Born: June 17, 1939, Warsaw, Poland
Opinion of European Graduate School. Krzysztof Zanussi, Poland based filmmaker, writer and producer, is a major figure in European cinema.
Early days. Son of Jerzy and Jadwiga Zanussi. Zanussi studied physics at Warsaw University (Uniwersytet Warszawski) and philosophy at the Jagiellonian University (Uniwersytet Jagielloński) in Cracow. Graduated from Lodz Film Academy in 1966. His school diploma film 'Death of a Provincial' (Smierc prowincjala (1966)) won awards in Venice, Mannheim, Vallidolid and Moscow in 1967
Career. Krzysztof Zanussi has written On editing an amateur film (1968) , Discourse on an amateur film (1978) and the memoirs Time to Die (1997) . He appeared as himself in Camera Buff (1979) , a film about an amateur film maker, directed by his friend late Krzysztof Kieślowski . During the 1980s, he spent much of his time in the West. Among the films that he made during this time was a film entitled From A Far Country: Pope John Paul II (1981) about the life of Karol Wojtyła in the context of the complicated history of modern Poland. His 1989 film Inventory was entered into the 16th Moscow International Film Festival. From 1980 he is the director of the Polish Film Studio TOR. He is a professor of European film at the European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland where he conducts a summer workshop. He is also a professor at the Silesian University in Katowice. In 1990 he was elected the President of the European Federation of Audiovisual Producers (FERA). Zanussi is currently planning on directing an international production about the life and contributions of St. Hedwig of Poland, as well as a Polish-Ukrainian comedy. Major films: The Structure of Crystals, Family Life, Behind the Wall, The Illumination, The Contract, Quarterly Balance, Spiral, The Year of the Quiet Sun, Wherever You Are, Life for a Life, The Silent Touch, Camouflage, Weekend Stories, In Full Gallop (which he described his most autobiographical work), Our God's Brother, Life as a Fatal Sexually Transmitted Disease. Scriptwriter or co-writer of all of his TV and cinema films. Zanussi has also worked as stage and opera director in Poland, Germany, France, Russia, Italy and Switzerland. In April 2013, he began shooting a film The Foreign. He wrote a script for it. The film is coproduced by Italian Revolver, with Polish Tor Film and Russian Fora Film. The film's premiere is scheduled for 2014. Zanussi served at the head of TOR Film Studio in the eighties. When asked about his experience as a producer he said, "Despite the work of the censors the zespół [state-owned film company] system assured a partial autonomy to our cineastes during the Communist era".
Accusations. According to the records of Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) since 1962 to 1964 Zanussi was registered without his consent as a secret collaborator of communist Służba Bezpieczeństwa codename "Aktor". He had several conversations with communist secret service officers, however he never began to act as a secret collaborator. Zanussi talks openly about his contacts with SB but denies any wrongdoing. The archives of IPN confirm his words..
Awards and prizes. He received many prizes and awards, including: 1970 Best Screenplay Award at Mar del Plata Film Festival; 1971 Silver Hugo at Chicago International Film Festival; 1973 Golden Leopard Award at Locarno International Film Festival; 1977 Best Directing Prize at Tehran International Film Festival; 1978 Ecumenical Jury Prize; 1978 Critics Award at Rotterdam International Film Festival; 1980 Jury Prize at Cannes Film Festival; 1981 David di Donatello Prize (Italian Oscar) of the Accademia del Cinema Italiano; 1981 Special Award of New York Film Critics Circle shared with Andrzej Wajda; 1982 Catholic Film Center "La Novicella" Prize, Rome;1985 Ecumenical Jury Award at Montr�al World Film Festival ; 1990 Special Jury Prize at Strasbourg Film Festival (I); 1996 Special Jury Prize at Tokyo International Film Festival; 1997 member of the Papal Academy of Fine Arts and Literature; 1998 Zanussi�s Star was unveiled in the Alee of the Stars, Lodz (Poland); 1999 Cavalier's Cross of the Polonia Restituta Order; 2005 Lifetime Achievement Award at Yerevan International Film Festival; 2006 Officer�s Cross of the Order of Merit, Italy; numerous Polish film awards.
Honorary Doctorate in Sciences: 1998 � Institute of Film Art, Moscow; 2001 � National University of Theater and Film Art, Bucharest ; 2001 � European University, Minsk ; 2002 � New University of Bulgaria; 2004 � Catholic University of Valencia; 2004 � State University of TV and Film, Sankt Petersburg
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Published on 9/21/15
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