An outstanding Polish director Magdalena Piekorz will head the jury debates at this year’s Gdańsk DocFilm Festival. The remaining members of the jury are: a German film and television producer Klaus Schmutzer and a Gdansk journalist who specializes in film, Henryk Tronowicz.
Magdalena Piekorz
Born in 1974 in Sosnowiec. Screenwriter, director, doctor of cinematic arts. Graduate of the University of Silesia’s Radio and Television department in Katowice.The movies to which she owes her first success were shot both in Poland and abroad, in places like Bosnia or the United States. She received various prestigious awards for her works, such as Brązowy Lajkonik (The Brown Lajkonik) for the movie “Dziewczyny z Szymanowa” (“Girls of Szymanów”) at Krakow Film Festival in 1998, Grand Prix of the Euroshorts Festival for “Przybysze” (“Newcomers”) in 1999 in Warsaw. She received the Golden Lions of the XXIX Gdynia Film Festival for her first feature film, “Pręgi” (“Stripes”), based on the writing of Wojciech Kuczok. The movie received an Oscar nomination in 2005. Her movie “Senność” (“Somnolence”), made in 2008, earned her the award of Złoty Klakier (The Golden Clapper) for receiving the longest round of applause at the XXXIII Gdynia Film Festival, as well as awards from both the New York Polish Film Festival and the Seattle Polish Film Festival.
She’s also been making successful theatre plays for a few years now. Her biggest achievements in that field are the musical “Oliver!” produced in Teatr Rozrywki (“The Theatre of Entertainment”) in Chorzów and “Hotel Nowy Świat” (“The New World Hotel”), played at The Polish Theatre in Bielsko-Biała.
In 2014, she directed a feature film “Zbliżenia” (“Close-ups”) and a documentary “Widok Krakowa” (“The sight of Krakow”), in which the outstanding Polish poet Adam Zagajewski tells us about his city.
Klaus Schmutzer
Born in 1950 in Reichenbach Vogtland / Germany
1969 A-level exams
1970-1972 Production Assistant for GDR Television in the area of dramatic art
1972-1978 study of production at the Konrad Wolf University for Film in Potsdam-Babelsberg and head of department to the management of the University
1978-1981 Vice Chairman of the International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Short Film
1981-1984 study of political science
1984-1991 Vice Secretary of the GDR Association of Filmworkers
since 1991 Manager of the Berlin Association of Filmworkers
since 1991 Producer and Production Manager for á jour Film
1998.2003 Speaker of the Association of German Cinema
1996-2006 Member of the Colleg of Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg
2010-2012 Member of DEFA-Foundation
Movie and TV Productions (choice):
Movies: „Central Station Leipzig“ (1993)
Documentary for cinema
directors: Marianna Kiss, Andreas Honegger
„Faith Love Hope“ (1994)
Documentary for cinema
director: Andreas Voigt
„Big Broad World“(1997)
Documentary for cinema
director: Andreas Voigt
„The Mine – Franz Fühmann“ (1998)
Documentary for cinema
director: Karlheinz Mund
„Zone M“ (2000)
Super 16 mm/Blow up / 100 min.
director: Dr. Eduard Schreiber
„Invisible – Illegal in Europe“ (2004)
Documentary for cinema
director: Andreas Voigt
„Hitlerkantate“ (2004/2005)
Feature Film
director: Dr. Jutta Brückner
Co-production of SAXONIA Media Leipzig and WDR/arte
„Po-lin“ (2008)
documentary
35 mm / 90 min.
director: Jolanta Dylewska
Co-Production with BoMedia / Poland
“Kategorie C” (2008)
documentary
35 mm / 90 min.
director: Franziska Tenner
Resumption of the long-term documentary about the children of the village Golzow, directed by Barbara and Winfried Junge.
This film series started in 1961 and, including 18 films, is the oldest long-term documentary in the international history of film.
„The Tale of Uncle Willy from Golzow“ (1996)
35 mm / 145 min.
„Here you got my life – Marieluise from Golzow“ (1997)
35 mm / 141 min.
„Why do you bother about my life – Elke from Golzow“ (1997)
35 mm / 141 min.
„Brigitte and Marcel – Ways of Living in Golzow“ (1999)
35 mm / 110 min.
„One Man like Dieter – Golzower“ (2000)
35 mm / 115 min.
„Jochen – a Golzower from Philadelphia“ (2001)
35 mm / 115 min.
„Actually, I wanted to become a forester – Bernd from Golzow“ (2003)
35 mm / 142 min.
Henryk Tronowicz
Born in 1936. Film critic and publicist. He studied political economy and journalism at the University of Warsaw, also he attended the Course of Film’s History and Theory at the Polish National Film, Television and Theater School in Łódź. His articles have been published in Warsaw periodicals: „Współczesność” and „Literatura”. He was member of editorial staff in film trade papers: „Filmowy Serwis Prasowy”; weekly „Ekran”; monthly „Kino”. In years 1979 -1981 and 1984 -1985 he edited „Gazeta Festiwalowa”, an organ of management of the Polish Film Festival in Gdańsk. Since 1992 he is connected with editorial staff of „Dziennik Bałtycki”;. He lives in Gdańsk.
Published books:
* „Film Czechosłowacki w Polsce”; (Warsaw 1984)
* „Lucjan Bokiniec”; (Gdańsk 2011)