POLISH FILM ACADEMY

Film, theatre and television director, screenwriter, actor, producer, writer. He was born on March 10, 1955, in Olsztyn. In the years 1973-1974, he studied Polish at the University of Warsaw. A graduate of the Directing Department of the State School of Film, Television and Theatre in Łódź (1978, diploma in 1980). In the years 1984-1985 he studied at California's Cal-Arts.

Before his debut feature film Vabank (1981), he had made the short documentary Zrób to sam/Do It Yourself (1978) and the TV film Bezpośrednie połączenie/Direct Connection (1979). Vabank brought him popularity, critical acclaim and the generosity of festival juries (awards in Koszalin, Gdansk, Karlovy Vary, Manila, Cattolica, Vevey, Marseille). Set in the 1930s, this comedy, full of suspense and unexpected twists and turns, told the story of a legendary bank robber and his main adversary – the bank owner of the suspected bank. It mesmerised viewers with perfect execution, excellent cast, and above all – a subtle script, as did its sequel – Vabank II, czyli riposta/Vabank II, or the Riposte (1984). Between these two films, Machulski made the SF comedy Seksmisja/Sexmission (1983, awards in Gdansk, Łagów, Warsaw Mermaid, Golden Duck), about two men who awake from hibernation after 50 years only to discover that as a result of nuclear cataclysm, the male species has been completely wiped from the Earth. In subsequent films, he consistently perfected his filmmaking style: Kingsajz (1987, awards in Gdynia, Brussels, Avoriaz, Golden Duck) is a fantasy comedy set in Szuflandia, where dwarfs live dreaming of moving to the land of regular-sized individuals, Déjà Vu (1989) – brilliant, full of humour and funny film quotes and references the story of the American-Russian mafia wars in the early Soviet Russia.

V.I.P. (1991), is more serious in tone, as are Szwadron/Squadron (1992, awards in Gdynia), in which the director looks at the January Uprising through the eyes of soldiers of the title division sent to suppress it, and the contemporary television series Matki, żony i kochanki/ Mothers, Wives And Mistresses (1995-1995).

The film Girl Guide (1995, Golden Lions in Gdynia), a "rock&roll-espionage-highlander mix", was made – by his own admission – like grunge graffiti, where nothing seems to fit together, but it all somehow adds up to a coherent whole. He continued the formula of the comedy thriller, drawing on the rich history of the Tenth Muse: Kiler (1997, Award in Gdynia, Diamond Ticket, Golden Duck), Kiler 2 (1999), Pieniądze to nie wszystko/Money Is not Everything (2001), Vinci (2004, Award in Gdynia, 2 Eagles). Also interesting is his Kołysanka/ Lullaby (2010, award in Odessa) – a pastiche of the horror genre.

Juliusz Machulski is also a talented actor, having starred in Personel/Personnel (1975) by Krzysztof Kieślowski or Lekcja martwego języka/Dead Language Lessons (1979) by Janusz Majewski, as well as a great writer, as evidenced not only by the scripts of his films, but also his brilliant autobiographical book Hitman (2012). He is also a recognised producer, founder and artistic director of the "Zebra" Film Studio. In 1989-1991, he was a member of the Committee of Cinematography, in 2003-2008 – chairman of the Polish Film Academy, and in the years 2005-2008 and from 2011 – a member of the board of the Polish Film Institute.

Jerzy Armata