ZANUSSI, Krzysztof

Krzysztof ZanussiKrzysztof  Zanussi is a film director who studied physics at Warsaw University (1955-59) and philosophy at Jagiellonian University (1959-62). Taking an active part in the amateur film movement, he made 11 motion pictures, 9 of which gained various awards. Since 1980 he has been running the TOR Film Studio – initially as its artistic director, subsequently in charge of the entire unit. From 1971 to 1983 he was vice-chairman of the Polish Filmmakers Association, from 1975 to 77 – president of the Council of the Polish Federation of Film Discussion Clubs. In 1987 he became member of the Cinema Committee. 

Mr. Zanussi is also a theater director staging productions in Milan, Palermo, Bonn, Cracow, Bremen, Basel, Syracuse, Kiev, Novosibirsk and Rome – to mention some major ones. Among his many prestigious prizes and distinctions are: the David di Donatello Award, the Cavalier’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta, Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France), the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit to Lithuania, the Order of Jaroslav the Wise conferred by the President of Ukraine. 

He has authored the following books: On Editing an Amateur Film (Warsaw, 1968), Discussing Amateur Film (Warsaw, 1978), as well as four volumes of Film Scripts: Time to Die (Warsaw, 1999), Between a Funfair and Salon (Warsaw, 1999), Bigos Will Last in the European Family (Warsaw, 2003) and A Portrait of the Artist (Warsaw, 2008). In the years 1990-1994 he was president of the European Federation of Audiovisual Producers (FERA). He is a member of the Pontifical Commission of Culture at the Vatican and ex-president of the EUROVISIONI Association. 

Krzysztof Zanussi is also a member of the European Film Academy, the Polish Academy of Science, the PEN-Club, and the Polish Writers Association. He has an honorary doctorate of the All-Russian State Institute of Cinematography WGIK (Moscow), the National University of Drama and Film “I.L. Caragiale” (Bucharest), the European Humanities University (Minsk), the Bulgarian University (Sophia), the University of Film and Television (St. Petersburg), the Catholic University of Lublin, the Opole University, the Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno and is a recipient of the Luka Brajnovic Award (Navarre).

Krzysztof Zanussi has directed the following feature films: Struktura krysztalu / The Structure of Crystal (1969), Illuminacja (1973), Pittsville – Ein Safe voll Blut (1974), Bilans kwartalny (1975), Brigitte Horney (1977), Barwy ochronne (1977), Spirala (1978), Constans (1980), From a Far Country (1981), Imperativ (1982), Rok spokojnego slonca (1984), Paradigma (1985), Wygasle czasy (1987), Wherever You Are... (1988), Stan posiadania (1989), Zycie za zycie (1991), Lyuk (1991), Dotkniecie reki (1992), Cwal (1996), Our God's Brother (1997), Zycie jako smiertelna choroba przenoszona droga plciowa / Life As a Fatal Sexually Transmitted Disease (2000), Suplement (2002), Persona non grata (2005), Il sole nero (2007), Serce na dloni (2008), and Rewizyta (2009).

Mr. Zanussi has been invited to give lectures at numerous universities, including Columbia, Yale, Cambridge, Rice University (Houston), and also to teach master classes in London, Moscow, Beijing, Pune (India), Pusan (South Korea) and many Western European cities.