism that was extinguished by the war) recur often in his films. In 1967, Cybulski was killed in a train accident, whereupon the director articulated his grief with what is considered his most personal film, Everything for Sale (1969). From 1962 till 1998 he was the director of Teatr Stary in Cracow. Wajda's later devotion to Poland's burgeoning Solidarity movement was manifested in Man of Marble (1976) and Man of Iron (1981), with Solidarity leader Lech Wałęsa appearing as himself in the latter film. He was the President of Polish Film Association 1978-1983. In the early 1990s, after the fall of communism, he was elected a senator and appointed artistic director of Warsaw's Teatr Powszechny 1989-1990. During the years 1992-94 he was a member of the Presidential Council for Culture and in 1994 in founded in Cracow the Center of Japanese Art and Technology. He continued to make films, addressing the topic of World War II in 1993's The Crowned-Eagle Ring and 1996's Holy Week. In 1997, Wajda went in a different direction with Miss Nobody, a coming-of-age drama that explored the darker and more spiritual aspects of a relationship between three high-school girls. Andrzej Wajda has been married three times. His second wife was popular actress Beata Tyszkiewicz with whom he has a daughter Karolina. His third and current wife is since 1972 actress and costume designer Krystyna Zachwatowicz.
Prizes and awards. 1957 Kanal [Canal]: Special Award of the Jury "La Palme d'Argent", 10th IFF Cannes 1957;
1958 Popiol i diament [Ashes and Diamonds]: FIPRESCI Award, 20th IFF Venice, 1959;
The Selznick "Silver Laurel", 12th IFF West Berlin, 1961;
1970 Brzezina [The Birch Wood]: Gold Medal - FIPRESCI Award, MIFED Milan, 1970,
"The Golden Seal" of Milan, 7th IFF Milan 1975;
1970 Krajobraz po bitwie [Landscape After the Battle]: Golden Globe, 3rd IFF Milan
1973 Wesele [The Wedding]: "Silver Shell" 21st IFF San Sebastian, 1973.
1975 Ziemia obiecana [The Promised Land]: Gold Medal, 9th MFF Moscow, 1975,
Grand Award "Lwy Gdanskie" , 1975; "Golden Hugo" 11th IFF Chicago, 1975; Grand Award "Golden Corn", 21st IFF Valladolid (Spain), 1977; 1st Prize at the 18th IFF in Cartagena (Columbia), 1977; Nomination for "Oscar", 1976.
1975 Order of the Banner of Labor , Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta;
1976 Smuga cienia [The Line of Shadow]: Main Award at 3rd PFFF Gdansk, 1976.
1977 Czlowiek z marmuru [The Man of Marble]: The Award of the Polish Federation of Film Discussion Clubs "Don Quixote"; Press Award, 4th PFFF Gdansk, 1977; FIPRESCI Award, 31st IFF Cannes, 1978; Main Award 9th FEST Belgrade, 1979, Special Award of the Jury, 20th IFF Cartagena, 1980;
1978 Order of Kirill and Methodus, Bulgaria;
1978 Bez znieczulenia [Rough Treatment]: Grand Prix, 5th PFFF Gdansk, 1978, Award of the Ecumenic Jury, 32nd IFF Cannes, 1979.
1979 Panny z Wilka [The Maids from Wilko]: Special Award of the Jury and prize for scenography, 6th PFFF Gdansk, 1979; Nomination for "Oscar", 1980.
1981 Czlowiek z zelaza [The Man of Iron]: Grand Prix "La Palme d'Or" and Award of the Ecumenic Jury, 34th IFF Cannes, 1981; British Film Critics' Award, IFF London, 1981; nominated for “Oscar.”
1982 Oficier, Legion d'Honneur ;
1983 Danton: "Cezar 83" Award of the French Academy of Film Art and Technology for the best film director in 1982; Louis Delluc Award and Unifrance Film Award, 1982; Pirandello Artistic Award, Italy, 1986; Kyoto Prize, Japan, 1987;
1990 "Feliks", European Film Awards-Lifetime Achievement Award 1995
Wielki Tydzien [The Holly Week]: Silver Bear, IFF, Berlin; 1997 Praemium Imperiale, Japan; 1998 Golden Lion on FF in Venice; "Orzel 2000" - Polish Independent Film & TV Producers Association Lifetime Achievement Award.
1995 Order of Rising Sun, Japan.
At the 2000 Academy Awards, Wajda was presented with an honorary Oscar for his numerous contributions to cinema; he subsequently donated the award to Kraków's Jagiellonian University.
In 2006, Wajda received an honorary Golden Bear for lifetime achievement at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Doctorates Honoris Causa. 1981 American Univ. Washington, 1988 Bologna, Italy 1989 Jagiellonian Univ. Cracow, Poland; 1995 Univ. Lyon, France; Univ. Brussels, Belgium
This article uses, among others, material from the Wikipedia article "Andrzej Wajda" licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. :
Wikipedia (also includes filmography)
Other sources:
Official website (speech at the Oscar ceremony)
Official website (autobiography)
Katyn
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