Daniel Olbrychski needs no introduction. The legendary Polish actor has been present on the silver screen and stage for five decades now, having played over two hundred different parts. On the stage he took all possible acting challenges, including the Shakespearean legends - Hamlet, Macbeth, Otello - and the part of Rhett Butler in the theatre adaptation of Gone with the Wind. Without his signature roles - Andrzej Kmicic in Jerzy Hoffman's The Deluge, Karol Borowiecki in Andrzej Wajda's The Promised Land, Marek Arens in Janusz Morgenstern's Jowita, to name just a few - Polish cinema would be much poorer. Daniel Olbrychski's contribution to the art of acting is invaluable. That is why we are proud to announce that during the 20th edition of the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography PLUS CAMERIMAGEDaniel Olbrychski will receive the Acting Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Art of Film.

Daniel Olbrychski
Daniel Olbrychski wanted to become an actor since his earliest days when he participated in stage plays at school. After moving to Warsaw he got his first acting experiences in the TVP Youth Theatre under the direction of Andrzej Konic. Quite soon he discovered, however, that cinema is his true calling. He made his debut in films when he was 18 years old, in Janusz Nasfeter's Wounded in the Forest, still studying in the National Theatre School in Warsaw. His role in Andrzej Wajda's The Ashes earned highest accolades. The acclaimed Polish director took Olbrychski under his wings, casting him in many memorable roles (Everything for Sale, Landscape After Battle, The Birch Wood, The Wedding, The Promised Land, Young Girls of Wilko) and providing him with great opportunity for his acting talent to thrive. It was due to this co-operation that the world heard about Daniel Olbrychski for the first time.

Still from "The Promised Land"
In his roles Olbrychski was able to display both the youthful swagger and profound emotions. He played tough, determined characters, but at the same time he wasn't afraid to show their psychological flaws. He became an idol to both the Polish audiences and critics. Apart from Wajda's films, he starred in Krzysztof Zanussi's Family Life, Jerzy Hoffman's Colonel Wolodyjowski, Filip Bajon's Inspection of the Crime Scene 1901, and Lech Majewski's The Knight, among others. The changing political situation in Poland made him leave the country and try his luck in acting abroad. Before leaving he had already played in the films of Miclos Jansco, but it was at the turn of the 70s and 80s that he was really noticed in other countries. He was cast for Volker Schlöndorff's The Tin Drum, Lordan Zafranović's Fall of Italy, Claude Lelouch's Dance of Life, and Joseph Losey's The Trout. After a few years abroad he once again triumphed in Polish cinema with Piotr Szulkin's Ga-ga: Glory to the Heroes.

Still from "The Deluge"
Since that time he starred both in Polish and foreign films, gaining acknowledgement even in supporting roles. Philip Kaufman's The Unbereable Lightness of Being, Krzysztof Kieślowski's The Decalogue III, Nikita Mikhalkov's The Barber of Siberia, Andrzej Wajda's Pan Tadeusz: The Last Foray in Lithuania, Filip Bajon's The Spring to Come, Phillip Noyce's Salt - these are only a few of the films he truly shined in. Through his roles Daniel Olbrychski brought fame to Polish acting school, thus helping a number of his colleagues. He always valued the art of filmmaking, including the visual side of the films he starred in. We think there is no better candidate than Daniel Olbrychski for the Acting Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Art of Film of the 20th International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography PLUS CAMERIMAGE.



Selected filmography:

• The Ashes; 1965; dir.: Andrzej Wajda, cin.: Jerzy Lipman
• Jovita; 1967; dir.: Janusz Morgenstern, cin.: Jan Laskowski
• Colonel Wolodyjowski; 1969; dir.: Jerzy Hoffman, cin.: Jerzy Lipman
• The Wedding; 1973; dir.: Andrzej Wajda, cin.: Witold Sobociński
• The Deluge; 1974; dir.: Jerzy Hoffman, cin.: Jerzy Wójcik
• The Promised Land; 1975; dir.: Andrzej Wajda, cin.: Wacław Dybowski, Edward Kłosiński, Witold Sobociński
• The Tin Drum; 1979; dir.: Volker Schlöndorff, cin.: Igor Luther
• Young Girls of Wilko; 1979; dir.: Andrzej Wajda, cin.: Edward Kłosiński
• The Trout; 1982; dir.: Joseph Losey, cin.: Henri Alekan
• Pan Tadeusz: The Last Foray in Lithuania; 1999; cin.: Andrzej Wajda, zdj.: Paweł Edelman