A special place among the world famous filmmakers is occupied by the Polish director, screenwriter, producer Krzysztof Zanussi. The master, who has shot more than 85 films, does not depend on other people's opinions and fashion, and his works cannot be correlated with any directions.
The director founded charitable foundations to help beginners in art and science, and also created schools for training the profession. The patron is a consultant to the Vatican Cultural Affairs Commission.
The road to vocation
The biography of the future director began in 1939. The child was born on June 17 in Warsaw in the family of a civil engineer. The father sought to instill in his son a love of architecture, but the boy preferred to adhere to his own convictions. The graduate continued his education at the Faculty of Physics of the University.
After successfully completing his studies, Krzysztof became a student at the Faculty of Philosophy at Krakow University. Fluent in 7 foreign languages, the graduate studied at the film school in Lodz until 1966.
Zanussi has been shooting films since the age of 18. The main prize of Mannheim, as well as the prize of the Venice International Film Festival, was awarded to the diploma work "Death of a Provincial". The director shot his first full-length film "The Structure of a Crystal" in 1969. The work cemented his reputation for not being afraid to consider the most complex existential problems of modern society as a researcher.
Triumph
Since the early seventies, Zanussi has presented several films every year. In "Family Life", "Spiral" and "Illumination", the uniqueness of the master was manifested in the person of a special hero. Actors could improvise, as Zanussi encouraged the reception of open dialogue.
The motif of loneliness, restraint of color contrasts, intensity of the plot and precise detailing became the author's handwriting. Cinema was interspersed with television projects that analyzed the plots of feature films.
The director wrote scripts for almost all his works himself. Their master published collections in separate volumes. The director's works with his reflections on his personal life and contemporary cinema have been published. He also acted as a producer. The master of the role of the actor attracted little, but nevertheless he played in two films.
Cinematography and family
In the eighties, the director became an internationally recognized director. The most notable work of the period is recognized as the 1984 “Year of the Calm Sun”. In the films, the motive of the connection between man and the Absolute appeared, eternal themes and their awareness in the modern world were touched upon. In his works, the master seeks to find a compromise between opposites.
The work of the master has been awarded many high awards. Zanussi from 1980 to 1989 headed the creative association "Thor", served as vice-chairman of the Polish Union of Cinematographers.
He puts on opera and theatrical performances. The director is engaged in teaching at the Lodz State Higher School of Film, Television and Theater, national film schools in Denmark and Great Britain.
The director's personal life also took shape. The artist Elzhbeta Grokholskaya became his chosen one and wife. Both have known each other since childhood, but a serious relationship began only 30 years later. The wife became a real assistant to her husband. Together they founded private schools and charities. Since the couple do not have their own children, all the worries are given to students and novice actors.
