Documentaries
POLISH LANDSCAPES (KRAJOBRAZY POLSKIE) – a series of seven short films on the subject of ecology, 35 min., 1993
Directed by Janusz Kubik, cinematography by Robert Baliński
A philosophical reflection on the Polish countryside, ravaged by industrial enterprise.
SIMON WIESENTHAL – 35 min., 1993
Directed by Bogdan Kowalik, cinematography by Jolanta Dylewska.
A portrait of Simon Wiesenthal, a man dedicated to hunting down Nazi criminals across the globe. Since the end of World War Two he has brought more than a thousand Nazis to trial, Adolf Eichmann among them.
Jury Award at the Cracow Film Festival in 1994.
THE AGE OF THE ATOM IN THE VILLAGE OF GRZMIACA (WIEK ATOMU WE WSI GRZMIĄCA) – 30 min., 1993
Directed by Leszek Baron, cinematography by Zbigniew Kotecki.
A film about the ecological threats created by the extraction of uranium in Lower Silesia.
Critics' award at the „Man in Danger” media festival in 1995.
CHRONICLE OF THE UPRISING IN WARSAW GHETTO ACCORDING TO MAREK EDELMAN (KRONIKA POWSTANIA W GETTCIE WARSZAWSKIM WG MARKA EDELMANA) – 75 min., 1993
Directed by Jolanta Dylewska, Bogdan Kowalik, cinematography by Jolanta Dylewska, score by Jan Kanty Pawluśkiewicz.
A subjective chronicle of the Uprising in the Warsaw Ghetto as seen through the eyes of the leader of the Jewish Combat Organisation, dr. Marek Edelman.
Awards:
1994 - San Francisco „Golden Gate” for historical documentary
1994 - Gyor (MFF Mediawave)- for best documentary
1994 - Lipsk (MFF) – Ecumenical Jury award
1994 - Lipsk (MFF) – Don Quijote Award
1995 – Munich (International Documentary Festival) - Grand Prix
THE STONE (KAMYK) – 40 min., 1993
Directed by Andrzej Bednarek, cinematography by Janusz Tylman
The story of Aleksander Kamiński, the founder of the 'Grey Ranks' scout combat organisation and the author of the book „Stones for the Rampart” (Kamienie na szaniec).
STATE OF WEIGHTLESSNESS (STAN NIEWAŻKOŚCI) – 60 min., 1994
Directed by Maciej Drygas, cinematography by Andrzej Musiał, Stanisław Śliskowski,
A philosophical essay about Man's constant quest for transcendescence and the price he must pay for the fulfilment of his dream. The film speaks of the first attempts at space exploration and makes use of the vast film archives of the Soviet space programme.
Awards:
1994 - Prix Italia
1995 - Monte Carlo (MFFTv) - Grand Prix
1995 - Prix Europa in Marseille
MY ARCHAEOLOGY (MOJA ARCHEOLOGIA) – 45 min, 1995
Directed by Michał Nekanda-Trepka, Lechosław Czołnowski, cinematography by Jacek Knop.
A film about the Polish field of archaeology and the late eminent Polish archaeologist Konrad Jażdżewski who specialised in the early history of Central Europe and the dawn of Poland itself.
A STUDY OF S, PAINTER (STUDIUM MALARZA S) – 30 min, 1994r.
Directed by Przemysław Młyńczyk, cinematography by Andrzej Musiał.
A biography of the Polish painter Władysław Ślewiński who lived and worked in XXth century Normandy.
THE RAFT OF CULTURE (TRATWA KULTURY) – three-part film, 148 min. 1996
Episodes: „The Emissaries”, „The Line”, „The Mission”
Directed by Adam Kuczyński, cinematography by Andrzej Musiał
A film about the influence of the „Kultura” Polish émigré literary-political journal on Polish intelligentsia. This three-part work is a hommage to its publisher Jerzy Giedroyc, whose involvement made possible the founding of the Literary Institute and whose hard work ensured its existence for many years.
The camera records opinions on the role of the journal and Giedroyc's own position and behaviour as expressed by the following: Zbigniew Florczak, Jan Olszewski, Jerzy Turowicz, Jacek Woźniakowski, Andrzej Micewski, Włodzimierz Bolecki, Mirosław Chojecki, Antoni Macierewicz, Czesław Miłosz, Leszek Kołakowski, Andrzej Drawicz, Andrzej Friszke, Marek Nowakowski, Leopold Unger, Aleksander Smolar, Seweryn Blumsztajn, Maciej Kozłowski, Jerzy Turowicz, Jerzy Łukaszewski, Zdzisław Najder, Roman Polański, Bernard Nowak, Czesław Bielecki, Jerzy Kisielewski, Kazimierz Orłoś, Marek Krawczyk, Wojciech Skolmowski, Grzegorz Boguta, Jarosław Abramow, Tomasz Jastrun, Jakub Karpiński, Olga Scherer, as well as Zofia Hertz, Gustaw Herling-Grudziński and the Russian immigrant publicist Natalia Gorbaniewska.
THE FILM SCHOOL (FILMÓWKA) – television series- 11 episodes. - 218 min. 1996
Directed by Andrzej Bednarek, cinematography by Tomasz Filipczak
A series about the Polish National Film School in Łódź- its post-war history and how it tied into the country's situation. A group portrait of the faculty and alumni who formed the school legend.
Episodes:
- ”Searching for a place”,
- „The beginning”,
- „A familiar circle”,
- „The first etudes,
- „A little bit of freedom”,
- „The secrets of cinema”,
- „And then it was 1968”,
- „In the shadow of politics,
- „Cinematographer's workshop”,
- „On strike”,
- „What can Film School offer you”
ICH BIN EIN DANZIGER – 44 min. 1996
Directed by Andrzej Mellin, cinematography by Katarzyna Remin.
A film about the German minority living in the Tri-City.
Critics' award at the film festival in Tallin – Estonia.
A GAME WITH THE WiN (GRA Z WiNEM)– 45 min. 1996
Directed by Leszek Baron, cinematography by Stefan Czyżewski, Tomasz Filipczak
The story of one of the greatest provocations of the anti-communist underground of the People's Republic of Poland: the Freedom and Independence Organisation (WiN).
A POLISH SCHOOL OF CINEMA (SZKOŁA POLSKA) – feature length 93 min., 1997
Directed by Władysław Wasilewski, cinematography by Tomasz Filipczak
The film presents the achievements of Polish cinema and its authors through the use of archive footage.
A DREAM FROM A DREAM (ZE SNU SEN) – 1998, 45 min.
Directed by Adam Kuczyński, cinematography by Zbigniew Wichłacz
A film portrait of one of the finest and most interesting Polish directors, the long-time Rector of the Polish National Film School in Łódź, professor Wojciech Jerzy Has. The picture brings together three excellent actors, stars from the professor's films: Barbara Krafftówna, Gustaw Holoubek and Jan Nowicki, joined also by the set designer Jerzy Skarżynski. Their comments are illustrated with fragments of the professor's work, while the writer Piotr Wojciechowski becomes the film's cicerone, guiding us through the oniric world of „the poet of time, passing, and death.” The subject himself also appears on screen, briefly and silently.
Feature films
ACROSS THE LAKE (POPRZEZ JEZIORO) - 1997, 90 min., co-production with Macedonia
Directed by Antonio Mitrikeski, cinematography by Bartłomiej Maj, music by Georghe Zamfir,
Main cast: Agnieszka Wagner (Poland), Nikola Ristanovski (Macedonia)
The film is based on real events which took place in Macedonia and Albania between 1947 and 1992. It tells of the dramatic emotional conflict between Konstantyn and Elena, a couple living on opposite sides of the Macedonian-Albanian border, their love dating back to when the boundary could still be freely crossed. The film speaks of humans suffering from nostalgia, a longing for their homeland and the cruel indifference of the political system.
The film was shown at festivals in the following places: Montreal, Toronto, Bitoli (Audience Award) Cottbus, Saloniki, Cairo, Gdynia, Sarayevo (Critics' Award), Singapore, Stockholm, New York.
Television programmes from 1995 to 2007:
- Between 1995 and 1998 the Studio produced around 170 episodes of Marek Markiewicz's programme „THE ART OF INFORMATION„ (SZTUKA INFORMACJI) for the Polsat television channel. The show featured a set cast of commentators: Władysław Wasilewski, Marek Ostrowski, Bernard Margueritte, Lech Dymarski, Maciej Iłowiecki, as well as a variety of guests representing the world of culture, politics and media: Andrzej Wajda, Krzysztof Zanussi, Andrzej Stelmachowski, Jacek Kuroń, Kazimierz Kutz, Adam Strzembosz, Jan Olszewski, Andrzej Szczypiorski, Jerzy Buzek, Andrzej Zoll, bishop Tadeusz Pieronek, bishop Sławoj Leszek Głódź, Józef Oleksy, Stefan Niesiołowski, Marian Krzaklewski, Czesław Bielecki, Andrzej Brzozowski, Michał Kulesza, and many others.
- In 1998 the show was renamed „Boomerang” (BUMERANG) and was rescripted to suit the needs of the first virtual studio in Poland. In this new form it featured the following regulars: its author Marek Markiewicz, Maciej Iłowiecki, Andrzej Urbańczyk, Dariusz Szymczycha as well as Tomasz Wróblewski, Michał Karnowski, Maciej Rybiński, and the journalist Małgorzata Ziętkiewicz who provided the programme with original footage.
The show continued in this form until October 2007, and a total of 445 episodes were produced. - In the years 1997-1998 a series of over 200 episodes was produced, touching on the subjects of ecology and nature. It was titled „The Brotherhood of the White Eagle” (BRACTWO BIAŁEGO ORŁA) and was aimed at children and teenagers. Its total running time amounted to 60 hours.
