Łazarkiewicz, Magdalena

(1954-)

   Scriptwriter and director, a 1982 graduate of the Katowice Film and Television School, sister of Agnieszka Holland. Łazarkiewicz is chiefly known for the youth-oriented The Last Bell (Ostatni dzwonek, 1989), political Departure (Odjazd, 1992, codirected with her husband, Piotr Łazarkiewicz), and White Marriage (Białe małżeństwo, 1993). The latter film can be taken as an intelligent discussion of female sexuality with strong Freudian overtones, something of a rarity in Polish cinema. Perhaps Lazarkiewicz's best work is a modest television film, The Touch (Przez dotyk, 1986), a realistic psychological drama set in a hospital, featuring Maria Ciunelis and Grażyna Szapołowska.

   Other films: Another Shore (Drugi brzeg, TV, 1997), To the End of the World (Na koniec świata, 1999), Dreams to Fulfill (Marzenia do spełnienia, TV series, 2001-2002).

   Historical Dictionary of Polish Cinema by Marek Haltof