Piesiewicz, Krzysztof

(1945-)

   Lawyer, politician, and scriptwriter whose name is closely linked with Krzysztof Kieślowski. As a respected defense lawyer known for his involvement in several high-profile political cases since 1982, Piesiewicz offered his firsthand knowledge about the mechanisms and abuses of law in post-1981 Poland for Kieslowski's No End (1985). Later, he also coscripted Kieslowski's other films: Decalogue (1988), A Short Film about Killing (1988), A Short Film about Love (1988), The Double Life of Veronique (1991), and the Three Colors Trilogy (1993-1994). Before his death, Kieślowski was embarking on a new trilogy of films with Piesiewicz. They wrote the first part, Heaven (2002, Tom Tykwer), together; the next two parts, L'Enfer (2006, Danis Tanovic) and Hope (in production) were written by Piesiewicz after the director's death. Piesiewicz also collaborated with director Michał Rosa, which resulted in the production of Silence (Cisza, 2001), a film well received by the judges at the 2001 Festival of Polish Films in Gdynia.

   Historical Dictionary of Polish Cinema by Marek Haltof