Krzysztof Zanussi - Biography

Krzysztof Zanussi (b. 1939 in Warsaw, Poland) is a renowned Polish filmmaker. He is a professor at the Silesian University (Katówice), and professor of European Film at the European Graduate School EGS. Krzysztof Zanussi runs the TOR Film Studios based in Poland.

Krzysztof Zanussi was educated in Poland at several of the most prestigious Polish universities; he studied philosophy at Jagiellonian University (Katówice), physics at Warsaw University, and took his degree in film direction at the Lodz Film School. He directed his first feature film, The Structure of Crystal, in 1969. Since then, he has directed many feature films, documentaries, and television features.

One of Krzysztof Zanussi's early successes was the film Illuminacja (1973). In this work, Krzysztof Zanussi integrated his knowledge of physics and philosophy into a story of the struggle to find meaning in a world which has become increasingly abstract and numerical, and in which the subject has become progressively alienated from her/his world. The film tells the story of Franciszek, who is split between the cold, analytical worldview of physical science and a more intimate relation to the world through a love affair with a young lady, Agnieszka. When Franciszek falls in love with Agnieszka, and the two decide to marry after it is discovered that she is pregnant, the tension between his two worlds threatens to pull him apart. The title of the film refers to the moment when the brain is able to see directly into the truth at a particular moment, an indication of the Enlightenment philosophy underlying the modern view of truth.

Krzysztof Zanussi's films have appeared internationally, and he has received many awards: the OCIC Award at the Berlin International Film Festival; the Jury Prize and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the Cannes Film Festival; the Silver Hugo Award at the Chicago International Film Festival; the David di Donatello Award; the FIPRESCI Prize and the Golden Leopard at the Locarno International Film Festival; and the Golden St. George Prize at the Moscow International Film Festival.

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).