He is a film Director born in 1968, in Toruń. He is a graduate from the Department of Biology of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. For many years, he was the President of a Local Tourist Organisation in Toruń, and a member of the Kujawsko-Pomorska Tourist Organisation. He is also the originator and coordinator of the Tourist Cluster in Toruń.
He has been promoting Toruń for many years, both as a film producer and a director by making films dedicated to historical monuments and interesting people, who helped create the atmosphere and history of the city. Nearly all the films made by Ryszard Kruk touch on stories strictly related to Toruń. This is exactly the case with his most-successful project,, Taksówkarz “/”Taxi Driver” (2008), which was showered with awards, both in Poland and abroad. The film won awards, inter alia, at Tourfilm Brazil, Festiwal UFFoA (the Festival of Amateur Films) in Ustka, the IFF in Tallin, the KULT OFF KINO Festival in TVP Kultura (the Audience Award), Opolskie Lamy FF, the Filmowa Góra Festival in Zielona Góra, the Offeliada Festival in Gniezno, and HAPPY END FF in Rzeszów. The film is a nostalgic story dedicated to Mr. Henryk Janicki, the eldest taxi driver in Toruń, who drove a taxi for over 50 years. He was a figure of a somewhat cult status.
Ryszard Kruk is also not indifferent to the world of music. To date he has made three films dedicated to the Toruń music community. The first of these was a full-length film ,,Homo Musicus” (2012), a large-scale perspective on the music scene in Toruń. In the next one,,, Ziggy Dust “(2015), he told the story of the founder of the legendary punk rock group Bikini, from Toruń.
The latest film by Kruk is ,, Republika. Narodziny legendy/”Republika. The Birth of a Legend”, in which he portrays the story of the so-called first Republika, which existed until 1986, when the band dissolved on its own.
In addition, Ryszard Kruk has made a number of documentary films about historical monuments: ,,Toruń – klejnot gotyku” (2002), ,,Katedra Św. Janów” (2004), and ,,Park Mużakowski – Muskauer Park” (2005).
Selected filmography
- 2002 – „Toruń – klejnot gotyku”
- 2004 – „Katedra Św. Janów”
- 2005 – „Park Mużakowski – Muskauer Park”
- 2008 – „Taksówkarz“
- 2012 – „Homo Musicus”
- 2015 – „Ziggy Dust“
- 2017 – „Republika. Narodziny legendy“
Selected awards
The Tour Film 2004 IFF in Poznań – an award for the film Katedra Św. Janów, an award at the Tourfilm Brazil for ,,Taksówkarz”, Festiwal UFFoA (the Festival of Amateur Films) in Ustka Taksówkarz, the KULT OFF KINO Festival in TVP Kultura – The Audience Award for ,,Taksówkarz”, IFF Tofifest – The Golden Angel Award in the Lokalizacje competition for ,,Ziggy Dus” and many others.
