Jan Jakub Kolski (born 29 January 1956) is a Polish film director,
cinematographer
The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...
, and writer.
Early life and career
Kolski was born in
Wrocław
Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...
, and 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 Mazowiecki
Tomaszów Mazowiecki (, yi, טאָמעשעוו or ''Tomashuv'') is a city in central Poland with 60,529 inhabitants (2021). The fourth most populous city in the Łódź Voivodeship and the second with free public transport. In Tomaszów Mazowiec ...
and
Łódź
Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of canti ...
. 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 (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "to write") is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography.
Cinematographers use a lens to focu ...
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 Witold Wajda (; 6 March 1926 – 9 October 2016) was a Polish film and theatre director. Recipient of an Honorary Oscar, the Palme d'Or, as well as Honorary Golden Lion and Honorary Golden Bear Awards, he was a prominent member of the ...
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
Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, a ...
and
speleology
Speleology is the scientific study of caves and other karst features, as well as their make-up, structure, physical properties, history, life forms, and the processes by which they form (speleogenesis) and change over time (speleomorphology). ...
, 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
Magical is the adjective for magic. It may also refer to:
* Magical (horse) (foaled 2015), Irish Thoroughbred racehorse
* "Magical" (song), released in 1985 by John Parr
* '' Magical: Disney's New Nighttime Spectacular of Magical Celebrations'', ...
' 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. In 1994 ''Jańcio Wodnik'' won the
Findling Award
The Findling Award or short Findling (german: Findlingspreis) was a German film award donated by the umbrella organization of cultural cinemas and film clubs Verband für Filmkommunikation. It was founded in 1982 in GDR and was awarded on sever ...
at the
Filmfestival Cottbus.
''Daleko od okna'' (''Keep Away from the Window''), made in 2000, opened a new chapter in Kolski's filmography. The screenplay by
Cezary Harasimowicz Cezary is the Polish version of the given name Caesar. Notable people with the name include:
*Cezary Balicki (born 1958), Polish bridge player
* Cezary Czpak (born 1982), Polish footballer, playing as a midfielder
* Cezary Geroń (1960–1998), Pol ...
was based on a real-life story written by
Hanna Krall
Hanna Krall (born 1935), is a Polish writer with a degree in journalism from the University of Warsaw, specializing among other subjects in the history of the Holocaust in occupied Poland.
Personal life
Krall is of Jewish origin, the daughter of S ...
, famous for writing about the
Holocaust
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
. His next work, ''
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 during World War II construct a scheme to entice two teenagers in a ...
'' (''Pornography'') was in turn based on
the novel with the same title by
Witold Gombrowicz
Witold Marian Gombrowicz (August 4, 1904 – July 24, 1969) was a Polish writer and playwright. His works are characterised by deep psychological analysis, a certain sense of paradox and absurd, anti-nationalist flavor. In 1937 he published his f ...
. 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.
![Jan Jakub Kolski Goa 2010](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Jan_Jakub_Kolski_Goa_2010.jpg)
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. His 2000 film ''
Keep Away from the Window
''Keep Away from the Window'' ( pl, Daleko od okna) is a 2000 Polish drama film directed by Jan Jakub Kolski about a young couple who conceal a Jewish woman in their house during World War II. It was entered into the 23rd Moscow International Fi ...
'' was entered into the
23rd Moscow International Film Festival
The 23rd Moscow International Film Festival was held from 21 to 30 June 2001. The Golden St. George was awarded to the American film '' The Believer'' directed by Henry Bean.
Jury
* Margarethe von Trotta (Germany – President of the Jury)
* Jia ...
.
Filmography
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''
FO(''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 Ciechowski
Grzegorz Zbigniew Ciechowski (29 August 1957 – 22 December 2001) was a Polish rock musician and film music composer.
Ciechowski was born in Tczew. He was the founder and frontman of the band Republika, which was one of Poland's most popul ...
*''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 Wodnik'' (''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
''Historia kina w Popielawach'' is a Polish historical film. It was released in 1998.
Cast
* Krzysztof Majchrzak − Józef Andryszek Piąty
* Bartosz Opania − Józef Andryszek Pierwszy
* Grażyna Błęcka-Kolska − Chanutka Piąta
* Fra ...
'' (''The History of Cinema in Popielawy'') (1998
imdb*''
Daleko od okna
''Keep Away from the Window'' ( pl, Daleko od okna) is a 2000 Polish drama film directed by Jan Jakub Kolski about a young couple who conceal a Jewish woman in their house during World War II. It was entered into the 23rd Moscow International Fi ...
'' (''Keep Away From The Window'') (2000)
*''Małopole czyli świat'' (''Malopole, Or The World'') 2000 – 2001 TV series
*''
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 during World War II construct a scheme to entice two teenagers in a ...
'' (''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
References
External links
*
Jan Jakub Kolskiat th
Internetowa Baza Filmu Polskiego(
pl)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kolski, Jan Jakub
1956 births
Living people
Film people from Wrocław
Łódź Film School alumni
Polish cinematographers
Polish film directors
Polish screenwriters
Polish television writers
Male television writers