The Leon Schiller National Film School ( pl, Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Filmowa, Telewizyjna i Teatralna im. Leona Schillera) is a Polish academy for future actors, directors, photographers, camera operators and television staff. It was founded on 8 March 1948 in

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 ca ...

(Lodz).

History

Until 1958, the school existed as two separate schools: one for actors and the other for filmmakers. The schools and the Polish cinema industry were moved from Warsaw to the nearby city of Łódź after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. This move was initially seen as a temporary measure, thus the name of the actors' school was The National Higher School of Theatre in Warsaw with seat in Łódź. Its creator and the first rector was the Polish actor Leon Schiller, current namesake of the school. In 1949, it was divided into two branches; one actually moved to Warsaw and the other one remained in Łódź under the directorship of

Kazimierz Dejmek Kazimierz Dejmek (17 May 1924 – 31 December 2002) was a Polish actor, theatre and film director, and politician. During his career he managed the New Theatre in Łódź (since 2008 named after him), the National Theatre, Warsaw, and the Teatr ...

(since 1950). The years leading up to the merger in 1958 were those in which notable artists of the

Polish Film School Polish Film School ( pl, Polska Szkoła Filmowa) refers to an informal group of Polish film directors and screenplay writers active between 1956 and approximately 1963. Among the most prominent representatives of the school are Andrzej Wajda, And ...

created the reputation of the Łódź Film School as the most liberal and least Communist institution of higher education in Poland. Among the most notable alumni of that period were

Andrzej Munk Andrzej Munk (16 October 1921 – 20 September 1961) was a Polish film director, screen writer and documentalist. He was one of the most influential artists of the post-Stalinist period in the People's Republic of Poland. His feature films '' M ...

Janusz Morgenstern Janusz "Kuba" Morgenstern (16 November 1922 – 6 September 2011) was a Polish film director and producer. Janusz Morgenstern was born in 1922 to a Jewish family in the town of Mikulińce, Poland (now Mykulyntsi, Ukraine), to Dawid Morgenstern ...

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 ...

, and

Kazimierz Kutz Kazimierz Julian Kutz (16 February 1929 – 18 December 2018) was a Polish film director, author, journalist and politician, one of the representatives of the Polish Film School and a deputy speaker of the Senate of Poland. Biography Kazimierz ...

. In 1954, they were joined by

Roman Polanski Raymond Roman Thierry Polański , group=lower-alpha, name=note_a ( né Liebling; 18 August 1933) is a French-Polish film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, tw ...

. After 1958, the school became a cultural think-tank of Poland, with many outsiders and artists not supported by the Communist authorities joining it. Various discussion clubs and relative liberty of speech promoted by the new rector,

Jerzy Toeplitz Jerzy Toeplitz AO (24 November 190924 July 1995) was a Polish film educator and theorist. He was the co-founder of the Polish Film School, and later took up an appointment in Australia for the Australian Film, Television and Radio School. Betw ...

, added to its value. For instance, two of the students of the university (

Jerzy Matuszkiewicz Jerzy "Duduś" Matuszkiewicz (; 10 April 1928 – 31 July 2021) was a Polish jazz musician and composer, playing saxophone, clarinet and piano. Between 1950 and 1958, he was leader of the jazz group Melomani. From 1965, he focused on composing ...

and

Witold Sobociński Witold Sobociński (; 15 October 1929 – 19 November 2018) was a Polish cinematographer, academic teacher as well as former jazz musician. Sobociński was a graduate of the renowned National Film School in Łódź. While in college, he was a m ...

) became the first

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

musicians in Poland after World War II to be allowed by the authorities to organize a concert.

Kirk Douglas Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in '' The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. D ...

visited the school in 1966. His visit was documented in the self-titled documentary ''Kirk Douglas''y. After the events of March 1968, the period of liberty came to an end. Toeplitz was fired, as were most of the tutors. However, with the advent of Edward Gierek and his regime, the school once again started to bloom. The School has three

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

-winning alumni:

, and Zbigniew Rybczyński, while alumnus

Krzysztof Kieślowski Krzysztof Kieślowski (; 27 June 1941 – 13 March 1996) was a Polish film director and screenwriter. He is known internationally for '' Dekalog'' (1989), ''The Double Life of Veronique'' (1991), and the ''Three Colours'' trilogy (1993 –1994 ...

was nominated for an Oscar. Both Polanski and Wajda won the

Palme d'Or The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...

at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...

in 2002 and 1981, respectively.

Polish Internet Movie Database

The Polish Internet Movie Database () has been maintained by the school since 1998.

Notable alumni

Directors

Feliks Falk Feliks Falk ps. ''Robert F. Lane'', ''Edward Neyman'' (born 25 February 1941) is a Polish film and theater director as well as writer of film scripts, stage plays, television plays, and radio shows. A 1966 graduate of Warsaw's Academy of Fine Ar ...

Dariusz Gajewski Dariusz Gajewski (born 3 December 1964, Częstochowa) is a Polish film director and screenwriter. He graduated from the National Film School in Łódź in 1993. He also studied law at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków. His 2003 film ''Warsza ...

* Kazimierz Karabasz *

Dorota Kędzierzawska Dorota Kędzierzawska (; born 1 June 1957) is a Polish Film director, director of feature and documentary films. Kędzierzawska was born in Łódź. She graduated from the National Film School in Łódź in 1981 but prior to that had completed a ...

* Jan Kidawa-Błoński *

, nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

Golden Lion The Golden Lion ( it, Leone d'oro) is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is now regarded as one of the film industry's most prestigious and distinguis ...

winner *

Jan Komasa Jan Tadeusz Komasa (born October 28, 1981) is a Polish film director, screenwriter, and producer best known for directing '' Suicide Room'' (2011), '' Warsaw 44'' (2014), and ''Corpus Christi'' (2019), which was nominated for the Best Internatio ...

, nominated for an

* Grzegorz Królikiewicz *

Jan Łomnicki Jan Łomnicki (30 June 1929 – 18 December 2002) was a Polish film director and screenwriter. A graduate of the National Film School in Łódź. He directed more than thirty films between 1954 and 2000. His 1976 film ''To Save the City'' ( ...

Jan Machulski Jan Henryk Machulski (3 July 1928 – 20 November 2008) was a Polish theater director, as well as a film and theatrical actor. He appeared in more than 45 film roles and 70 theater roles throughout his career. Personal life Machulski was born in ...

* Juliusz Machulski *

* Janusz Nasfeter *

Władysław Pasikowski Władysław Pasikowski (; born 14 June 1959 in Łódź, Poland) is a Polish film director and screenwriter. He made his debut film, Kroll, in 1991, which was honored with the Polish Film Festival prize for his debut and the Special Jury Prize. ...

* Radosław Piwowarski * Marek Piwowski *

, Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe and

winner *

Wojciech Kasperski Wojciech Kasperski (born April 25, 1981) is a Polish screenwriter, film director and producer. In 2006 he received the Grand Prix for ''The Seeds'' for Best Documentary at Kraków Film Festival, and went on to win several prestigious awards in ...

* Barbara Sass *

Jerzy Skolimowski Jerzy Skolimowski (, born 5 May 1938) is a Polish film director, screenwriter, dramatist and actor. A graduate of the prestigious National Film School in Łódź, Skolimowski has directed more than twenty films since his 1960 début ''Oko wyk ...

Golden Bear The Golden Bear (german: Goldener Bär) is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival. The bear is the heraldic animal of Berlin, featured on both the coat of arms and flag of Berlin. History The win ...

winner * Piotr Szulkin * Piotr Trzaskalski *Robert Tutak *

, Academy Award and BAFTA Award and

winner * Maciej Wojtyszko *

Krzysztof Zanussi Krzysztof Pius Zanussi (born 17 June 1939) is a Polish film and theatre director, producer and screenwriter. He is a professor of European film at the European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland where he conducts a summer workshop. He is ...

winner * Emily Young, BAFTA Award winner *

Maria Sadowska Maria Sadowska (born 27 June 1976 in Warsaw),Filmpolski.plMaria Sadowska also credited as Marysia SadowskaTopClub.plMarysia Sadowska or simply as Marysia, is a Polish pop singer, music producer, screenwriterRMF FMMarysia Sadowska and film direct ...

* Urszula Urbaniak *

Mostafa Derkaoui Mostafa Derkaoui (; 1944 - ) is a Moroccan film director and screenwriter who has made revolutionary and socially-engaged films. Biography Derkaoui was born in Oujda, Morocco in 1944. In the early 1960s, Derkaoui studied philosophy in Casablanc ...

* Abdelkarim Derkaoui

Cinematographers

* Wit Dąbal *

Paweł Edelman Paweł Edelman (born 26 June 1958) is a Polish cinematographer from Łódź, known for his collaborations with acclaimed directors Roman Polanski and Andrzej Wajda. He was named Best European Cinematographer in 2002 at the European Film Awards fo ...

, nominated for an Academy Award and BAFTA Award *

Sławomir Idziak Sławomir Idziak (; born 25 January 1945) is a Polish cinematographer and director who has worked on over forty Polish and foreign films. He is especially known for his collaboration with director Krzysztof Kieślowski as well as Ridley Scott a ...

, nominated for an Academy Award *

Edward Kłosiński Edward Stefan Kłosiński (; 2 January 1943, in Warsaw – 5 January 2008, in Milanówek) was a Polish cinematographer. Life and work Kłosiński completed his studies at the National Film School in Lodz in 1967. His screen debut came in 1972; ...

* Jan Jakub Kolski *

Krzysztof Ptak Krzysztof Ptak (3 April 1954 – 19 August 2016) was a Polish cinematographer. Ptak was born in Sulejów in 1954. He graduated from the National Film School in Łódź in 1980 and began his film career by making documentaries. He co-operated wit ...

* Zbigniew Rybczyński, Academy Award winner * Przemysław Skwirczyński *

Piotr Sobociński Piotr Sobociński (; 3 February 1958 – 26 March 2001) was a Polish cinematographer. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for '' Three Colours: Red'' in 1994. Sobociński was the son of Polish cinematographer Witold ...

, nominated for an Academy Award *

Dariusz Wolski Dariusz Adam Wolski (born 7 May 1956 in Warsaw) is a Polish film and music video cinematographer. He is known for his work as the cinematographer on the ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' film series and on Alex Proyas' cult classics ''The Crow'' and ...

, nominated for an Academy Award 2021 * Hubert Taczanowski *

Andrzej Bartkowiak Andrzej Bartkowiak, A.S.C. (born 6 March 1950) is a Polish cinematographer and film director. Career In the early 1980s, Bartkowiak was cinematographer on three films that received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture: ''The Verdict'', ' ...

* Hoyte van Hoytema, nominated for an Academy Award and BAFTA Award winner * Piotr Lenar *

Łukasz Żal Łukasz Żal (; born 24 June 1981) is a Polish cinematographer, best known for his work on the films '' Ida'' (2014), ''Loving Vincent'' (2017) and ''Cold War'' (2018). Life and career Żal has said that he "fell in love" with cinema at the age o ...

, nominated for two Academy Awards, winner of the

ASC award ASC may refer to: Educational institutions * Anglican Schools Commission, Australia * Andres Soriano Colleges of Bislig, located in Surigao del Sur, Philippines * Agnes Scott College, Decatur, Georgia Organizations Australia * Australian Singing ...

Actors

Szymon Bobrowski Szymon Bobrowski (born 16 January 1972 in Konin, Poland) is a Polish actor. Acted in tens of cinema and TV films, as well as theatre plays. Filmography * Magda M. *Hania * S@motność w sieci *Na dobre i na złe * Operacja "Koza" * Serce na dł ...

Barbara Brylska Barbara Brylska (born 5 June 1941) is a Polish actress who gained critical acclaim in 1960s and was featured in numerous films throughout the countries of the Warsaw Pact including the Soviet Union. She is noted especially for her role as ''Nadya ...

Małgorzata Foremniak Małgorzata Irena Foremniak (; born 8 January 1967 in Radom) is a Polish actress. She is starring in the Polish TV series ''Na dobre i na złe'' as Zofia Stankiewicz-Burska and has played the role of Ash in ''Avalon''. She took part in ''Taniec z ...

Janusz Gajos Janusz Gajos (; born 23 September 1939) is a Polish film, television and theatre actor as well as pedagogue and photographer. Professor of Theatre Arts and an Honorary Doctor of the National Film School in Łódź, he is considered one of the gr ...

Tomasz Konieczny Tomasz Konieczny (; born 10 January 1972) is a Polish bass-baritone. Life and work He was born on 10 January 1972 in Łódź, Poland. He commenced his studies as an actor at the Film, TV and Theatre Academy in Łódź. Following this he studied ...

(jazz musician) * Cezary Pazura * Beata Pozniak * Pola Raksa *

Zbigniew Zamachowski Zbigniew Zamachowski (; born 17 July 1961) is a Polish actor. Life and career He was born on 17 July 1961 in Brzeziny near Łódź. Zamachowski graduated from the actor's faculty of the National Film School in Łódź. He began his acting care ...

References

External links

*
Official website of the Film Production Department

Polish Internet Movie Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:National Film School In Lodz Educational institutions established in 1948 Drama schools in Poland 1948 establishments in Poland