25-02-2014

Andrzej Wajda in preparation with new biopic

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    Andrzej Wajda in preparation with new biopic Władysław Strzeminski, source National Digital Archives

    WARSAW: Oscar-winning Polish director Andrzej Wajda has announced plans to shoot a drama based on the life of a renowned Polish painter.

    He visited Lodz on 17 February, where he met with Hanna Zdanowska, president of the city,  to discuss potential support to for the project. "I am reaching a point when I will put other projects aside and return to Lodz," Wajda said. "I don't have a lot of time and I think I should still make a couple of films. One of these movies is the project about Strzeminski."

    Władysław Strzeminski was born in 1893 in Minsk and died in 1952 in Lodz. He was a Polish painter, art writer and a teacher. Considered to be one of the pioneers of constructivism within the Polish avant-garde ot the 20's and 30's, he was also the creator of unism. In 1950 he was fired from his post at the Lodz University of Arts for not conforming to the doctrine of social realism and became one of the fatal victims of the regime that kept him from working at his craft when died of starvation in 1952.

    The City of Lodz press office has announced the city is prepared to co-finance the new project. Companies to be involved have not yet been announced and the script is in development. "Strzemiński is one of the artists that was most hurt during the reign of socrealism," Wajda said. "The work on the script is challenging but I think that this story should be brought to the screen. Strzemiński was a great painter, original, one of a kind and unknown outside of Poland. He was one of the lecturers at my film school. I haven't met him since them, but I've been observing him after he was pushed out."