National Film School in Lódz
Encyclopedia
Leon Schiller
Leon Schiller de Schildenfeld was a Polish theater and film director, critic and theoretician. He was also a composer and wrote theater and radio screenplays....
National Higher School of Film, Television and Theatre in Łódź (Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Filmowa, Telewizyjna i Teatralna im. Leona Schillera w Łodzi) is the most notable academy for future actors, directors, photographers, camera operators and TV staff in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. It was founded on March 8, 1948 in Łódź and was initially planned to be moved to Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
as soon as the city was rebuilt after its destruction during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the Warsaw Uprising
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army , to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces...
. However, in the end the school remained in Łódź and is one of the best-known institutions of higher education in the city.
History
Until 1958 the school existed as two completely different schools: one for actors and the other for filmmakers. The schools and the Polish cinema industry were moved from Warsaw to the nearby city of Łódź after World War II. This move was initially seen as a temporary measure, thus the name of the actors' school was The National Higher School of Theatre in Warsaw with seat in Łódź. Its creator and the first rectorRector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
was the renowned Polish actor Leon Schiller
Leon Schiller
Leon Schiller de Schildenfeld was a Polish theater and film director, critic and theoretician. He was also a composer and wrote theater and radio screenplays....
, current namesake of the school. In 1949 it was divided into two branches; one actually moved to Warsaw and the other one remained in Łódź under the directorship of Kazimierz Dejmek
Kazimierz Dejmek
Kazimierz Dejmek was a Polish actor, theatre and film director, and politician. During his career he managed the Teatr Nowy in Łódź , the National Theatre, Warsaw, and the Teatr Polski, Warsaw. From 1993 to 1996 he served as Poland's Minister of Culture...
(since 1950).
The years leading up to the merger in 1958 were those in which notable artists of the Polish Film School
Polish Film School
Polish Film School refers to an informal group of Polish film directors and screenplay writers active between 1955 and approximately 1963.The group was under heavy influence of Italian neorealists. It took advantage of the liberal changes in Poland after the 1956 to portray the complexity of...
increased its popularity and created the reputation of the Łódź Film School as the most liberal and least Communist institution of higher education in Poland. Among the most notable alumni of that period were Andrzej Munk, Janusz Morgenstern
Janusz Morgenstern
Janusz "Kuba" Morgenstern was a Polish film director and producer.Janusz Morgenstern was born in 1922 to a Jewish family in the village of Mikulińce near Tarnopol , to Dawid Morgenstern and Estera .He debuted as a director with the film Goodbye, See You Tomorrow...
, Andrzej Wajda
Andrzej Wajda
Andrzej Wajda is a Polish film director. Recipient of an honorary Oscar, he is possibly the most prominent member of the unofficial "Polish Film School"...
and Kazimierz Kutz
Kazimierz Kutz
Kazimierz Julian Kutz is a Polish film director, author, journalist and politician, one of the representatives of the Polish Film School and a deputy speaker of the Senate of Poland.- Biography :...
. In 1954 they were joined by Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski is a French-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."...
.
After 1958 the school became one of the most notable cultural think-tanks of Poland, with many outsiders and artists not supported by the Communist authorities joining it. Various discussion clubs and relative liberty of speech promoted by the new rector, Jerzy Toeplitz
Jerzy Toeplitz
Jerzy Toeplitz AO was born in 1909 in Kharkiv . He was educated in Warsaw. After World War II he was the co-founder of the Polish Film School, and later took up an appointment in Australia for the Film and TV School.Between 1948 and 1972 he was Vice-President of the International Film and...
, added to its value. For instance, two of the students of the university (Jerzy Matuszkiewicz
Jerzy Matuszkiewicz
Jerzy Matuszkiewicz is a Polish jazz musician and composer. He was a pioneer of the post-WWII jazz movement in Poland. Between 1950-58 he was head of the well-known Polish jazz group, Melomani. Throughout 1964 he performed both inside and outside of Poland. In 1965 he began to mainly produce music...
and Witold Sobociński
Witold Sobocinski
Witold Sobocinski is a Polish cinematographer, academic teacher as well as former jazz musician...
) became the first jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musicians in Poland after WWII to be allowed by the authorities to organize a concert.
After the events of March 1968, the period of liberty came to an end. Toeplitz was fired, as were most of the tutors. However, with the advent of Edward Gierek
Edward Gierek
Edward Gierek was a Polish communist politician.He was born in Porąbka, outside of Sosnowiec. He lost his father to a mining accident in a pit at the age of four. His mother married again and emigrated to northern France, where he was raised. He joined the French Communist Party in 1931 and was...
and his regime, the school once again started to bloom.
The School has three Oscar-winning alumni: Roman Polanski, Andrzej Wajda and Zbigniew Rybczyński.
Directors
- Feliks FalkFeliks FalkFeliks Falk is a Polish movie and theater director as well as writer of film scripts, stage plays, television plays, and radio shows. A 1966 graduate of Warsaw's Academy of Fine Arts, he also is a painter and graphic artist...
- Kazimierz KarabaszKazimierz KarabaszKazimierz Karabasz is a Polish documentary filmmaker.Although his work is now rarely seen, his most famous film, a 10-minute documentary short entitled Muzykanci, can be found as an extra on the Criterion Collection edition of Krzysztof Kieslowski's film The Double Life of Véronique...
- Dorota KędzierzawskaDorota KedzierzawskaDorota Kędzierzawska is a Polish director of feature and documentary films.Kędzierzawska graduated from the National Film School in Łódź in 1981 but prior to that had completed a course in cultural studies at the University of Łódź and studied film directing in Moscow for two years.Kędzierzawska...
- Krzysztof KieślowskiKrzysztof KieslowskiKrzysztof Kieślowski was an Academy Award nominated influential Polish film director and screenwriter, known internationally for The Double Life of Veronique and his film cycles The Decalogue and Three Colors.-Early life:...
, nominated for an Academy Award - Kazimierz KutzKazimierz KutzKazimierz Julian Kutz is a Polish film director, author, journalist and politician, one of the representatives of the Polish Film School and a deputy speaker of the Senate of Poland.- Biography :...
- Jan MachulskiJan MachulskiJan Machulski was a Polish theater director, as well as a film and theatrical actor. He appeared in more than 45 film roles and 70 theater roles throughout his career.-Personal life:...
- Juliusz MachulskiJuliusz MachulskiJuliusz Machulski is a Polish film director and screenplay writer. Son of noted actor Jan Machulski, Juliusz became notable for his comedies ridiculing the life in communist-ruled Poland of 1970s and 1980s....
- Andrzej Munk
- Władysław Pasikowski
- Marek PiwowskiMarek PiwowskiMarek Piwowski – Polish director and scenarist.-Filmography:* Rejs – 1970* Korkociąg - 1972* Przepraszam, czy tu biją? – 1976* Uprowadzenie Agaty – 1993* Oskar – 2005-Awards:...
- Roman PolanskiRoman PolanskiRoman Polanski is a French-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."...
, Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe and Palme d'OrPalme d'OrThe Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is presented to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to 1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du...
winner - Jerzy SkolimowskiJerzy SkolimowskiJerzy Skolimowski is a Polish film director, screenwriter, dramatist and actor. A graduate of the prestigious National Film School in Łódź, Skolimowski has directed more than twenty films since his 1960 début Oko wykol...
- Piotr SzulkinPiotr SzulkinPiotr Szulkin is a Polish film director. He directed over 30 movies and received about 50 awards, Polish and international, including Best science-fiction Film Director at Eurocon, 1984...
- Piotr TrzaskalskiPiotr TrzaskalskiPiotr Trzaskalski is a Polish film director. He attended the National Film School in Łódź. He is probably best known for his film Edi , which won several awards at the Berlin International Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, and also won the special Audience Award at the 2003 Polish Film Awards...
- Andrzej WajdaAndrzej WajdaAndrzej Wajda is a Polish film director. Recipient of an honorary Oscar, he is possibly the most prominent member of the unofficial "Polish Film School"...
, Academy Award and BAFTA Award and Palme d'OrPalme d'OrThe Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is presented to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to 1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du...
winner - Maciej WojtyszkoMaciej Wojtyszko- Biography :Maciej Wojtyszko graduated from the Liceum Technik Teatralnych in Warsaw in 1965. After having studied Philosophy at the University of Warsaw, he went to the National Film School in Łódź, where he graduated as a director in 1973....
- Krzysztof ZanussiKrzysztof ZanussiKrzysztof Zanussi, is a Polish producer and film director.He is a professor of European film at the European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland where he conducts a summer workshop...
- Emily YoungEmily Young (film director)Emily Young is an award-winning English film director and screenwriter. Her film Veronika Decides to Die, an adaptation of the book by Paulo Coelho and starring Sarah Michelle Gellar was released in 2009.-Early life:...
, BAFTA Award winner - Maria SadowskaMaria SadowskaMaria Sadowska , also credited as Marysia Sadowska or simply as Marysia, is a Polish pop singer, music producer and screenwriter.-Early life:...
Cinematographers
- Paweł Edelman, nominated for an Academy Award and BAFTA Award
- Sławomir Idziak, nominated for an Academy Award
- Edward Kłosiński
- Jan Jakub KolskiJan Jakub KolskiJan Jakub Kolski is a Polish film director, cinematographer, and writer.-Early life and career:Kolski comes from a family closely connected to cinema. His father, Roman Kolski, and his sister, Ewa Pakulska were film editors. His brother, Włodzimierz Kolski, is a production manager. His paternal...
- Krzysztof PtakKrzysztof PtakKrzysztof Ptak is a Polish cinematographer and university lecturer.He graduated from the National Film School in Łódź in 1980 and began his film career by making documentaries...
- Zbigniew RybczyńskiZbigniew RybczynskiZbigniew Rybczyński is a Polish filmmaker who has won numerous prestigious industry awards both in the United States and internationally. He was also a teacher of cinematography, and digital cinematography. Currently he is a researcher of blue and greenscreen compositing technology at Ultimatte...
, Academy Award winner - Przemysław Skwirczyński
- Piotr SobocińskiPiotr SobocinskiPiotr Sobociński was one of the most respected cinematographers ever to come from Poland, picking up where his father, legendary Polish cinematographer, Witold Sobociński, left off. He was nominated for Academy Award for Best Cinematography for Three Colours: Red in 1994.-Early life:Born in 1958,...
, nominated for an Academy Award - Witold SobocińskiWitold SobocinskiWitold Sobocinski is a Polish cinematographer, academic teacher as well as former jazz musician...
- Dariusz WolskiDariusz WolskiDariusz Adam Wolski is a Polish-born film and music video cinematographer. He is best known for his work as cinematographer on the Pirates of the Caribbean film series and on Alex Proyas' cult classics The Crow and Dark City. Many of his collaborations include working with film directors like Tony...
Actors
- Szymon BobrowskiSzymon BobrowskiSzymon Bobrowski is a Polish actor.Acted in tens of cinema and TV films, as well as theatre plays.-Filmography:*Magda M.*Hania*S@motność w sieci*Na dobre i na złe*Operacja "Koza"*Serce na dłoni*Złoty środek...
- Barbara BrylskaBarbara BrylskaBarbara Brylska is a native Polish actress who also was featured in numerous films throughout the countries of the Warsaw Pact including the Soviet Union. She is noted especially for her role as Nadya in the 1975 Soviet comedy film Irony of Fate.-Biography:Barbara Brylska was born on June 5, 1941,...
- Małgorzata Foremniak
- Janusz GajosJanusz GajosJanusz Gajos is a Polish actor.He graduated in 1965 from the National Film School in Łódź as one of its best students despite having been rejected during entrance exams for three times. He debuted while he was still in film school in children's film Panienka z okienka in 1964...
- Tomasz KoniecznyTomasz KoniecznyTomasz Konieczny is a Polish-born bass-baritone.-Life and work:Tomasz Konieczny, was born on 10 January 1972 in Łódź, Poland. He commenced his studies as an actor at the Film, TV and Theatre Academy in Łódź...
- Jerzy MatuszkiewiczJerzy MatuszkiewiczJerzy Matuszkiewicz is a Polish jazz musician and composer. He was a pioneer of the post-WWII jazz movement in Poland. Between 1950-58 he was head of the well-known Polish jazz group, Melomani. Throughout 1964 he performed both inside and outside of Poland. In 1965 he began to mainly produce music...
(jazz musician) - Cezary PazuraCezary PazuraCezary Pazura is a popular Polish actor known for his comedy roles in movies such as Kiler, Chłopaki nie płaczą, Kariera Nikosia Dyzmy and a sitcom 13 posterunek....
- Beata PozniakBeata PozniakBeata Poźniak is a Polish-American actress, film director, painter, fashion model and activist who is now based out of the United States.-Biography:...
- Pola RaksaPola RaksaPola Raksa is a Polish movie star, singer, model was especially popular in Poland and abroad in the 1960s and 1970s.The daughter of Edward Raksa, Pola was born at Szeroka street in Lida on April 14, 1941...
- Zbigniew ZamachowskiZbigniew ZamachowskiZbigniew Zamachowski is a Polish actor.Zamachowski graduated the actor's faculty in "PWSFTViT" in Łódź. He began his acting career in 1981 and in 1989 had a co-starring role in Part Ten of director Krzysztof Kieślowski's film series, The Decalogue...