Piotr Szulkin

Piotr Szulkin (b. 1950, Gdansk) graduated from a fine arts high school (1970) and then in direction from Lodz’ National Film, Television & Theatre School (PWSFTViT) in 1975. He directs for film, theatre and television, and dabbles in literature as well. He has shot several short films: Everything (Wzystko), The Birth (Narodziny), Working Women (Kobiety pracujące), A Girl with a Devil (Dziewce s ciortem), Charming Eyes (Oczy uroczne) and Meat (Mieso). He has incorporated his original futurological vision, drawn from pessimistic reflections on the continuing decline of humanism, in features with imaginative scenographic solutions: Golem (1979), War of the Worlds (Wojna światów – Następne stulecie, 1981), O-bi, o-ba (O-bi, O-ba. Koniec ciwilizacji, 1985) and Ga, Ga – Glory to the Heroes (Ga, ga – chwala bohateram, 1985); such films gained him several major prizes at home and abroad. After the movie Femina (1991) he returned to his penchant for absurdity, sarcasm and artistic originality in Ubu the King (Ubu Król, 2003). —KVIFF