MIROSŁAW DEMBIŃSKI
MIROSŁAW DEMBINSKI
was born in
1959, in Bydgoszcz. In the years 1977-1981, he participated as an actor and
director in the student drama movement at first in Bydgoszcz and then in Toruń,
where in 1978, he started studying mathematics at the Copernicus University.
After graduation he worked as a teaching assistant at the Mathematics Institute
at the Copernicus University.
In 1986, he started
studies at the Film Directing Department at the Polish National Film, TV and
Theatre School in Łódź. In the first year of his studies, he made the film
“THE
CAUSE SMALLER THAN LIFE”,
which won a prize at the
"Young Polish Cinema”
Film Festival in Gdańsk in 1988. His second year documentary
“THE ORANGE
ALTERNATIVE” won three prizes (including the main prize) in Oberhausen,
Bronze Lajkonik in Cracow and a prize in Gdańsk. The real record scorer turned
out to be “MY LITTLE EVEREST”, which won 13 prizes at international
mountain film festivals, amongst them the Genciana d’Argento prize in Trento
(Italy) and festivals in the USA, Canada, India, France (4 festivals),
Switzerland, Czechoslovakia and Poland. The documentary
“STUTTGART” was
broadcast on the West German television channel, SDR in 1989. For the 35 minute
long made for television fiction film
“PLUS, MINUS, INFINITY” starring Z. Zamachowski and Z. Zapasiewicz he got a prize of the Chairman of the Polish
Television for the debut in 1990. In the same year he got a scholarship of the
Minister of Art and Culture and a “Golden Boat” prize of the Mayor of Łódź. For
a year he was a chairman of the Screenwriting Board of Andrzej Munk Studio
before starting work as an academic teacher at the Polish National Film, TV and
Theatre School where he continues to work leading classes in documentary film
direction. In 2007, he received his doctorate in film.
In 1991, he started
working as an independent film producer and founded the “FILM STUDIO EVEREST”
where he made his next documentary
“THE FRUITS OF THE BLACK SOIL”, which
got five prizes at ecological film festivals including the Golden Gate Award in
San Francisco.
In 1993,
“TARANTHRILLER”
was made, which was his TV fiction debut. Then in 1994, together with Waldemar
Dziki and Marcin Ziębiński, he directed the TV series
“THE BANK OUT OF THIS
PLANET”. In 1994, he made a documentary devoted to Katyn crime entitled
“BURY
ME TOGETHER WITH THEM”. In 1996, a television fiction film
“SUMMONS”
directed by Mirosław Dembiński was made in the Film Studio “Perspektywa”, which
was awarded a prize for the best female leading role for Jadwiga
Jankowska-Cieślak at the Polish Feature Film Festival in Gdynia.
In
1997, he made a 13 part-long TV series
“THE ROOM NO. 107” and in 1998 a
documentary “AND WHAT ABOUT YOU?” awarded at the Media Festival “Man in
danger” in Łódź. The film adaptation of a short story
“THE DRUM-MAJOR’S
ADVENTURE” by Sławomir Mrożek was made in 1998. A documentary
“GANEK”
marked Dembiński’s return to mountain theme claiming six prizes at mountain film
festivals in the USA, Canada, Austria and Italy.
The film
“ICARUS”
made in 1999, was awarded prizes at eight mountain film festivals in Poland, the
Czech Republic, Slovakia, the USA, Canada, Austria, Slovenia and Italy.
In 2000, he made a
documentary series about the homeless entitled
“IT’S NECESSARY TO LIVE”
and then in 2002, two films devoted to Marek Kotański:
“GIVE YOURSELF TO
OTHERS” and “TO MAREK KOTAŃSKI”.
The film
“THE DWARF
FOR MAYOR” made in 2003, returned to the theme initiated in “The Orange
Alternative”.
The film
“SHARED
FLIGHT” about a paralized paraglider returning to his passion got seven
prizes at mountain film festivals in Poland, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Canada, India
and Italy.
A
documentary film and a series
“LOSERS AND WINNERS” featured protagonists
from four continents participating in the Homeless World Cup. The film received
“The White Cobra” – Grand Prix at the Media Festival “Man in danger” in Łódź,
“Gold Fish” Prize – Grand Prix at the Optimistic Films’ Festival in Wrocław,
“Jańcio Wodnik” Prize for the best documentary at “Prowincjonalia”
Polish-National Festival of Film Art in Września, as well as a prize at the
Sports Film Festival in Milan.
The film
“GRANDPA”
made in 2005, completed the film triptych about paragliders. Like the previous
ones, this one received eight prizes at mountain film festivals in Poland,
England, Bulgaria, Canada, Slovenia and France.
The film
“DWARFS GO
TO UKRAINE” made in 2005, and devoted to Orange Revolution in Ukraine
received the audience prize at the “Nurt” Polish-wide Independent Review of
Documentary Film in Kielce.
In 2006, Mirosław
Dembiński made the film “A LESSON OF BELARUSIAN”, which talks about the
struggle of young Belarusians for democracy in their country. During the 17
months after the completion of the film, it won 17 prizes at film festivals,
amongst them a Prize for the Best Film from Eastern Europe at the 49
International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film in
Leipzig, the “Moviesquad Doc U” prize at IDFA in Amsterdam – the biggest and
most prestigious documentary film festival in the world, “Vaclav Havel” Prize at
One World Festival in Prague, as well as the Special Prize of ARTE Television at
the International Television Festival “Prix Visionica” in Wrocław, and the
Special Prize “Prix Europa” in the category of television documentary at the
International Film Festival “Prix Europa” in Berlin. It was the 77th
prize for the film works of Mirosław Dembiński.
Next film completed in 2007, is a documentary entitled
“MUSIC PARTISANS”
showing young, Belarusian rock bands, which oppose the regime of president
Lukashenka. They express their attitude to surrounding reality through their
music, clothes and
behaviour.
Its premier took place at the International Documentary Film Festival IDFA in
Amsterdam. Until the end of 2009, this film was awarded 9 times at film
festivals, amongst them in Kiev and Neubrandeburg.
Last documentary made by Mirosław Dembiński is
“PUSTELNIKS IN THE MOUNTAINS”
and it is director’s return to mountain theme. This is a story about
Pustelniks’ family (Pustelnik
–
in Polish means a hermit) whose whole life is connected with mountains.
The main characters of the film are: a Himalayan alpinist Piotr Pustelnik (the
father and a person who
has
already reached the 13 highest peaks of eight-thousand-meter mountains)
and the rock climbers (Adam and Paweł Pustelnik) - sons. Though the film was
presented only at a few mountain film festivals, it was already awarded five
times.
Filmography
"STAWKA MNIEJSZA NIŻ ŻYCIE"
„The Cause Smaller than Life”
21 min.
fiction
PWSFTviT, 1987
A prize at the Festival "Young Polish Cinema" in Gdańsk (Poland) 1988
"POMARAŃCZOWA ALTERNATYWA"
”The Orange Alternative”
21 min.
documentary
PWSFTviT, 1989
The Main Prize at
the International Short Film Festival in Oberhausen (Germany) 1989
DGB prize at the International Short Film Festival in Oberhausen (Germany)
1989
IFFS prize at the International Short Film Festival in Oberhausen (Germany)
1989
„Bronze Lajkonik” at the International Short Film Festival in Cracow
(Poland) 1989
A prize at the Festival "Young Polish Cinema" in Gdańsk (Poland) 1989
12 min.
fiction
PWSFTviT, 1989
The
prize for editing at the International Film School Festival in Babelsberg
(Germany)1989
Grand Prix at the International Mountain Film Festival in Katowice (Poland)
1990
Audience Award at the International Mountain Film Festival in Katowice
(Poland) 1990
Genziana
d'Argento at the International Mountain Film Festival in Trento (Italy) 1990
Special
Jury Prize at the International Mountain Film Festival in Telluride (USA)
1990
A prize
at the International Mountain Film Festival in Les Diablerets (Schwitzerland)
1990
Second
prize at the International Mountain Film Festival in Teplice
(Czechoslovakia) 1990
A prize
at the International Mountain Film Festival in Banff (Canada) 1990
Organization Committee prize at the International Mountain Film Festival in
Autrans (France) 1990
A prize
at the International Mountain Film Festival in Antibes (France) 1990
Jansen
d'Or at the International Mountain Film Festival in Saint Marcelines
(France) 1991
Merit
Award at the International Mountain Film Festival in Calcutta (India) 1991
Special
Mention at the International Mountain Film Festival in Troyes (France) 1992
"STUTTGART"
„Stuttgart“
18 min.
documentary
PWSFTviT, 1989
"PLUS MINUS NIESKOŃCZONOŚĆ"
„Plus Minus Infinity”
34 min.
fiction
TVP, 1990
A prize of Chairman of the TVP for debut in 1990
"OWOCE ZIEMI CZARNEJ"
„The Fruits of the Black Soil”
12 min.
documentary
Film Studio EVEREST for WFO 1992
Main prize at the
Media Festival “Man in Danger” in Łódź
(Poland) 1992
Second prize at
the Environmental Film Festival in Nowogard
(Poland) 1992
Golden Gate Award
at the International Film Festival in San Francisco (USA) 1993
Second prize at
the Environmental Film Festival in Łódź
(Poland) 1993
Special Prize of
Jury at the Environmental Film Festival in Ostrava (Slovakia) 1993
"TARANTHRILLER"
„Taranthriller”
52 min.
fiction
Opus Film for TVP, 1993
„PAWEŁ I GAWEŁ”
„Paweł and Gaweł”
5 x 3 min
fiction
Film Studio EVEREST for WFO 1993
A prize at Media
Festival “Man in Danger” in Łódź (Poland) 1993
"BANK NIE Z TEJ ZIEMI" odc.
X i XII
„The Bank Out of This Planet”
episodes X and XII
2 x 50 min.
fiction series
Pleograf for TVP, 1994
"POCHOWAJCIE MNIE RAZEM Z NIMI"
„Bury Me Together with Them”
52 min.
documentary
Film Studio EVEREST, APF, TVP,1994
"WEZWANIE"
„Summons”
70 min.
fiction
Studio Filmowe Perspektywa for
TVP, 1996
The best actress
award for Jadwiga Jankowska-Cieślak at the Polish Feature Film Festival in
Gdynia
(Poland) 1997
„POKÓJ 107”
„The Room No.107”
13 x 26 min.
fiction series
Studio Filmowe
Perspektywa for TVP 1997
„A TY CO?”
„And What About You?”
26 min.
documentary
Film Studio EVEREST for TVP, 1998
Special prize at
the Media Festival “Man in Danger” in Łódź
(Poland) 1998
„PRZYGODA DOBOSZA”
„The Drum-Major’s Adventure”
9 min.
short fiction
Film Studio EVEREST, APF, Canal
+, 1998
„GANEK”
„Ganek”
26 min.
documentary
Film Studio EVEREST, TVP 1998
„The Best Mountain
Film” at the International Mountain Film Festival in Vancouver (Canada) 1999
Audience Award at
the International Mountain Film Festival in Vancouver (Canada) 1999
A prize UIAA at
the International Mountain Film Festival in Trento (Italy) 1999
Special prize at
the International Mountain Film Festival in Telluride (USA) 1999
A prize at the
International Mountain Film Festival in Graz (Austria) 2000
Best Adventure
Award at the International Adventure Film Festival in Calcutta (India) 2001
„IKAR”
„Icarus”
38 min.
documentary
Film Studio EVEREST, TVP 1999
Special Jury Award at the International Mountain Film Festival in Teplice
(Czech Republic) 1999
Audience Award at the International Mountain Film Festival in Lądek Zdrój
(Poland) 1999
Grand Prix at the
International Mountain Film Festival in Poprad (Slovakia) 1999
Audience Award at
the International Mountain Film Festival in Vancouver (Canada) 2000
A prize „Mountain
Spirit” at the International Mountain Film Festival in Telluride (USA) 2000
Special Jury Award
at the International Mountain Film Festival in Cervino (Italy) 2000
Grand Prix at the
International Mountain Film Festival in Graz (Austria) 2000
Best Director
Award at the International Documentary Film Festival in Ljubljana (Slovenia)
2003
„SZKOŁA PRZETRWANIA”
„School for survival”
24 min.
documentary
Film Studio EVEREST, TVP, 2000
„TRZEBA ŻYĆ”
„It is necessary to live”
7 x 26 min.
documentary series
Film Studio EVEREST,
TVP, 2000
“DAJ SIEBIE INNYM”
„Give yourself to the others”
40 min.
documentary
Film Studio EVEREST, TVP, 2002
„MARKOWI KOTAŃSKIEMU”
„To Marek Kotański”
37 min.
documentary
Film Studio EVEREST, TVP, 2002
36 min.
documentary
Film Studio EVEREST, TVP, 2003
50 min.
documentary
Film Studio EVEREST, APF, TVP, 2003
“Silver Gentian”
prize at the
International
Mountain Film Festival
in Trento (Italy) 2003
Special Jury Award
at the International Mountain Film Festival in Sliven (Bulgaria) 2003
Audience Award at
the Mountain Films Review in Lądek Zdrój (Poland) 2003
Best Human
Adventure Award at the International Adventure Film Festival in Calcutta
(India) 2003
Audience Award at
the International Mountain Film Festival in Vancouver (Canada) 2004
“V4” Prize (Visegrad
Group Prize) at the International Mountain Film Festival in Bratislava
(Slovakia) 2004
Grand Prix at the
Optimistic Film Festival “Happy End” in Wrocław (Poland) 2006
58
min. and 6 x 25 min.
documentary
Film Studio EVEREST, APF, TVP, Media
Plus Program (UE), 2004
“Mention d’Honneur”
„Sport and society. Sport and solidarity” at the International Sport Film
Festival in Milan (Italy) 2004
Grand Prix „White
Cobra” at the Media Festival “Man in Danger” in Łódź (Poland) 2004
Best Documentary
Award at the “Prowincjonalia” Polish-National Festival of Film Art in
Września (Poland) 2005
Grand Prix at the
Optimistic Film Festival “Happy End” in Wrocław (Poland) 2005
26 min.
documentary
Film Studio EVEREST, TVP, 2005
Special Jury Prize at the International Free Flight Film Festival in St.
Hilaire du Touvet (France) 2005
Audience Prize at the International Free Flight Film Festival in St. Hilaire
du Touvet (France) 2005
Best Director
Award at the International Mountain Film Festival in Sliven (Bulgaria) 2005
Prize for Best
Film on Mountain Sport at the International Banff Mountain Film Festival in
Banff (Canada) 2005
Special Mention in
“Mountain Adventure” category at the International Mountain Film Festival in
Kendal (England) 2005
Prize “Judges
Choice” at the International Mountain Film Festival in Kendal (England) 2005
Grand Prix at the Cracow Mountain Film Festival in Cracow (Poland) 2005
Special Mention at „Mountain Sport and Adventure film” category at the
International Mountain Film Festival in Domzale (Slovenia) 2007
55 min.
documentary
Film Studio EVEREST, APF, TVP1, 2005
Audience Award at the Polish-wide Independent Review of Documentary Films
“Nurt 2005” in Kielce (Poland) 2005
52 min.
documentary
Film Studio EVEREST, TVP, PISF, 2006
Award for the Best
East European Documentary at the International Leipzig Festival for
Documentary and Animated Film in Lepizig (Germany) 2006
Jury Mention at
the Media Festival “Man in Danger” in Łódź (Poland) 2006
Award of Minister
of Culture and National Heritage at the Polish-wide Independent Review of
Documentary Film “Nurt 2006” in Kielce (Poland) 2006
Award of Students
Association “Theatre and film friends” at the Polish-wide Independent Review
of Documentary Film “Nurt 2006” in Kielce (Poland) 2006
Award “The
Moviesquad DocU” at the IDFA International Documentary Filmfestival in
Amsterdam (The Netherlands) 2006
The Václav Havel
Special Award
at the
International Human Rights Film Festival “People in need / One world” in
Prague (Czech Republic) 2007
Students’ Award “Next
Generation EU“ at the
International
Human Rights Film Festival “People in need / One world” in Prague (Czech
Republic) 2007
Special Award for
the Best Polish Film at the International Days of Documentary Cinema
„Crossroads of Europe” in Lublin (Poland) 2007
Students’ Jury
Award at the International Human Rights Film Festival in Paris (France) 2007
ARTE
Television Special Award at the International Festival for Creative
Television „Prix Visionica” in Wrocław (Poland) 2007
„Melchior”
Award for the Year’s Inspiration at the Polish-wide Contest for Polish
Reporters in Zielona Góra (Poland) 2007
Award of
President of the Association of Polish Filmmakers at the Cracow Film
Festival in Cracow (Poland) 2007
The Best Actor
Award for Franek Viacorka (main character of film) at the
International Film Festival KINOLEW in Lvov
(Ukraine) 2007
Audience Award at
the International Film Festival „Steps” in Charkow (Ukraine) 2007
Special Mention of
the Jury of the Best documentary at the International Documentary Film
Festival in México City (Mexico) 2007
Special „Prix
Europa” Prize in category TV Documentary at the International Film Festival
„Prix Europa” in Berlin (Germany) 2007
„Prize of the
Festival of Liberties 2007” at the International Film Festival „Festival des
Libertes” in Brussels (Belgium) 2007
52 min.
documentary
Film Studio EVEREST, TVP Belsat,
ARTE G.E.I.E., PISF, Media Plus Program (UE) 2007
Special Jury Mention at the
Human
Rights
Documentary
Film
Days –
Ukrainian Context in Kiev (Ukraine)
2008
First Prize (ex aequo) in documentary section at the Independent Polish Film
Festival in Zawiercie (Poland) 2008
Prize for the Best Documentary at the Optimistic Film Festival „Multimedia
HAPPY END” in Rzeszów (Poland) 2008
Prize of City
of Neubrandenburg at the
documentaryART
European Film
Festival Neubrandenburg/Stettin (Germany – Poland) 2008
Award of the
Student Jury at the
documentaryART
European Film
Festival Neubrandenburg/Stettin (Germany – Poland) 2008
Audience Award
at the
documentaryART
European Film
Festival Neubrandenburg/Stettin (Germany – Poland) 2008
Special Prize
of Governor of Swietokrzyskie
Voivodeship
at the Polish-wide Independent Review of Documentary Film “Nurt 2008” in
Kielce (Poland) 2008
Honorable Diploma at the Media Festival „Man in Danger” in Łódź (Poland)
2008
Audience Award at the TRANZYT Documentary Film Festival in Poznań (Poland)
2009
58 min.
documentary
Film Studio EVEREST, TVP2, PISF,
Media Plus Program (UE), 2008
Prize of Chief
of TORP (Tatra Mountains Rescue Team) at the Mountain Film
Review
in Zakopane (Poland) 2008
Grand Prix at
the Mountain Film Review in Lądek Zdrój (Poland) 2008
Audience Award
at the Mountain Film Review in Lądek Zdrój (Poland) 2008
Grand Prix at the International Mountain Film Festival in Bansko (Bulgaria)
2008
Prize for the
Best Documentary at Optimistic Film Festival „Multimedia HAPPY END” in
Rzeszów (Poland) 2009