Łoziński, Marcel

(1940-)

   Leading Polish documentary filmmaker and the winner of numerous awards at the most prestigious film festivals. Born in Paris, Łoziński graduated from the Łódź Film School in 1971 (diploma in 1976) and started his career as assistant director on Krzysztof Kieslowski's short documentary Factory (Fabryka, 1970), a metaphor for Communist Poland. Some of Łoziński's best-known works produced in the 1970s and the 1980s dealt with the issues of Communist manipulation and indoctrination on a metaphorical level, for example How Are We to Live? (Jak żyć? 1977, premiere in 1981) and Microphone Test (Próba mikrofonu, 1980). The power of manipulative montage to distort people's ideas is also shown in his later Film Workshop (Ćwiczenia warsztatowe, 1986). After the transition to democracy, Łoziński produced a four-part documentary about the Communist period in Polish history: Polish People's Republic, 1945-1989 (PRL 45-89, 1990), in which he juxtaposed archival material with comments expressed by those who opposed the Communist system.

   Among several films produced by Łoziński are important documentaries about the Holocaust and Polish-Jewish relations: Witnesses (Świadkowie, 1988), My Seven Jewish Schoolmates (Siedmiu Żydów z mojej klasy, 1991), and I Remember (Pamiętam, 2003). The director also deals with other neglected moments in Polish history in The Katyń Forest (Las Katyński, 1990), a film about the World War II Katyń massacre of thousands of Polish officers by the Soviet regime. Łoziński is also highly regarded for films such as 89 Millimeters from Europe (89 mm od Europy, 1992) and Everything Can Happen (Wszystko moze się przytrafić, 1994). In the former, the routine change of railroad tracks' width on the Polish eastern border provides a metaphor for the relationship between Europe and Russia. In the latter, the conversation between a six-year-old boy (Łoziński's son Tomaszek) and elderly people in a park offers sensitive comments on aging, dying, and the beauty of life.

   Select other films: The Wheels of Fortune (Koło fortuny, 1973), High School Exam (Egzamin dojrzałości, 1979), Rear Window (Okno na podwórze, 1979), My Place (Moje miejsce, 1987), Warsaw 95: The Sentimental Journey (Warszawa 95. Podróz sentymentalna, 1994), We All Were Children (Wszyscy byliśmy dziećmi, 1994), After the Victory (Po zwycięstwie, 1995), So It Doesn't Hurt (Żeby nie bolało, 1998), How It Is Done (Jak to się robi, 2006).

   Historical Dictionary of Polish Cinema by Marek Haltof