Waldemar Grzesik was a monuments conservator by profession, as well as a photographer, multimedia graphic designer, film director and screenwriter. He was born in Torun in 1954. His film début came very late, in 2005, when he was 50.
Grzesik was a self-taught filmmaker. The films he made were based on solid literary originals. Two of his short feature films, i.e. ,,Brat czeka na końcu drogi” and ,,Najświętsze słowo naszego życia”, based on the prose of Marek Hłasko, brought him many awards, and recognition among the community of filmmakers.
The film Brat czeka na końcu drogi from 2005 is an intimate story taking place in the 1950s in Poland, during the Stalinist era, discussing the lack of empathy among the Polish people. In the film, Waldemar Grzesik demonstrated his superb ability to adapt a literary original to the screen, with no unnecessary interferences in its structure, while at the same perfectly translating it into the reality of the film medium. His successive film Najświętsze słowo naszego życia was made in 2007. Once again, Grzesik set the film in the 1950s, telling a story about the destructive power of an emerging affection, as a peculiar parable.
The shooting for ,,Zabawa”, the last film by Grzesik, started in 1985, using Super 8mm film. The film was finally edited in 2009, when digital editing was already a reality.
Waldemar Grzesik passed away in 2015.
Selected filmography
- 2005 – „Brat czeka na końcu drogi”
- 2007 – „Najświętsze słowo naszego życia”
- 2009 – „Zabawa”
Selected awards
The Grand Prix at the 9th edition of ZOOM IFF for Brat czeka na końcu drogi; the Grand Prix at Przegląd Filmów Niezależnych (the Review of Independent Films) in Zielona Góra for ,,Brat czeka na końcu drogi”; Special Prize at the 1st edition of Żywiecki Festiwal Filmów Amatorskich (the Festival of Amateur Films in Żywiec) for ,,Brat czeka na końcu drogi”; An award for the Best Début Film at Ogólnopolski Konkurs Filmów Niezależnych OKFA (The OKFA All-Poland Independent Film Competition) in Konin for ,,Brat czeka na końcu drogi”; the Grand Prix at the Berliner Film Fenster – The Grenzenlos Award for Brat czeka na końcu drogi; Tofifest IFF 2008 – The Flisak Award; and others.
