CYCLE: DIRECTOR

From 13.01. To 23.01.2023.

Portaits: Roman Polanski

Krzysztof Kieślowski

27.06.1941 - 13.03.1996

 

Director
Kieslowskiis one of the most famous Polish directors and screenwriters. He enrolled in the film academy in Łodz after a third try. He graduated in 1969 and afterwards made short documentaries such as From The City of Łodz (Z miasta Łodzi, 1969). He kept his documentarist approach in his later feature films. He made his short film Pedestrian Subway (Przejscie podziemne, 1974) for television, and afterwards made Personnel (Personel, 1976), The Scar (Blizna, 1976), which was his first feature film distributed in theaters, and Camera Buff (Amator, 1979). His film Blind Chance (Przypadek, 1981) was censored due to political controversy and was first shown in 1987. Kieslowski made the ambitious TV series Dekalog (1988 - 1989), consisting of ten episodes based on the Ten Commandments, and draw attention to his original work. Two episodes of this TV series were later extended to films, A Short FIlm About Love (Krótki film o milosci, 1988) and A Short FIlm About Killing (Krótki film o zabijaniu, 1988). Afterwards he made The Double Life of Veronique (La double vie de Véronique, 1991) in French-Polish production, as well as the trilogy Three Colors: Blue, White and Red (1993 - 1994).The three colors of the French flag represent and questions freedom, equality and unity. This trilogy won many international awards, such as the Golden Lion in Venice for Three Colors: Blue 1993 and Golden Bear in Berlin for Three Colors: White 1994.

Filmography

Filmography:

Three Colors: Red (Trois couleurs: Rouge, 1994)
Three Colors: White (Trzy kolory: Bialy, 1994)
Thre Colors: Blue (Trois couleurs: Bleu, 1993)
The Double Life of Veronique (La double vie de Véronique, 1991)
City Life (1990) (segment “Siedem dni w tygodniu”)
Dekalog, dziesiec (1989) (TV)
A Short Film About Love (Krótki film o milosci, 1988)
A Short Film About Killing (Krótki film o zabijaniu, 1988)
Dekalog, dziewiec (1988) (TV)
Dekalog, osiem (1988) (TV)
Dekalog, siedem (1988) (TV)
Dekalog, szesc (1988) (TV)
Dekalog, piec (1988) (TV)
Dekalog, cztery (1988) (TV)
Dekalog, trzy (1988) (TV)
Dekalog, dwa (1988) (TV)
Dekalog, jeden (1988) (TV)
Seven Days a Week (Siedem dni w tygodniu, 1988)
Blind Chance (Przypadek, 1981)
No End (Bez konca, 1985)
Short Working Day (Krótki dzien pracy, 1981) (TV)
The Calm (Spokój, 1980) (TV)
Railway Station (Dworzec, 1980)
Talking Heads (Gadajace glowy, 1980)
Camera Buff (Amator, 1979)
Seven Women of Different Ages (Siedem kobiet w róznym wieku, 1978)
Night Porter's Point of View (Z punktu widzenia nocnego portiera, 1977)
I Don't Know (Nie wiem, 1977)
The Scar (Blizna, 1976)
Personnel (Personel, 1976) (TV)
Slate (Klaps, 1976)
Hospital (Szpital, 1976)
Curriculum Vitae (Zyciorys, 1975)
Pedestrian Subway (Przejscie podziemne, 1974) (TV)
First Love (Pierwsza milosc, 1974) (TV)
X-Ray (Przeswietlenie, 1974)
Bricklayer (Murarz, 1973)
Between Wroclaw and Zielona Gora (Miedzy Wroclawiem a Zielona Gora, 1972)
The Principles of Safety and Hygiene in a Copper Mine (Podstawy BHP w kopalni miedzi, 1972)
Refrain (Refren, 1972)
Factory (Fabryka, 1971)
Before the Rally (Przed rajden, 1971)
Workers 1971 - Nothing About Us Without Us (Robotnicy 1971 - Nic o nas bez nas, 1971)
I Was a Soldier (Bylem zolnierzem, 1970)
The Photograph (Zdjecie, 1968) (TV)
From the City of Lodz (Z miasta Łodzi, 1969)
Concert of Requests (Koncert zyczen, 1967)
The Tram (Tramwaj, 1966)
The Office (Urzad, 1966)


Related texts

An artist on a theological mission with film

Krzysztof’s „cross“: Decalogue and Three Colours

Films by this director

Three colors: Blue

(Trois couleurs: bleu, France, Poland, Švicarska, 1993 | Mjesto prikazivanja filma: Centar za kulturu i informacije Maksimir (ul. Lavoslava Švarca 18))

Directed by: Krzysztof Kieślowski
PHOTOGRAPHY: Slawomir Idziak
Synopsis:

Julie is happily married to an esteemed composer, Patrice, with whom she has a daughter. The happiness disappears when Patrice and the little girl die in a car accident and Julie is severely hurt. Because of her pain, Julie is obsessed with committing a suicide. Instead, she decides to break all connection with her previous life – she puts her old mother in a retirement home, destroys all of the photographs that remind her of her lost happiness, burns all of Patrice’s scores, and mov...

color, 98'

Camera Buff

(Amator, Poland, 1979)

Directed by: Krzysztof Kieślowski
PHOTOGRAPHY: Jacek Petrycki
Synopsis:

Filip Mosz is a happily married factory worker. When his first child is born, he buys a recording camera in order to register his daughter’s growing up. Since he is the only one in his town with a camera, he becomes sort of a local official cameraman. At his boss’s request, he records a film about his factory and sends his film to regional film festivals. Soon, however, Filip’s new hobby causes problems in his personal and business life.

color, 112'

The Scar

(Blizna, Poland, 1976)

Directed by: Krzysztof Kieślowski
PHOTOGRAPHY: Sławomir Idziak
Synopsis:

The story takes place in 1970 when workers build a chemical factory. Stefan Bednarz, the man responsible for the building, earlier lived in the rural place that was chosen as the site of the new factory. As a member of the Party, he accepted this task hoping to ensure his former community a better future. However, his former neighbors do not want the new factory and rebel against it…

color, 106'

A Short Film About Love

(Krótki film o milosci, Poland, 1988)

Directed by: Krzysztof Kieślowski
PHOTOGRAPHY: Witold Adamek
Synopsis:

Tomek is a bashful nineteen-year-old in love with the thirty-year-old Magda who lives across the street. He often spies on her with his telescope and his naďve love soon starts to become an obsession. He finally gathers his courage and admits his love to her. However, she rejects him with her statement that she does not believe in love, only sex. Devastated, Tomek tries to kill himself and after that, their roles change.

color, 87'

A Short Film About Killing

(Krótki film o zabijaniu, Poland, 1988)

Directed by: Krzysztof Kieślowski
PHOTOGRAPHY: Sławomir Idziak
Synopsis:

Kieślowski won the jury’s award in Cannes in 1988 for this dark and violent film. It deals with the problems of murder and the (in)justice of the death penalty through the story of the twenty-year-old Jacek. He is a drifter with no perspective who, without an apparent motive, brutally kills an anonymous taxi driver. He is caught quickly and is sentenced to death. Just before the death sentence is carried out, we discover the reason for Jacek’s behavior.

color, 84'

Decalogue 1

(I Am the Lord Thy God, 1988)

Directed by: Krzysztof Kieślowski
PHOTOGRAPHY: Wieslaw Zdort
Synopsis:

“I Am the Lord Thy God and thou shalt not have other gods besides me” This is the first of the ten episodes of Krzysztof Kieślowski’s TV series. Each episode portrays one of the Ten Commandments. The TV series was made for Polish television from 1988 to 1989. In the first episode we follow the ten-year-old Pawel and his father Krzysztof whose lives are run by the house computer.

color, 53 min

Decalogue 2

(Thou Shalt Not Take the Name of Thy Lord God in Vain, 1988)

Directed by: Krzysztof Kieślowski
PHOTOGRAPHY: Edward Klosinski
Synopsis:

“Thou Shalt Not Take the Name of Thy Lord God in Vain” An older doctor finds himself in an awkward position when he has to counsel his pregnant patient. Her husband is very ill and it is not certain if he will survive. Even worse, the child is not his. The woman does not want to keep the child if there are good chances for her husband to survive and she asks the doctor to make a health prognosis for her husband. In that way the doctor has to decide about the baby’s life.

color, 57 min

Decalogue 3

(Honor the Sabbath Day, 1988)

Directed by: Krzysztof Kieślowski
PHOTOGRAPHY: Piotr Sobocinski
Synopsis:

“Honor the Sabbath Day” On Christmas Eve Ewa tricks her former lover and now married tram driver Janusza into spending the night with her instead of his family. While everybody else is at home with their families, Ewa and Janusz drive around Warsaw looking for Ewa’s allegedly vanished husband…

color, 56 min

Decalogue 4

(Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother, 1988)

Directed by: Krzysztof Kieślowski
PHOTOGRAPHY: Krzysztof Pakulski
Synopsis:

“Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long.” Acting student Anka and her father are very close. Their relationship is friendlier than is usually the case for a father and a daughter. They have lived together since Anka’s mother died. However, their close relationship is put to a test when Anka discovers an old letter from her mom that unveils old family secrets.

color, 55 min

Decalogue 5

(Thou Shalt Not Kill, 1988)

Directed by: Krzysztof Kieślowski
PHOTOGRAPHY: Slawomir Idziak
Synopsis:

“Thou Shalt Not Kill!” A young and seemingly psychotic drifter brutally kills a taxi driver without any apparent reason. Soon afterwards he gets arrested and is brought to court. Young Piotr is his defender and in spite of all his efforts, the murderer is sentenced to death. This episode of Decalogue questions the (un)justification of an (il)legal murder. Later Kieślowski turned this episode into a feature film under the title Kratki film o ubijanju (Krótki film o zabijaniu, 1988).

color, 57 min

Decalogue 6

(Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery, 1988)

Directed by: Krzysztof Kieślowski
PHOTOGRAPHY: Witold Adamek
Synopsis:

“Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery” Every morning a shy nineteen-year-old milk delivery boy secretly watches his promiscuous neighbor. He is in love with her and his interest in her borders on obsession. She discovers him… This episode was also later turned into a feature film under the title Kratki film o ljubavi (Krótki film o milosci, 1988).

color, 58 min

Decalogue 7

(Thou Shalt Not Steal, 1988)

Directed by: Krzysztof Kieślowski
PHOTOGRAPHY: Dariusz Kuc
Synopsis:

“Thou Shalt Not Steal” A woman named Mother kidnaps her own daughter, Ania, who she had given birth to when she was still very young. Ewa, Ania’s grandmother, in order to avoid a scandal, had adopted Ania and raised her as her own daughter. Ania believes that Mother is in fact her older sister. In a desperate attempt to build a real relationship with her daughter, Mother takes her to meet her father…

color, 55 min

Decalogue 8

(Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness, 1988)

Directed by: Krzysztof Kieślowski
PHOTOGRAPHY: Andrzej Jaroszewicz
Synopsis:

“Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness” Elzbieta returns to Warsaw from America in order to research the destiny of Jews who have survived the war. At a lecture about ethics she approaches the lecturer Zofia claiming that the two of them know each other from before. Elzbieta claims that when she was a little girl Zofia refused to help her and hide her from the Nazis. Zofia claims she had a good reason for such behavior…

color, 55 min

Decalogue 9

(Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor's Wife, 1988)

Directed by: Krzysztof Kieślowski
PHOTOGRAPHY: Piotr Sobocinski
Synopsis:

“Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor's Wife” This is a drama about a married couple that faces problems: the husband’s impotence and the wife’s infidelity. After Roman finds out that he is impotent he persuades Hanka to find a lover. She is reluctant but finally gives in. However, Roman soon becomes obsessively jealous and decides to kill himself. He is not aware that Hanka plans to break up with her lover.

color, 58 min

Decalogue 10

(Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor's Goods, 1989)

Directed by: Krzysztof Kieślowski
PHOTOGRAPHY: Jacek Blawut
Synopsis:

“Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor's Goods” Two brothers, Jerzy and Artur, meet at their brother’s funeral after a long period of separation. He left them a valuable philatelist collection. The two brothers think about selling the collection because they can both use the money. First they must find several stamps that are missing from their collection.

color, 57 min

Three Colors: White

(Trois couleurs: Blanc, France, Poland, Švicarska, 1994)

Directed by: Krzysztof Kieślowski
PHOTOGRAPHY: Edward Klosinski
Synopsis:

This is the second part of the trilogy Three Colors and it deals with the topic of equality. Karol is a Polish hairdresser who lives in France. He is married to the attractive Dominique whom he loves very much. However, Dominique wants a divorce and slowly but surely she destroys Karol’s life. She takes all of his possessions and Karol ends up as a beggar in the metro. Finally, as a stowaway in a suitcase he returns to Poland…

color, 92'

Three Colors: Red

(Trois couleurs: Rouge, France, Poland, Švicarska, 1994)

Directed by: Krzysztof Kieślowski
PHOTOGRAPHY: Piotr Sobocinski
Synopsis:

Valentine, a young student and model, meets a cynical retired judge who spends his life listening to other people’s phone conversations. The two of them become friends. The film follows a strange community: the relationship between Valentine and the judge and the relationship of Auguste and Karin, a couple that the judge is eavesdropping on…

color, 99'

Blind Chance

(Przypadek, Poland, 1987)

Directed by: Krzysztof Kieślowski
PHOTOGRAPHY: Krzysztof Pakulski
Synopsis:

Mladi Witek Dlugosz na željezničkoj postaji u Łódźu pokušava uloviti vlak za Varšavu. Witek trči za vlakom koji upravo polazi s postaje, a ovisno o tome uspije li stići na vlak i koga će u vlaku susresti, doživjet će tri različite sudbine. U prvoj od njih on će stići na vlak, upoznati starog staljinista i susresti bivšu djevojku koja je sad pripadnica ilegalnog antikomunističkog pokreta te se, nakon spašavanja demonstranata zarobljenih kao taoci, pridružiti par...

color, 114'

No End

(Bez konca, Poland, 1985)

Directed by: Krzysztof Kieślowski
PHOTOGRAPHY: Jacek Petrycki
Synopsis:

Nakon što joj premine suprug, odvjetnik Antek Zyro, prevoditeljica Urszula Zyro tuguje pokušavajući se kroz odnos sa sinom Jacekom i prevođenje Orwellove proze nositi s velikim gubitkom. Ubrzo joj se jave članovi obitelji posljednjeg klijenta pokojnog supruga, utamničenog organizatora štrajka Dareka Stacha, kojima trebaju pravni dokumenti i savjeti u vezi njegova slučaja. Antek je bio jedan od rijetkih odvjetnika spremnih u ozračju političke represije prihvatiti se političko...

color, 107'

The Double Life of Véronique

(La double vie de Véronique, France, Poland, Norway, 1991)

Directed by: Krzysztof Kieślowski
PHOTOGRAPHY: Slawomir Idziak
Synopsis:

Dok jedne večeri tijekom zime 1968. godine jednoj djevojčici u Poljskoj njezina majka pokazuje zvijezde na nebu, istodobno njezinoj vršnjakinji u Francuskoj zvijezde na nebeskom svodu pokazuje njezina majka. Godine 1990. Poljakinju Weroniku zatječemo kao ambicioznu sopranisticu u zboru, mladu ženu koja naporno radi i koja će, nedugo nakon što se ocu povjeri kako osjeća da nije sama, tijekom nastupa osjetiti snažnu bol u prsima i iznenada umrijeti. Istovremeno, njezina vršnja...

color, 98'

Short Working Day

(Krótki dzien pracy, Poland, 1981)

Directed by: Krzysztof Kieślowski
PHOTOGRAPHY: Krzysztof Pakulski
Synopsis:

Godine 1968. na studentskom prosvjedu jedan mladić se obraća okupljenima, osuđujući podstrekače koji agitiraju među studentima. Osam godina kasnije, tijekom serije prosvjeda u nekoliko poljskih gradova u lipnju 1976., taj mladić je prvi sekretar Poljske ujedinjene radničke partije u gradu Radomu, te se suočava s prosvjednicima koji se bune zbog poskupljenja hrane od čak 69 posto. Prosvjedi osobito u gradovima Radomu i Plocku rezultirati će premlaćivanjima i otpuštanjima tisuća radnika, a...

color, 73'

The Calm

(Spokój, Poland, 1980)

Directed by: Krzysztof Kieślowski
PHOTOGRAPHY: Jacek Petrycki
Synopsis:

Nakon odsluženja trogodišnje zatvorske kazne, mladi Poljak Antek Gralak želi okrenuti novi list u životu te početi mirnije i jednostavnije živjeti. Stoga odluči napustiti svoj rodni grad Kraków te sreću potražiti kao građevinski radnik u poljskom dijelu industrijske regije Šleska, gdje ga nitko ne poznaje. Ondje će ubrzo upoznati privlačnu Bozenu, u koju će se zaljubiti te naposljetku s njom i oženiti. No Antekovi snovi o boljoj budućnosti uz posao, suprugu i dom počet će se...

color, 81'

Personel

(Poland, 1975)

Directed by: Krzysztof Kieślowski
PHOTOGRAPHY: Witold Stok
Synopsis:

Mladi Romek Januchta osjećajan je i plah 19-godišnjak fasciniran čarolijom umjetničkog djela i njegovim stvaranjem. Nakon što se zaposli kao krojač u operi varšavskog kazališta, Romek će se za njega neočekivano suočiti sa stvarnim stanjem i odnosima koje vladaju iza kulisa raskošnih scenskih produkcija. U susretu s uskogrudnošću, zavišću, manjim i većim čarkama i sukobima među ljudima, osvetoljubivošću i korupcijom, Romekove će se iluzije u...

color, 67'
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