SE-MA-FOR

(Studio Małych Form Filmowych SE-MA-FOR; Short Film Studio SEMAFOR)

   Established in 1947 in Łódź, SE-MA-FOR is the oldest Polish film studio producing animated films, mostly for children and young audiences. Since its first film, Zenon Wasilewski's Under the Reign of King Krakus (Za króla Krakusa, 1947), the studio produced more than fourteen hundred films, including eight hundred puppet films, as well as a number of experimental works. They received numerous international awards, including the 1983 Academy Award for Zbigniew Rybczyński's Tango. During its long history, the studio attracted several well-known filmmakers, including Roman Polański, Janusz Majewski, and Filip Bajon, who started their careers there with short films. The studio also produced several works by accomplished makers of animated films such as Daniel Szczechura, Stefan Scha-benbeck, and Piotr Dumała. SE-MA-FOR is also renowned for its classic animated children's series such as The Adventures of Teddy Bear Colargol (Przygody misia Colargola) and The Magic Pencil (Zaczarowany ołówek).

   Historical Dictionary of Polish Cinema by Marek Haltof