Jerzy Kawalerowicz

Jerzy Kawalerowicz (19 January 1922 – 27 December 2007) was a Polish film director.

Kawalerowicz was born in Gwoździec, Poland, one of the few Poles living in an ethnically-mixed Ukrainian and Jewish town. Kawalerowicz's father's family originated from Armenia, originally having the surname Kavalarian. Jerzy Kawalerowicz was noted for his powerful, detail-oriented imagery and the depth of ideas in his films. After working as an assistant director, he made his directorial debut with the 1951 film The Village Mill (Gromada). He was a leading figure in the Polish Film School, and his films Shadow (Cień, 1956) and Night Train (Pociąg, 1959) constitute some of that movement's best work.

Other noted works by Kawalerowicz include Mother Joan of the Angels (Matka Joanna od anioŁów, 1961) and a 1966 adaptation of Bolesław Prus' historical novel, Pharaoh (Faraon), which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

In 1955 Kawalerowicz was appointed head of the prestigious KADR production unit. He held that position again in 1972. He always resisted pressures from the communist administration to produce propaganda films. His studio produced some of the best Polish films by Andrzej Wajda, Tadeusz Konwicki and Juliusz Machulski.

In 1969 he was a member of the jury at the 6th Moscow International Film Festival. In 1975 he was a member of the jury at the 9th Moscow International Film Festival. In 1976 he was the head of the jury at the 26th Berlin International Film Festival. Two years later, his film Death of a President won the Silver Bear for an outstanding artistic contribution at the 1978 festival. At the 11th Moscow International Film Festival he was a member of the jury and was awarded with the Honorable Prize for the contribution to cinema.

In 1983 he alienated some of his peers by signing communist government reports criticizing filmmakers aligned with Solidarity. He died on 27 December 2007 in Warsaw, Poland. His last film, Quo Vadis, had the largest budget for a Polish movie as of 2011.

Selected filmography

• The Village Mill (Gromada, 1952)
• Celuloza (1953)
• Under the Phrygian Star (Pod gwiazdą frygijską, 1954)
• Shadow (Cień, 1956)
• The Real End of the Great War (Prawdziwy koniec wielkiej wojny, 1957)
• Night Train (Pociąg, 1959)
• Mother Joan of the Angels (Matka Joanna od Aniołów , 1961)
• Pharaoh (Faraon, 1966)
• Maddalena (1971)
• Death of a President (Śmierć prezydenta , 1978)
• Encounter on the Atlantic (Spotkanie na Atlantyku, 1980)
• Austeria (The Inn) (1983)
• The Hostage of Europe (Jeniec Europy, 1989)
• Bronstein's Children (Bronsteins Kinder, 1991)
• Quo Vadis? (2001)