Łomnicki, Jan

(1929-2002)

   Director of documentary, television, feature films and brother of actor Tadeusz Łomnicki. This prolific filmmaker is mostly remembered for his well-received television series The House (Dom, 1980-2000), dealing with the fates of inhabitants of a Warsaw apartment building, portrayed against the vast panorama of Polish history and politics. Lomnicki's career, however, spans almost fifty years. Beginning in 1954, he produced sixty-four documentary films, including the classic Polish documentary The Birth of a Ship (Narodziny statku, 1961), which received awards at many festivals. He is also known for a series of films referring to the war and occupation: Contribution (Kontrybucja, 1966), To Save the Town (Ocalić miasto, 1976), The Action near the Arsenal (Akcja pod Arsenałem, 1978), and Just beyond This Forest (Jeszcze tylko ten las, 1991). Lomnicki's oeuvre also includes psychological films such as The Slide (Poślizg, 1972) and biopics such as Mr. Dodek (Pan Dodek, 1970), about the prewar comedy star Adolf Dymsza, and Modrzejewska (1989), a television series about the Polish theater legend Helena Modrzejewska (Helena Modjeska). He also directed comedies with references to actual events, such as The Big Giveaway (Wielka wsypa, 1992).

   Other films: The Dowry (Wiano, 1964), Short Questionaire (Mała ankieta, TV, 1970), Awards and Decorations (Nagrody i odznaczenia, 1974), Neverending Lies (Rzeka kłamstwa, TV series, 1989), The Rat (Szczur, 1995).

   Historical Dictionary of Polish Cinema by Marek Haltof