An outstanding film director who for several dozen years has been one of the most important cultural ambassadors of Wrocław and Lower Silesia. Asked in an interview about the role Wrocław has played in his life, Sylwester Chęciński said „Wrocław and Lower Silesia are over 50 years of my life. They are the landscape of my films. We have everything here: diverse architecture and an improbable cultural crucible constituting the material and spiritual scenery. What is Wrocław in my life? It is precisely that, my life.”
An excellent director and screenwriter, a legend of Polish cinema possessing a stellar ability to characterize heroes, an accomplished artist, a master of comedy, a director of excellent technique, a man of depth, composed, with a winning personality, friendly, warm and modest.
Sylwester Chęciński was born on 21 May 1930 in Susiec, near Tomaszow Lubelski. In 1947 he came to Lower Silesia. He completed secondary school in Dzierżonów, and university studies in… read more
An outstanding film director who for several dozen years has been one of the most important cultural ambassadors of Wrocław and Lower Silesia. Asked in an interview about the role Wrocław has played in his life, Sylwester Chęciński said „Wrocław and Lower Silesia are over 50 years of my life. They are the landscape of my films. We have everything here: diverse architecture and an improbable cultural crucible constituting the material and spiritual scenery. What is Wrocław in my life? It is precisely that, my life.”
An excellent director and screenwriter, a legend of Polish cinema possessing a stellar ability to characterize heroes, an accomplished artist, a master of comedy, a director of excellent technique, a man of depth, composed, with a winning personality, friendly, warm and modest.
Sylwester Chęciński was born on 21 May 1930 in Susiec, near Tomaszow Lubelski. In 1947 he came to Lower Silesia. He completed secondary school in Dzierżonów, and university studies in 1956 at the Directing Faculty of the Łódź State Film College. After graduation he moved to Wrocław. After years of being asked by journalists why he chose Wrocław, he said “Wrocław was still full of destruction, ruins and traces of war but it was already at that time a beautiful city, the people were wonderful, the atmosphere excellent and the creative energy strong.”
He debuted in 1961 with the extremely popular “Historia żółtej ciżemki” (“History of a Yellow Shoe”). His later films include “Agnieszka 46”, “Katastrofa” (“Catastrophe”), “Sami swoi” (“Our Folks”, one of the most outstanding post-war Polish films), “Tylko umarły odpowie” (“Only the Dead Answer”), “Legenda” (“Legend”), “Diament Radży” („The Rajah’s Diamond”), “Pierwsza miłość” („First Love”), the six-part television mini-series “Droga” (“Road”), “Nie ma mocnych” (“Take it Easy”), “Kochaj albo rzuć” (“Big Deal”), “Roman i Magda” (“Roman and Magda”), “Bo oszalałem dla niej” (“I Went Crazy for Her”), “Wielki Szu” (“Big Shar”), “Rozmowy kontrolowane” (“Calls Controlled”).
He has been honoured multiple times for his artistic accomplishments. The most important and greatest honours are the Silver Medal at the International Children’s Film Festival in Venice for “Historia zółtej ciżemki” (“History of a Yellow Shoe”), the Main Jury Award at the Gdynia Festival of Polish Feature Films for “Kochaj albo rzuć” (“Big Deal”), and the Golden Camera for the trilogy of: “Sami swoi” (“Our Folks”), “Nie ma mocnych” (“Take it Easy”), and “Kochaj albo rzuć” (“Big Deal”).
Sylwester Chęciński has also been distinguished with the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta. He has also twice been awarded the Wrocław Cultural Prize, along with the Wrocław Prize given by the City Council in 2000. He has become a grand presence on the Wrocław cultural scene. —wro2016.pl
