Małgorzata Szumowska (; born 26 February 1973) is a Polish film director, screenwriter and producer, born in

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

. Her 2013 film '' In the Name Of'' received the Teddy Award for Best Feature at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival, and received the Grand Prix at the 32nd annual Istanbul Film Festival. Her film ''

Body Body may refer to: In science * Physical body, an object in physics that represents a large amount, has mass or takes up space * Body (biology), the physical material of an organism * Body plan, the physical features shared by a group of anim ...

'' was selected to be screened in the main competition section of the

65th Berlin International Film Festival The 65th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 5 to 15 February 2015, with American film director Darren Aronofsky as the president of the jury. German film director Wim Wenders was presented with the Honorary Golden Bear. The ...

. Szumowska won the

Silver Bear for Best Director The Silver Bear for Best Director () is an award presented annually at the Berlin International Film Festival since 1956. It is given for the best achievement in directing and is chosen by the International Jury from the films in the Competition ...

for ''

''. In 2018, she received Jury Grand Prix at the 68th Berlin International Film Festival for her film ''

Mug A mug is a type of cup, a drinking vessel usually intended for hot drinks such as: coffee, hot chocolate, or tea. Mugs usually have handles and hold a larger amount of fluid than other types of cups such as teacups or coffee cups. Typically ...

''.

Career

Szumowska spent two years studying

history of art The history of art focuses on objects made by humans for any number of spiritual, narrative, philosophical, symbolic, conceptual, documentary, decorative, and even functional and other purposes, but with a primary emphasis on its aesthetics ...

at the

Jagiellonian University The Jagiellonian University (, UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by Casimir III the Great, King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and one of the List of oldest universities in con ...

before she started

film studies Film studies is an academic discipline that deals with various film theory, theoretical, history of film, historical, and film criticism, critical approaches to film, cinema as an art form and a medium. It is sometimes subsumed within media stud ...

. Szumowska graduated from the

National Film School in Łódź National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ...

. As a student, Szumowska made a short which was ranked 14th in the history of

Łódź Film School The Polish National Film, Television and Theatre School in Łódź (), commonly known as the Łódź Film School (), is a Polish film school for future actors, directors, photographers, camera operators, and television staff. It was founded on 8 ...

. ''Cisza'' (''Silence'') is a short documentary film in which Szumowska tried to capture a simple life of a Polish rural family. In 2001, she became a member of the

European Film Academy The European Film Academy is a group of European film director, filmmakers who come together in Berlin on the occasion of the first presentation of the European Film Awards in November 1988. Every year, the European Film Academy honors films an ...

. In 2016, she was a member of jury headed by

Meryl Streep Mary Louise "Meryl" Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress. Known for her versatility and adept accent work, she has been described as "the best actress of her generation". She has received numerous accolades throughout her career ...

at the

66th Berlin International Film Festival The 66th Berlin International Film Festival was held from 11 to 21 February 2016, with American actress Meryl Streep as the president of the jury. The Honorary Golden Bear for lifetime achievement was presented to German cinematographer Michae ...

. In 2018, she was also selected a member of the jury headed by

Guillermo del Toro Guillermo del Toro Gómez (; born 9 October 1964) is a Mexican filmmaker, author, and artist. His work has been characterized by a strong connection to fairy tales, Gothic fiction, gothicism and horror fiction, horror often blending the genres ...

at the 75th Venice International Film Festival. In 2020, her film co-directed with Michał Englert '' Never Gonna Snow Again'' was selected as the Polish entry for the Best International Feature Film at the

93rd Academy Awards The 93rd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released from January 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021, at Union Station in Los Angeles. The ceremony was held on April 25, 2021 ...

''Szczęśliwy człowiek'' (''Happy man'')

Szumowska graduated from the film college in 1998 and made her debut feature film ''Szczęśliwy człowiek'' (''Happy Man'') in 2001. The film was nominated to The European Film Award and Szumowska became a member of the

in the same year. The plot explores complicated relationships among three people facing enormous difficulties who nonetheless strive to achieve happiness, or, at least, steer clear of tragedy.

''Ono'' (''Stranger'')

Her next film, ''Ono'' (''Stranger''), focused on the relationship between a pregnant woman and the baby she is expecting. Having decided not to have an abortion, the mother tries to prepare her child for the experience of the outside world. Things get complicated when the woman faces health problems.

''Ojciec'' (''Father'')

In 2005 Szumowska made a short film ''Ojciec'' (''Father''), one of thirteen contemporary stories written by Polish film directors to celebrate

Solidarity Solidarity or solidarism is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. True solidarity means moving beyond individual identities and single issue politics ...

which made up the film ''Solidarność, Solidarność'' (''Solidarity, Solidarity''). Based on her father's experiences, Szumowska's film uses archival footage from his documentaries.

''33 sceny z życia'' (''33 Scenes from Life'')

A significant breakthrough in Szumowska's career came in 2008, with ''33 sceny z życia'' (''33 Scenes from Life''), starring Julia Jentsch, which won a Special Prize at the

Locarno International Film Festival The Locarno International Film Festival is a major international film festival, held annually in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narr ...

. Inspired by her own life, but, as she is careful to emphasize, "not autobiographical", the film tells the story of Julia. A talented photographer married to Piotr, a successful composer, Julia has a perfect and financially comfortable life until one day the idyll is interrupted.

''Elles''

Szumowska worked also as a co-producer of ''

Antichrist In Christian eschatology, Antichrist (or in broader eschatology, Anti-Messiah) refers to a kind of entity prophesied by the Bible to oppose Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ and falsely substitute themselves as a savior in Christ's place before ...

'',

Lars von Trier Lars von Trier (né Trier; born 30 April 1956) is a Danish film director and screenwriter. Beginning in the late-1960s as a child actor working on Danish television series ''Secret Summer'', von Trier's career has spanned more than five decad ...

's horror film released in 2009. In 2011, she completed her international project, '' Elles'', starring Juliette Binoche. The worldwide première of ''Elles'' took place at

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...

. It tells the story of Anne, a Parisian

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

investigating prostitution among the students. Her research takes her to two girls, Charlotte and Alice, whose lives differ greatly from her own. They let her discover a world which she finds both repulsive and seductive.

''In the Name Of''

Adam is a

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priest who discovered his calling as a servant of God at the relatively late age of 21. He now lives in a village in rural

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

where he works with teenagers with

behavioral Behavior (American English) or behaviour (British English) is the range of actions of individuals, organisms, systems or artificial entities in some environment. These systems can include other systems or organisms as well as the inanimate p ...

problems who fight and yell abuse. He declines the advances of a young brunette named Ewa; saying he is already spoken for. However; celibacy is not the only reason for his rejection. Adam knows that he desires men and that his embrace of the priesthood has been a flight from his own

sexuality Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...

. When he meets Dynia; the strange and taciturn son of a simple rural family; Adam's self-imposed abstinence becomes a heavy burden.

Personal life

Szumowska is the daughter of journalists Maciej Szumowski and

Dorota Terakowska Barbara Rozalia Terakowska (August 30, 1938 – January 4, 2004), known as Dorota Terakowska, was a Polish writer and journalist best known for her Children's fantasy, fantasy books for children and young adults, two of which became required rea ...

and the sister of Wojciech Szumowski, a documentary film director. She has been married to actor

Mateusz Kościukiewicz Mateusz Kościukiewicz (; born 1 May 1986 in Nowy Tomyśl) is a Polish film actor. Early life and career He grew up in Nowy Tomyśl, where he attended the General and Post-Secondary Schools. He studied at the Kraków State Higher Theater School ...

since 2011. They have one daughter Alina born on 3 December 2012. She has a son Maciej from a previous relationship with the editor Jacek Drosio.

References

External links

*
Małgorzata Szumowska
at culture.pl
33 Scenes from Life – reviewSzumowska's Elles on the 2012 Berlinale ShortlistThe Transposition of Loneliness at the 63rd Berlinale
{{DEFAULTSORT:Szumowska, Malgorzata 1973 births Living people Polish women film directors Polish women writers Polish women screenwriters Film people from Kraków Silver Bear for Best Director recipients