Tomasz Szafrański was born on 4th May, 1977, in Bydgoszcz. He is a film Director, screenwriter, and translator of specialist film-related literature. He is a graduate of the Department of Directing of the Krzysztof Kieslowski Faculty of the Radio and Television University of Silesia in Katowice.
He started making films during his studies. During that time, he made the following short films: ,,Koniec wojny”/”The End of the War” (2003) and ,,Droga do szczęścia”/”The Road to Happiness” (2004), both of which won festivals in Poland and abroad. He also directed a couple of episodes for the ,,Plebania” and ,,Samo życie” TV series. After his studies, he made an original independent film ,,Diabeł”/,,The Devil”. The film won the Sparky Award at the Slamdance Film Festival, the Flisak and Golden Mannequin Awards at Tofifest IFF, and an ward at the Gdynia Film Festival.
In 2012, he made his full-length début, ,,Od pełni do pełni”/”It’s a Perfect Night for Suicide”, a perverse comedy featuring Andrzej Nejman and Katarzyna Glinka.
In addition, he directed a number of TV series: the crime series ,,Nowa”, featuring a native of Toruń, Małgorzata Kożuchowska, ,,Tylko miłość”, ,,Brzydula”, ,,Naznaczony”, ,,Komisarz Rozen”, and ,,Druga szansa” (seasons two, three, and five). He was also the director behind the first Polish film production for the Walt Disney Company – the comedy series ,,Do dzwonka”/”As the Bell Rings”, for which he also wrote the script.
In recent years, he has made two full-length films, which received a warm reception. The first was ,,Klub włóczykijów i tajemnica dziadka” ,,Hieronima”/”Adventurers’ Club” from 2015, a crazy comedy for young viewers about a boy named Kornel and his uncle, who set off on an unforgettable journey. Their goal is to find the treasure that Grandpa Heronim left during WWII. The young actors are accompanied on the screen by Tomasz Karolak and Wojciech Mecwaldowski.
In 2016, he directed ,,Bez paniki z odrobiną histerii”/”No Panic, with a Hint of Hysteria”, a story about the twists and turns in the life of an inconspicuous-looking accountant, who wanted become a hitman. This American-Polish co-production features Alexander Chance, Charlotte Kirk, Magdalena Lamparska, Zbigniew Zamachowski, and Przemysław Bluszcz. In addition, Stephen Baldwin, a Hollywood star, plays one of the episodic roles.
Tomasz Szafrański is a valued screenwriter – he is a twice winner of the Polish edition of the Hartley-Merrill International Screenwriting Competition, the Special HBO Prize, the Award of the Polish Film Institute, and 2nd Prize in Trzy Korony – Małopolska Nagroda Filmowa (Three Crowns – The Małopolska Film Prize) competition.
In 2018, he started working on his next film for childrenen titled “Rock’n’roll Eddie.”
Tomasz Szafrański writes articles for film magazines and translates Polish editions of professional books about film. In addition, he has recently started cooperating with a theatre.
Selected filmography
- 2000–2011 – „Plebania” (TV series)
- 2002–2010 – „Samo życie” (TV series)
- 2003 – „Koniec wojny”
- 2004 – „Droga do szczęścia”
- 2005 – „Diabeł”/”The Devil”
- 2007–2009 – „Tylko miłość” (TV series)
- 2008–2009 – „Brzydula” (TV series)
- 2009 – „Naznaczony” (TV series)
- 2010 – „Nowa” (TV series)
- 2010–2011 – „Do dzwonka”/”As the Bell Rings” (TV series)
- 2011 – „Komisarz Rozen” (TV series)
- 2012 – „Od pełni do pełni”/”It’s a Perfect Night for Suicide”
- 2012 – „Do dzwonka cafe” (TV series)
- 2013–2014 – „To nie koniec świata!” (TV series)
- 2015 – “Adventurers’ Club”
- 2016 – “No panic, With a Hint of Hysteria”
- 2016–2018 – „Druga szansa” (TV series – seasons 2,3, and 5)
- 2018 – „Władcy przygód. Stąd do Oblivio”
Selected awards
The “Prowincjonalia” All-Poland Film Art Festival in Września – Jańcio Wodnik Main Prize for the Best Short Film; y, the Park City Slamdance Film Festival – Special Jury Mention; Aarhus Festival of Independent Arts – Special Jury Mention; Tofifest IFF – the Flisak Award of the President of Toruń; the ,,Oskariada” Warsaw Festival of Short Films – the Grand Prix in the Student’s Film category; the “Interfilm” International Short Film Festival in Berlin – Special Mention in the International Competition; and others.
