Events

 

There are only a handful of cinematic masters – Coppola, Kubrick, and Kurosawa are a few who stand out. Among these legends is Krzysztof Kieślowski, director of such masterpieces as Oscar nominated the Three Colours Trilogy, Decalogue and The Double Life of Véronique. Kieślowski created films that speak a universal language and is known and respected by cinema lovers worldwide.

On September 1st, 2011 the cinematic world of Kieślowski is coming to Toronto. Marking the 70th anniversary of his birth and the 15th anniversary of his death, the Film Museum in Łódź along with the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Toronto and YouNxt proudly present the North American premiere of Kieślowski in Posters: The Films of Krzysztof Kieślowski in World Film Posters.

The collection, which spans the years 1976 to 1994, consists of 48 film posters from countries such as: Spain, Italy, Israel, Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Poland. It’s travelled the world and in September will debut in Canada during the Toronto International Film Festival.

On loan from the Film Museum in Łódź for a limited engagement in the epicenter of Toronto’s film festival action, the exhibition will be on display at the Steam Whistle Gallery from September 1-10 and subsequently at the Metro Hall Rotunda from September 12-17.

Anyone with an appreciation for stunning classic and retro movie posters is invited to view the exhibition and attend the opening reception on Wednesday, August 31 from 7pm – 11pm at Steam Whistle Gallery. The unveiling of the exhibition will be accompanied by delicious food courtesy of Grind House and great music.

Admission to the exhibition is FREE.

DATES & VENUES

Steam Whistle Gallery: September 1-10

255 Bremner Blvd.
Toronto, ON
M5V 3M9

Monday to Thursday: 12pm – 6pm
Friday and Saturday: 11am – 6pm
Sunday: 11am – 5pm

Directions: Steam Whistle Brewing is located in the historic CPR John St. Roundhouse, adjacent to the CN Tower. Take the subway to UNION station and walk through the Skywalk out onto Bremner Blvd.  Steam Whistle is located at 255 Bremner Blvd.

An alternative method is to take the Spadina Street-car southbound to Bremner Blvd. and walk east on Bremner to the brewery. SEE MAP 

Metro Hall Rotunda: September 12-17

55 John Street
Toronto, ON
M5V 3C6

Monday to Friday: 7:30am – 9:30pm
Saturday: 8am – 6pm

Directions: Public Transit – take the subway to St. Andrew station, then walk through “PATH” to Metro Hall or walk above ground 2 blocks west. The building is located on the south-east corner of King and John; two blocks east of Spadina. SEE MAP 

THE DIRECTOR

KRZYSZTOF KIEŚLOWSKI was born on 27th June in Warsaw.

Between 1957 and 1962 he attended the College of Theatrical Technology. In 1968 he graduated from the Łódź Film School. He acted as a director and scriptwriter for documentaries, television and cinema films. He also worked in the Documentary Production Company in Warsaw. In 1974 he joined the ‘Tor’ (Eng. ‘rail’) Film Production Unit, which was originally led by Stanisław Różewicz, and later by Krzysztof Zanussi.

In 1969 he made his first documentary – The Photograph, which was produced for television. He made a number of other documentaries before in 1973 he presented his first feature film – The Underground Passage. His next film – Personnel (1975) won the Grand Prix at the Mannheim film festival. In 1976 Kieślowski made his first cinema film – The Scar. 1978 saw his debut as a dramatist and theatre director of Curriculum vitae at the Old Theatre (‘Teatr Stary’) in Cracow.

Since 1971 he was a member of the Polish Filmmaker Association (‘Stowarzyszenie Filmowców Polskich’), where he acted as a deputy president between 1978-1981. His works won numerous awards, diplomas, and prizes, e.g. in film festivals held in Cracow (1974, 1975, 1977, 1979) Mannheim (1975) Gdańsk (1975, 1976, 1979, 1981, 1988) Moscow (1979) Lyon (1979) Lille (1979) Chicago (1980) Nyon (1980) West Berlin (1980) Cannes (1988) San Sebastian (1988) Strasbourg (1988) Sao Paolo (1988) and Venice (1989, 1993).

Three Colours - Blue

His Short Film about Killing won a Felix, a European Film Prize. The most widely known works of Kieślowski include the trilogy Three Colours – Blue, White and Red. Three Colours – Red was nominated for the Academy Award for ‘Best Director’ and ‘Best Screenplay’ (1994). Three Colours – Blue won the Golden Lion in Venice in 1993. Three Colours – White won a Silver Bear award for ‘Best Director’ at the Berlin International Film Festival the following year.

Three Colours - Red

Kieślowski was a member of the British Film Institute, the European Film Academy (being one of five Polish members) and the American Film Academy. He was a lecturer in directing and scriptwriting at academies in Katowice (1979 – 1982), West Berlin (1984), Helsinki (1988), Amsterdam (1990), Switzerland (1985, 1988, 1992) and Łódź (1993 – 1996).

He died in Warsaw on 13th March 1996.

In 1998 the Krzysztof Kieślowski Star was unveiled on the Piotrkowska Street, Avenue of Stars, in Łódź.

THE ORGANIZERS

The Film Museum in Łódź – is the principal museum in Poland dedicated to showcasing exhibits from the field of film technique, art and culture.

The museum contains a vast collection of props, film posters and personal artifacts as well as archaic camera equipment such as a 120-year old photoplasticon (a device that displays stereoscopic 3D photos.) The collection also includes valuable, often unique, devices from the times preceding the invention of the cinema: magic lanterns, stereoscopes and optic toys.

The museum is housed in the mid-nineteenth century former residence of one of the city’s great capitalist barons, Karol Scheibler who on account of his fortune and scope of production used to be called “the king of cotton”.

The city of Łódź has a special place in the history of Polish cinema as legendary filmmakers such as Krzysztof Kieslowski, Roman Polanski, Andrzej Wajda and Jerzy Skolimowski all studied at the National Film, Television and Theatre School based here.

 

The Consulate General of the Republic of Poland carries out a number of functions in pursuit of the Polish Government’s goals. One of them is overseeing the promotion of Polish culture. In this respect the Consulate works to project Poland’s image abroad through a variety of activities and events. It is committed to provide information and support programs and organizations that help it achieve its goals.

 

YouNxt – A branch of the Canada-Poland Chamber of Commerce of Toronto, YouNxt is a network dedicated to connecting, promoting and advancing Polish-Canadian talent. YouNxt’s mission is to create a successful and vibrant Polish-Canadian Community and strengthen Canada through our rich Polish heritage and shared talents.

Last year during the Toronto International Film Festival, YouNxt along with the Polish Consulate organized Plakat, a very successful film poster exhibition which showcased groundbreaking Polish posters for international films. The exhibition received an astounding amount of local and international coverage, including a full page article in the National Post’s prestigious Avenue Page and a red-carpet mention by Oscar award-winning Actor Ben Affleck.

The 2010 Plakat Film Poster Exhibition

Press coverage in the National Post's Avenue Page

THE YouNxt EXHIBITION TEAM

Filip Terlecki is a Warsaw born and Toronto based writer/director who has worked for the National Geographic Channel, History Television and the Independent Film Channel.

As a freelance journalist he has written for popular culture magazine Naked Eye for which he has interviewed Lady Gaga, Emily Haines, MGMT and the Scissor Sisters. He has written columns for, and served on the Community Editorial Board for the Toronto Star.

He is the Co-founder and Director of YouNxt.

Ursula Terlecki was born in Plock, Poland and raised in Toronto, Canada. She graduated from the University of Toronto with an Hounours B.A in European History, World Religions and Polish Studies. As a broadcast media professional at Shaw Broadcasting, Ursula was the publicist for HGTV and DIY Network collaborating with renowned hosts, media and producers across North America.

Currently, she is a Sales and Marketing Executive at IDS Canada.
She is also the Co-founder and Director of Communications for YouNxt.

Ania Garsztka was born in Krakow where she studied Arts at Jagiellonian University. Her main subject of interest is Visual Communication, which has become her main professional focus.

In the near future she wants to continue her education in the area of Fine Art.

Her passion includes film, graphic design, photography, music and literature.

 

 

Kasia Kaminska is a Toronto based painter, photographer and graphic designer who holds a B.A. in Fine Arts from York University.

You can learn more about her work at deepfriedchickenskin.com

 

 

 

 

EXHIBITION SPONSORS

Our exhibition would not be possible without the generous support of the following sponsors:

 

 

 

We hope to see you at the opening reception happening August 31st at the Steam Whistle Gallery from 7pm – 11pm.
And, once you have a chance to check out the exhibition drop us a line and let us know what you thought.
Have a terrific film festival experience!!!
YouNxt



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