Rosa, Michał

(1963-)

   Film director and screenwriter. A 1992 graduate of the Katowice Film and Television School, Rosa started his career with the medium-length Hot Thursday (Gorący czwartek, 1993), which was a realistic depiction of young delinquent boys from the impoverished parts of Silesia, and the feature Paint (Farba, 1997), a road movie about young people searching for the meaning of life. Rosa's name became associated with detailed, painstaking observations of everyday reality, adeptly captured on camera by his cinematographer Mieczysław Anweiler. His collaboration with screenwriter Krzysztof Piesiewicz resulted in the production of Silence (Cisza, 2001), which was well received by the judges at the 2001 Festival of Polish Films in Gdynia (Best Director award). Photographed by one of Poland's new talents, Arkadiusz Tomiak, the film has abundant metaphorical images that stress the role of mystery and fate. Rosa's recent film, What the Sun Saw (Co słonko widziało, 2006), recipient of the Special Jury Prize at the Festival of Polish Films, is another realistic portrayal of Silesia.

   Historical Dictionary of Polish Cinema by Marek Haltof