Sobociński, Piotr

(1958-2001)

   Cinematographer, son of Witold Sobociński. A 1982 graduate of the Department of Cinematography at the Łódź Film School, Sobociński started his career as a camera operator working with directors such as Feliks Falk (There Was Jazz, 1981/1984) and Wojciech J. Has (Uninteresting Story, 1982). He made his first films as a cinematographer in the mid-1980s, among them Filip Bajon's The Magnate (1987). He also worked on two parts (2 and 9) of Krzysztof Kieslowski's Decalogue (1988). Further collaboration with Kieślowski on Three Colors: Red brought Sobociński international acclaim and an Oscar nomination. In 1995 he worked on the multinational coproduction The Seventh Room (La settima stanza), directed by Marta Meszaros, for which he received the top prize, the Golden Frog, at the Camerimage film festival. Later he worked on several big-budget Hollywood films, including Marvin's Room (1996, Jerry Zaks), Ransom (1996, Ron Howard), and Twilight (1998, Robert Benton). He died at the age of forty-three in Vancouver, Canada, during the production of Trapped (2002, Luis Mandoki). This and another film released after Sobocinski's death, Hearts in Atlantis (2001, Scott Hicks), are dedicated to him.

   Historical Dictionary of Polish Cinema by Marek Haltof