The filmmaker will be celebrated during the closing gala and via a special screening of his feature film debut, which launched him full throttle in the world of cinema in 1969 – The Structure of Crystal. On Sunday, June 8, Zanussi will hold a master class for film enthusiasts.
Born on June 17, 1939, in Warsaw, Krzysztof Zanussi studied physics, philosophy and cinema at the famous Łódź school. His graduation short film, The Death of a Provincial (1966) won the Golden Lion in Venice. He directed over 40 feature films and documentaries for cinema and television, most of them multi-awarded in various festivals. The aforementioned feature film debut in earned him awards in Mar del Plata and Valladolid as well as the full appreciation of international film critics.
Then came films such as The Illumination (1973) – Golden Leopard and the FIPRESCI Award in Locarno, A Woman’s Decision (1975) – The OCIC Award at the Berline, Spirala (1978) – the Ecumenical Jury Prize in Cannes, The Constant Factor (1980) – The Best Director Award and the Ecumenical Jury Prize in Cannes, Imperative (1982) – The Pasinetti Award and the Grand Jury Prize in Venice, A Year of the Quiet Sun (1984) – the Golden Lion in Venice and a Golden Globe nominee, or Persona non grata (2005), selected in the official Venice competition.
Krzysztof Zanussi is teaching at the Silesian University in Katowice and at the European Graduate School in Switzerland and he's the manager of the TOR Studios in Poland. He was awarded many international awards; he is the president of the European Federation of Audiovisual Performers and a consultant to the Vatican's Pontifical Commission for Culture. In 2001, he received the Doctor Honoris Causa award of the Bucharest University of Drama and Film. Zanussi is also directing theater and opera shows in Milan, Palermo, Bonn, Krakow and Rome. His life and work was the subject of the documentary Anxiety / Niepokój (2004), by Krzysztof Tchórzewski.
