NEW YORK, NY.- Krzysztof Zanussi (b. 1939) is one of Poland’s most important filmmakers. Thanks to a gift from the Polish Film Institute in Warsaw, and in collaboration with the
Polish Cultural Institute in New York,
MoMA recently acquired new 35mm English-subtitled prints of three of Zanussi’s finest films—Family Life (1971), Camouflage (1977), and The Constant Factor (1980)—adding considerably to the Museum’s collection of Polish cinema.
Zanussi will present these films together with the New York premiere of his most recent film, Revisited (2009), on January 29. All films are from Poland, written and directed by Krzysztof Zanussi, and in Polish with English subtitles.
Organized by Joshua Siegel, Associate Curator, Department of Film, The Museum of Modern Art. The exhibition is supported by the Polish Cultural Institute in New York; the Polish Film Institute, Warsaw; the Polish National Film Archive; and TOR Film Studio, Warsaw.
Krzysztof Zanussi is a renowned Polish filmmaker. Krzysztof was born in 1939 in Warsaw, Poland. 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.
Strictly Film School’s website writes of the work of Krzysztof: Krzysztof Zanussi presents a compassionate, insightful, and provocative examination of the moral issues that present themselves in everyday life. Using variations of a recurring opening shot through a view from a window, Zanussi sets a tone of personal reflection as the protagonists in each episode attempt to reconcile with their own human frailty: vengeance and forgiveness (A Woman's Business), greed (Deceptive Charm), absence of spirituality (Little Faith), obsession and jealousy (The Dilatory Line), compassion (The Soul Sings), sense of fairness (Unwritten Law), narcissism and emotional abandonment (The Last Circle), humility and service (The Hidden Treasure). Throughout each episode, Zanussi provides a compelling portrait of contemporary Poland, from the vestigial scars of life under shifting communist policies, to an increasingly impersonal and materialistic urban society. Inevitably, Weekend Stories proves to be a compelling and universally relevant glimpse into the quiet celebration and travails of modern existence.
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).
