Jan Jakub Kolski
Encyclopedia
Jan Jakub Kolski is a Polish
film director
, cinematographer
, and writer
.
and Łódź. Those years became the inspiration for his later films. During the late 1970s, he worked his way through the ranks at a TV station in his home town, ending up as chief director of photography. He then studied cinematography
at the famous Film School in Łódź, where he now runs a screenplay workshop. In 2007 he gained his doctoral degree in film art. He's also a lecturer at Andrzej Wajda
Master School of Film Directing.
, which earned him a nickname 'The Stuntman of the Polish cinematography'. More recently, Kolski created three film diaries: Zobaczyc jak najwiecej (To see everything), Gdzie jestes Paititi? (Where are you, Paititi?) and Między rajem a ziemią (Between Paradise and Earth) during his journeys to Asia and South America.
Kolski's first feature, Pogrzeb kartofla (The Burial of a Potato), was shot in Popielawy in 1990, and was based on a real story of Kolski's maternal grandfather, Jakub Szewczyk. In that movie, as well as in his subsequent films, Kolski employed his own vision of the world enriched with magic, and is considered to be the founder of the 'magical realism' trend in Polish film making. Since then, Kolski has made many more films, most of them located in the same village or mythical countryside. Among those films are: Pograbek (A Knacker); Magneto; Jańcio Wodnik (Johnnie Aquarius aka Johnnie Waterman); Cudowne miejsce (A Miraculous Place); Grający z talerza (Playing from the Plate); Szabla od komendanta (The Commander's Sword aka Legacy of Steel); and Historia kina w Popielawach (The History of Cinema in Popielawy), which were all based on Kolski's own script.
Daleko od okna (Keep Away from the Window), made in 2000, opened a new chapter in Kolski's filmography. The screenplay by Cezary Harasimowicz was based on a real life story written by Hanna Krall
, famous for writing about the Holocaust. His next work, Pornografia
(Pornography) was in turn based on the novel with the same title
by Witold Gombrowicz
. The next two Jasminum and Afonia i pszczoły (Afonia and Honeybees) were based on his own original screenplays, whereas Wenecja (Venice), his latest movie, is based on a short story by Włodzimierz Odojewski.
Kolski continued to work with television, and many of his films and other works were made for the medium. He wrote several plays for television, including Bajka o bardzo lekkim chlebie (A Fable of the Very Light Bread), Skrzypki (The Fiddles), Noga dla Józefa (A Leg for Jozef), and Kamera marzen (The Dream Camera), which were primarily addressed to children. Others, such as Wyspa róż (The Rose Island) and Diabeł przewrotny (Again the Devil), were Kolski's adaptations of original plays. Kolski also directed several commercials, video clips, and one television series, Małopole, czyli świat (Malopole, or the World), in which he returns to the life in the countryside.
Kolski's literary output includes short stories collected in two books - Jańcio Wodnik i inne nowele (Johnnie Aquarius and Other Stories), and Mikroświaty (Microworlds); a novel, Kulka z chleba (A Bread Pellet); and a book for children, Jadzia i małoludki (Jadzia and The Little People).
Kolski has won many awards in Poland and abroad. Among his major international successes is the Special Award at The Film Festival in Tokyo in 1995 for his Grający z talerza (Playing from the Plate). In 2000, he also became a member of the European Film Academy.
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...
film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, cinematographer
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
, and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
.
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 grandfather was a film producer. Kolski's wife, Grażyna Błęcka-Kolska is an actress. From age eleven until age fourteen, Kolski lived in a small village, Popielawy, near Tomaszów MazowieckiTomaszów Mazowiecki
Tomaszów Mazowiecki is a town in central Poland with 67,159 inhabitants . Situated in the Łódź Voivodeship , it was previously part of Piotrków Trybunalski Voivodeship...
and Łódź. Those years became the inspiration for his later films. During the late 1970s, he worked his way through the ranks at a TV station in his home town, ending up as chief director of photography. He then studied cinematography
Cinematography
Cinematography is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography...
at the famous Film School in Łódź, where he now runs a screenplay workshop. In 2007 he gained his doctoral degree in film art. He's also a lecturer at 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"...
Master School of Film Directing.
Works
During the 1980s, Kolski made about twenty short films, including Umieranko (A Little Dying); Najpiękniejsza jaskinia świata (The Most Beautiful Cave in the World); Mały dekalog (The Little Ten Commandments), Nie zasmucę serca twego (I Won't Make You Sad), Jak mnie kochasz (How Do You Love Me?), Szkoła przetrwania (The Survival School), Pałkiewicz ma rację (Palkiewicz Is Right), Słowiański świt (The Dawn of the Slavonic Tribes), Ładny dzień (A Nice Day), Idź (Walk). The shorts won many awards in Poland. Many of Kolski's short films documented his passion for mountain climbing and speleologySpeleology
Speleology is the scientific study of caves and other karst features, their make-up, structure, physical properties, history, life forms, and the processes by which they form and change over time...
, which earned him a nickname 'The Stuntman of the Polish cinematography'. More recently, Kolski created three film diaries: Zobaczyc jak najwiecej (To see everything), Gdzie jestes Paititi? (Where are you, Paititi?) and Między rajem a ziemią (Between Paradise and Earth) during his journeys to Asia and South America.
Kolski's first feature, Pogrzeb kartofla (The Burial of a Potato), was shot in Popielawy in 1990, and was based on a real story of Kolski's maternal grandfather, Jakub Szewczyk. In that movie, as well as in his subsequent films, Kolski employed his own vision of the world enriched with magic, and is considered to be the founder of the 'magical realism' trend in Polish film making. Since then, Kolski has made many more films, most of them located in the same village or mythical countryside. Among those films are: Pograbek (A Knacker); Magneto; Jańcio Wodnik (Johnnie Aquarius aka Johnnie Waterman); Cudowne miejsce (A Miraculous Place); Grający z talerza (Playing from the Plate); Szabla od komendanta (The Commander's Sword aka Legacy of Steel); and Historia kina w Popielawach (The History of Cinema in Popielawy), which were all based on Kolski's own script.
Daleko od okna (Keep Away from the Window), made in 2000, opened a new chapter in Kolski's filmography. The screenplay by Cezary Harasimowicz was based on a real life story written by Hanna Krall
Hanna Krall
Hanna Krall is a Polish writer.-Childhood:Krall is of Jewish origin. During World War II she lost some of her close relatives. She survived the war only because she was hidden from the Nazis.-Journalism:...
, famous for writing about the Holocaust. His next work, Pornografia
Pornografia (film)
Pornografia is the name of a number of films, with the 2003 version being the best known one. In 1992, a short film with the same name was made in Brazil. The 2003 version was a collaboration of the Polish and French film industries.-2003 version:...
(Pornography) was in turn based on the novel with the same title
Pornografia
Pornografia is a 1960 novel by the Polish writer Witold Gombrowicz. The narrative revolves around two middle-aged Warsawian intellectuals, who during a trip to the countryside construct a scheme to make two teenagers fall in love.-Publication:...
by Witold Gombrowicz
Witold Gombrowicz
Witold Marian Gombrowicz was a Polish novelist and dramatist. His works are characterized by deep psychological analysis, a certain sense of paradox and an absurd, anti-nationalist flavor...
. The next two Jasminum and Afonia i pszczoły (Afonia and Honeybees) were based on his own original screenplays, whereas Wenecja (Venice), his latest movie, is based on a short story by Włodzimierz Odojewski.
Kolski continued to work with television, and many of his films and other works were made for the medium. He wrote several plays for television, including Bajka o bardzo lekkim chlebie (A Fable of the Very Light Bread), Skrzypki (The Fiddles), Noga dla Józefa (A Leg for Jozef), and Kamera marzen (The Dream Camera), which were primarily addressed to children. Others, such as Wyspa róż (The Rose Island) and Diabeł przewrotny (Again the Devil), were Kolski's adaptations of original plays. Kolski also directed several commercials, video clips, and one television series, Małopole, czyli świat (Malopole, or the World), in which he returns to the life in the countryside.
Kolski's literary output includes short stories collected in two books - Jańcio Wodnik i inne nowele (Johnnie Aquarius and Other Stories), and Mikroświaty (Microworlds); a novel, Kulka z chleba (A Bread Pellet); and a book for children, Jadzia i małoludki (Jadzia and The Little People).
Kolski has won many awards in Poland and abroad. Among his major international successes is the Special Award at The Film Festival in Tokyo in 1995 for his Grający z talerza (Playing from the Plate). In 2000, he also became a member of the European Film Academy.
School works
- Odrobina bólu (A Bit of Pain) (1982) - Photography
- Inauguracja 82 (Inauguration '82) (1983) - Director, photography
- Za górami (Across the mountains) (1983) - Photography
- Red Box (1984) - Collaboration
- Umieranko (A Little Dying) (1984) - Director, photography
Shorts
- Najpiękniejsza jaskinia świata (The Most Beautiful Cave in the World) (1983) - Director, script, voice-over, photography
- Mały dekalog (The Little Ten Commandments) (1983) - Information not available
- Nie zasmucę serca twego (I Won't Make You Sad) (1984) - Information not available
- Jak mnie kochasz (How Do You Love Me?) (1985) - Information not available
- Człowiek z ulicy Zielonej Gęsi (A Man from the Zielona Ges Street) (1986) - Photography
- Słowiański świt. Początki Polski w Dzieje kultury polskiej [WFO] (The Dawn of the Slavonic Tribes) (1986) - Director, screenplay, photography
- Rekwizyty Wiesława Garbolińskiego (Wieslaw Garbolinski's Props) (1987) - Photography
- Trzy tematy Leszka Rózgi (Three Topics of Leszek Rozga) (1987) - Photography
- Ładny dzień (A Nice Day) (1988) - Screenplay, director, photography, art director
- Pałkiewicz ma rację (Palkiewicz Is Right) (1988) - Director, script, photography
- Szkoła przetrwania (The Survival School) (1988) - Director, script, photography
- Idź (Walk) (1989) - Photography
- Piosenki polne i okoliczne (Songs from the Fields and Near-bys) (1996) - Director, script
- Videoclips for songs from ojDADAna, a music album by Grzegorz CiechowskiGrzegorz CiechowskiGrzegorz Ciechowski was a Polish rock musician and film music composer.Ciechowski was the founder and frontman of the band Republika, which was one of Poland's most popular rock groups...
- Zobaczyć jak najwięcej (To See Everything) (2001) - Director, script, photography
- Gdzie jesteś Paitii? (Where Are You, Paititi?) (2002) - Director, script, photography
- Między rajem a ziemią (Between the Paradise and Earth)
Features
- Pogrzeb kartofla (The Burial Of A Potato) (1990) imdb
- Pograbek (A Knacker) (1992) imdb
- Magneto (1993) imdb
- Jańcio WodnikJohnnie WatermanJohnnie Waterman is a 1994 Polish drama film directed by Jan Jakub Kolski. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Franciszek Pieczka - Jancio Wodnik* Grażyna Błęcka-Kolska - Weronka...
(Johnnie Aquarius aka Johnnie Waterman) (1993) imdb - Cudowne miejsce (A Miraculous Place) (1994) imdb
- Grający z talerza (Playing from the Plate) (1995) imdb
- Szabla od komendanta (The Commander's Sword aka Legacy of Steel) (1995) imdb
- Historia kina w Popielawach (The History of Cinema in Popielawy) (1998) imdb
- Daleko od okna (Keep Away From The Window) (2000)
- Małopole czyli świat (Malopole, Or The World) 2000 - 2001 TV series
- Pornografia (Pornography) (2002) imdb
- Jaśminum (Jasminum) (2006) imdb
- Afonia i pszczoly (Afonia and Honeybees) (2009)
- Wenecja (Venice) (2010)
Television theatre plays
- Diabeł przewrotny (Again the Devil) (1997) - Adaptation and director
- Bajka o bardzo lekkim chlebie (A Fable of the Very Light Bread) (1997) - Screenplay and director
- Noga dla Józefa (A Leg for Jozef) (1997) - Screenplay
- Wyspa róż (The Rose Island) (1998) - Director
- Skrzypki (The Fiddles) (1999) - Screenplay and director
- Kamera marzeń (The Dream Camera) (2001) - Screenplay and director
External links
- Kolski's entry at IMDB
- Jan Jakub Kolski at the Internetowa Baza Filmu Polskiego (plPolish languagePolish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
)