Krzysztof Zanussi

Krzysztof Pius Zanussi, Polish-born film director (Warsaw, June 17, 1939). He is a professor at the Silesian University in Katowice, Poland.

Trajectory

Krzysztof Zanussi is a physicist and philosopher working in the world of cinema, primarily as a director and producer. During his career, he has raised transcendental questions that are expressed through a reflective and personal cinema, internationally recognized since the 80s.

This Polish director combines creative work -he has not only been a producer, screenwriter and film director, but also a theater and opera director- with a deep concern for transmitting values that go against the current through his work, confronting the principles that govern the official culture.

Zanussi, who was born in Warsaw months before the German invasion in 1939, began his cinematographic work during the fifties, at the Amateur Film Club of the University of Warsaw, although it was not until 1966 when he directed his debut feature, the final project The death of a provincial , which won the Silver Lion at the Venice International Film Festival.

From this first film, the Polish filmmaker, who has developed his career in Poland and abroad, begins a creative work that has led him to participate in nearly fifty titles. Zanussi has not disdained any format during his forty years of work and has captured his ideas on the big screen and television, in fiction films and in documentaries.

A filmic world of your own

After his debut with The Structure of Crystal (1969), he became famous throughout the world with From a Far Country (1981), "Brother of our God" (1996), "Life as a sexually transmitted disease" (2000) and "The Black Sun" (2007).

Zanussi's films have a common hallmark: a clear concern, always present, for social issues and the relationship between thought and man. Regarding the narrative of this creator, the ascetic use of cameras stands out, the preference of ideas over passion and the presence of characters with an interest in philosophical issues, as well as the use of recurring symbolic elements such as the sun and mountaineering.

His clear defense of the values of Catholicism has been another of the hallmarks of the filmmaker, situated within the 'third generation' movement of Polish cinema. During the communist regime he founded the movement of the 'film of moral concern', together with filmmakers such as Andrzej Wajda and Edward Żebrowski. Zanussi acknowledged in an interview that his link to the Catholic Church has made his work difficult, although he has never wanted to talk about persecution of his work.

Krzysztof Zanussi, a lover of the work of Carl Theodor Dreyer and Ingmar Bergman and a disciple of Munk, has held the position of vice-president of the Association of Polish Filmmakers, from 1974 to 1981, and has chaired the FERA (European Federation of Filmmakers audiovisual). Since 1979 he has directed the TOR Film Studio, producer of major titles, among which the trilogy 'Three Colors: Blue' stands out. White. Red ’, from his friend Krzysztof Kieślowski.

In recent years, his dedication to cinema has been added to his work as a professor, since 1992, at the University of Silesia (Katowice), a columnist for the Polish weekly 'Polityka' and his membership of the Pontifical Council for Culture in the Holy thirst.

According to data kept at the Institute of National Memory, from 1962 to 1964 he was registered as a secret collaborator with the communist code name Służba Bezpieczeństwa. He held talks with officials; however, he never acted as a secret collaborator.

Filmography

• The structure of the glass (Struktura kryształu), 1969.
• Family life (Życie rodzinne), 1971.
• Za ścianą film TV (1971)
• Illuminacja (1973)
• Barwy ochronne (1976)
• House of women. Adaptation of a drama by Zofia Nałkowska, 1977.
• Breathe. (1978)
• Wege in der Nacht (1978)
• Kontrakt (1980)
• Constans (1980)
• From a distant country (1981)
• Imperative (Imperativ) (1982)
• The year of the quiet sun (Rok spokojnego słońca(1984)
• Blaubart (1984)
• Le pouvoir du Mal - Paradigme (1985)
• Wherever You Are (1988)
• Stan posiadania (1989)
• Leben für Leben - Maximilan Kolbe (1991)
• The Silent Touch (Dotknięcie ręki(1992)
• Weekend Stories
• In Full Gallop (Cwał(1995)
• Our God's Brother (1996)
• Life as a sexually transmitted disease (2000)
• Supplement (2001)
• Sesja Kastingowa (2002)
• Person non grata (2005)
• Il sole nero (2007)
• Serce na dłoni (2008)
• Revisited (Rewizyta) (2009)
• Inner voices (2010)
• Foreign body (2014)
• Ether (2019)

Awards and distinctions

Venice International Film Festival