16-12-2008

Actor in the spotlight: Maciej Stuhr moves out of comedy

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    A moving performance in 33 Scenes From Life brought Maciej Stuhr the Leszek Cybulski Prize, the ultimate recognition in Poland of his versatility as an actor.

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    Maciej Stuhr, the son of a Polish actor and director Jerzy Stuhr, became popular for his comedy roles in movies like Fuks, Boys Don't Cry and Testosterone. A graduate in psychology and acting at the National Acting School in Cracow, he made his debut as child in the final part of Kieslowski's Decalogue series in 1988.

    In 2003 he began a career shift, when he appeared in The Forecast For Tomorrow directed by his father and The Wedding, an awarded drama from Wojciech Smarzowski. In 2007 he took a surprising and controversial part in the Polish theater realization of Tony Kushner's Angels In America, directed by Krzysztof Warlikowski. These performances proved him capable of playing interesting dramatic roles and as versatile as his father, with whom he is constantly compared as "the young Stuhr." His first award for a film performance, the Leszek Cybulski Prize named for the icon of Polish cinema and given to outstanding young actors since 1969, is a recognition of these abilities.

    33 Scenes From Life directed by Małgorzata Szumowska, was awarded at festivals in Gdynia and Locarno. Stuhr's portrayal of a music composer who fails to console his wife when her mother gets cancer, was praised by the critiques after the film's premiere in August 2008.