31-03-2014

Slawomir Idziak Completes Shooting on New Natalie Portman movie

By Daryna Tsabak
    Sławomir Idziak and Natalie Portman Sławomir Idziak and Natalie Portman

    WARSAW: Polish cinematographer Slawomir Idziak has just wrapped shooting A Tale of Love and Darkness directed by and starring Natalie Portman.  The film which is based on a novel by Amos Oz shot for four months in Israel.

    Portman also co-wrote the script together with Oz.

    The Oscar nominated Idziak received a letter from Portman after the shooting congratulating him on his work on the film.

    Portman in her letter said about her work on the film with Idziak: “The choices we made together in the early stage of preparations for filming helped us save time and effort for the whole team.” Click HERE to read full letter.

    “Remodeling of the work system on a film set can bring extremely positive effects for debuting artists in terms of the quality of films and the costs of their realization,” said Idziak, “On the set of A Tale of Love and Darkness we have increased work efficiency in a small team with demanding time constraints, while providing rich film material.

    Sławomir Idziak Łukasz BakaIdziak is not the only Pole who worked on the film. Young, promising operator Łukasz Baka, son of the actor Miroslaw Baka, also worked with Idziak on the film.

    Based on his experiences while working on the film, Baka will conduct workshops about the modern system of filming and post-production within the framework of this year’s Film Spring Open the Warsaw based organisation founded by Idziak to provide training and support for young AV professionals.

    Sławomir Idziak is a Polish cinematographer, having worked on over seventy Polish and foreign films. He has made fourteen films with Krzysztof Zanussi, worked on all the early films of Krzysztof Kieślowski. He has made films with such directors as Ridley Scott, John Sayles, Michael Winterbottom and John Duigan and has also written and directed two films himself. He worked on Winterbottom's film I Want You, for which he won an Honourable Mention at the 48th Berlin International Film Festival.

    He moved to more mainstream films such as Gattaca (1997), Proof of Life (2000), Black Hawk Down (2001), and King Arthur (2004). In 2002, he was nominated to an Academy Award as well as a BAFTA for 'Best Cinematography' in the film Black Hawk Down.

    Idziak was the director of photography for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the fifth film adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s fantasy series, directed by David Yates. He is also Director of Photography for Battle of Warsaw 1920 - the first of his films, and the first ever Polish-language feature film to be shot in 3D.

    Sławomir Idziak teaches at film schools in Berlin, London and Copenhagen, and also conducts seminars in cinematography in other countries.

    pics of Slawomir and Natalie ABB9428