Jan Jakub Kolski

Jan Jakub Kolski (born January 29, 1956 in Wrocław) is a Polish film director, cinematographer, and writer.

Kolski is the son of a film editor named Roman Kolski, and is the brother of Ewa Pakulska, also a film editor. From age eleven until age fourteen, he lived in a small village, Popielawy, near Tomaszów Mazowiecki and Łódź. 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 as chief director of photography. He then studied cinematography at the famous Film School in Łódź .

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 mount climbing and speleology, which earned him a nickname 'Stuntman of the Polish cinematography'. More recently, Kolski created the 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 journeys to Asia and South America.

Kolski's first feature, "Pogrzeb kartofla" ("Burial of a Potato"), was shot in Popielawy in 1990, and was based on a real story of Kolski's 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' trend in Polish filmmaking. Since then, Kolski has made many more films, most of them located in the same village or mythical countryside. Among those films are: "Pograbek" ("Gravedigger"); "Magneto"; "Jańcio Wodnik" ("Johnny the Aquarius"); "Cudowne miejsce" ("Miraculous Place"); "Grający z talerza" ("Playing from the Plate"); "Szabla od komendanta" ("The Sabre From The Commander"); and "Historia kina w Popielawach" ("History of Cinema in Popielawy"), which was based on Kolski's own script.

"Daleko od okna" ("Away from the Window"), made in 2000, opened a new chapter in Kolski's filmography. The screenplay by Cezary Harasimowicz was based on a real life story written by Hanna Krall, famous for writing about the Holocaust. His latest work, "Pornografia" ("Pornography") is in turn based on a novel by Witold Gombrowicz.

Kolski is closely connected 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" ("Fable of Very Light Bread"), "Skrzypki" ("Fiddles"), "Noga dla Józefa" ("Leg for Jozef"), and "Kamera marzen" ("Dream Camera"), which were primarily addressed to children. Others, such as "Wyspa róż" ("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"), which returns to the life in the countryside.

Kolski's literary output includes short stories collected in two books - "Jańcio Wodnik i inne nowele" ("Johnnie the 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.

Filmography

chool 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

horts

*"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" [WFO] (The Dawn of the Slavonic Tribes) (1986) - Director, screenplay, photography
*"Rekwizyty Wiesława Garbolińskiego" (The 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 ojDADAna"
*"Zobaczyć jak najwięcej" (To See Everything) (2001) - Director, script, photography
*"Gdzie jesteś Paitii?" (Where Are You, Paititi?) (2002) - Director, script, photography

Features

*"Pogrzeb kartofla" (Burial Of A Potato) (1990) [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102684/ imdb]
*"Pograbek" (Gravedigger) (1992) [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105154/ imdb]
*"Magneto" (1993) [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0168053/ imdb]
*"Jańcio Wodnik" (Johnnie the Aquarius) (1993) [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107251/ imdb]
*"Cudowne miejsce" (Miraculous Place) (1994) [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0266441/ imdb]
*"Grający z talerza" (Playing from the Plate) (1995) [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113205/ imdb]
*"Szabla od komendanta" (The Sabre From The Commander) (1995) [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117806/ imdb]
*"Historia kina w Popielawach" (History of Cinema in Popielawy) (1998) [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0177838/ imdb]
*"Daleko od okna" (Keep Away From The Window) (2000)
*"Małopole czyli świat" (Malopole, Or The World) 2000 - 2001 TV series
*"Pornografia" (Pornography) (2002) [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0357037/ imdb]
*"Jaśminum" (Jasminum) (2006) [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0778749/ imdb]

Television theatre plays

*"Diabeł przewrotny" (Devil Again) (1997) - Adaptation and director
*"Bajka o bardzo lekkim chlebie" (Fable of Very Light Bread) (1997) - Screenplay and director
*"Noga dla Józefa" (Leg for Jozef) (1997) - Screenplay
*"Wyspa róż" (Rose Island) (1998) - Director
*"Skrzypki" (Fiddles) (1999) - Screenplay and director
*"Kamera marzeń" (Dream Camera) (2001) - Screenplay and director