Fabrice Ziolkowski (born January 28, 1954) is a French-American screenwriter, director, producer, and voice director, best known for scripting the

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), ...

-nominated feature animation film ''

The Secret of Kells ''The Secret of Kells'' is a 2009 animated fantasy film about the making of the Book of Kells, an illuminated manuscript from the 9th Century. The film is an Irish-French-Belgian co-production animated by Cartoon Saloon, which premiered on 8 ...

'', writing the animated television series '' Gawayn'', and directing and producing the avant-garde documentary film ''L.A.X.''.

Background

Fabrice Ziolkowski was born on January 28, 1954, in

Charleville-Mézières or ''Carolomacérienne'' , image flag=Flag of Charleville Mezieres.svg Charleville-Mézières () is a commune of northern France, capital of the Ardennes department, Grand Est. Charleville-Mézières is located on the banks of the river Meuse. ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

. His family emigrated, first to

Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-p ...

, Canada, then to the United States. He studied at the

Brooks Institute of Photography Brooks may refer to: Places ;Antarctica * Cape Brooks ;Canada * Brooks, Alberta ;United States * Brooks, Alabama *Brooks, Arkansas * Brooks, California * Brooks, Georgia *Brooks, Iowa *Brooks, Kentucky *Brooks, Maine *Brooks Township, Michigan ...

, received a BA and MA in film and literature from the

University of California at Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduates and 2,983 graduate students enrolled in 2021–2022. It is part of the Un ...

, and did doctoral work at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a Normal school, teachers colle ...

(UCLA).

Career

Ziolkowski started his career as a member of the Lumina film group which included experimental filmmaker MM Serra. He is foremost a screenwriter (and book writer), but has also directed and produced films. Since the 2000s, he has emerged as a voice director. He is currently owner of Mozaic Productions and Vox Dub. He was development executive of

TF1 TF1 (; standing for ''Télévision Française 1'') is a French commercial television network owned by TF1 Group, controlled by the Bouygues conglomerate. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network. TF1 is pa ...

subsidiary Protecrea from 1999 to 2002.

Personal

Ziolkowski resides in France with his partner Luli Barzman (daughter of

Ben Barzman Ben Barzman (October 12, 1910 – December 15, 1989) was a Canadian journalist, screenwriter, and novelist, blacklisted during the McCarthy Era and best known for his screenplays for the films ''Back to Bataan'' (1945), ''El Cid'' (1961), and ''Th ...

and Norma Barzman). He met Barzman at UCLA; the two have collaborated on various projects for years, from screenwriting to producing and directing documentaries. He has a daughter, Marina Ziolkowski, now a third-generation filmmaker in the family.

Works

Ziolkowski is best known for his screenplay of the internationally acclaimed feature animation film ''

''. The Hollywood Reporter described it as a "stirring tale" of "universal themes of the transcendent power of imagination and following one's dreams" in an "Irish-legend-and-lore-laced script " The New York Times noted that "A gentle spirit of syncretism suffuses ''The Secret of Kells''." Variety called it a "Gorgeous hand-drawn 2D animation, which is so retro that it looks like a direct descendent of the medieval illuminated manuscript tradition, perfectly complements its tale... A tour-de-force." His documentary ''L.A.X.'' continues to receive notice: film scholar David James has called it "a disabused, skeptical rendering of the city’s grittier underside" which reveals "the noir realities behind the sunshine." It has been described as "an essay" on Los Angeles, an "experimental documentary, and "a fictional structure... a journey through the city."

Filmography

Ziolkowski has directed, written, produced, and/or voice-directed feature films, television films and series in live-action and animation.

Director and producer

* Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! (2012) documentary * Mazopo (2004) music video * Death Letters (2000) documentary * L.A.X. (1980) documentary

Producer

* The 1001 Lives of Lia Rodrigues (2006) documentary * Back to Kinshasa (2003) documentary

Screenwriter

Ziolkowski has written, co-written, or edited scores of films, television series and episodes, particularly animation. * Sadie Sparks (2019) television series *

Alvin and the Chipmunks Alvin and the Chipmunks, originally David Seville and the Chipmunks or simply The Chipmunks, are an American animated virtual band and media franchise first created by Ross Bagdasarian for novelty records in 1958. The group consists of three ...

(2015) television series * Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! (2012) documentary *

The Bellflower Bunnies , genre = Children's animated series comedy , creator = Geneviève Huriet (original book series, '' Beechwood Bunny Tales'') , director = Season 1:Moran CaouissinSeasons 2 & 3:Eric Berthier , voices ...

(2010) television series * Gawayn (2009-2012) animated television series *

(2009) feature film * Hairy Scary (2008) television series * Atout 5 (2007) television series * Khochkhach (Flower of Oblivion) (2006) feature movie * Viva Carthago (2005) television series * Les énigmes de providence (

The Mysteries of Providence ''The Mysteries of Providence'' is a French animated television series produced by Banco Productions and first shown on TF1 TF1 (; standing for ''Télévision Française 1'') is a French commercial television network owned by TF1 Group, con ...

) (2002) television series * The Southern Star (2001) animation movie * Mysterious Island (2001) animation movie * The Greatest Show on Ice (2001) animation movie * Death Letters (2000) documentary film * Baby Monitor (1997) television movie * L'amerloque (1996) television movie * Billy the Cat (1996) television series * Indaba(1996) television series * Highlander (1993) television series * Counterstrike (1992) television series * Tattle Tale (1992) television movie * The Venture (1992) feature film *

Hot Chocolate Hot chocolate, also known as hot cocoa or drinking chocolate, is a heated drink consisting of shaved chocolate, melted chocolate or cocoa powder, heated milk or water, and usually a sweetener like whipped cream or marshmallows. Hot chocolate ...

(1992) television movie * Fly by Night (1991) television series * The New Adventures of the Black Stallion (1990) television series * Circles in a Forest (1991) feature film (with Luli Barzman) * L.A.X. (1980) documentary film

Voice

Ziolkowski has served as voice director, actor or dialogue coach on the following: * My Knight and Me (2017)voice recordist * Scary Larry (2012) voice direction *

Sherlock Yack ''Sherlock Yack'' (also known as ''Sherlock Yack: Zoo-Détective'') is an animated television series in 52 episodes of 13 minutes, co-produced by Mondo TV France and ZDF Enterprises, with the participation of TF1 and ZDF, and adapted from the ...

: Zoo-Detective (2011) television series - voice direction * Lulu Vroumette (2010) television series - voice direction * Tales of Tatonka (2010) television series - voice and voice direction *

Miss Missouri Miss (pronounced ) is an English language honorific typically used for a girl, for an unmarried woman (when not using another title such as "Doctor" or " Dame"), or for a married woman retaining her maiden name. Originating in the 17th century, i ...

(1990) feature film - dialogue coach * Nocturne indien (1989) feature film - dialogue coach * Man on Fire (1987) dialogue coach and uncredited translation

Books and articles

Ziolkowski has written non-fiction and fiction books and articles, which include: * Ashes 2 Ashes (2010) novel * Introduction au scenario (Introduction To The Screenplay) (1999, reprinted 2006) * "Comedies and Proverbs: An Interview with Eric Rohmer" (1981) , accessdate = 26 September 2015

References

External sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ziolkowski, Fabrice 1954 births Living people People from Charleville-Mézières American documentary filmmakers American film directors English-language film directors French-language film directors French documentary filmmakers French film directors French male voice actors French voice directors American male voice actors American voice directors American television writers American male screenwriters French television writers American male television writers University of California, Los Angeles alumni French documentary film producers French expatriates in the United States