The Film School in Lodz

The Łódź Film School is one of the oldest film schools in the world – it was established in 1948. Its first lecturers included Jerzy Bossak, Jerzy Toeplitz, Wanda Jakubowska, Stanisław Wohl, and Antoni Bohdziewicz. Among the first students were future directors such as Andrzej Munk, Andrzej Wajda, Roman Polański, Janusz Morgenstern, Kazimierz Kutz, and Kazimierz Karabasz, as well as cinematographers like Jerzy Wójcik, Witold Sobociński, Mieczysław Jahoda, and Wiesław Zdort. At the same time, the Higher School of Acting was opened in Łódź, led by Kazimierz Dejmek. Its first graduates included Jadwiga Barańska and Jan Machulski. In 1958, the film and acting schools were merged. In the 1960s, students of the Directing Department included Jerzy Skolimowski, Krzysztof Zanussi, Edward Żebrowski, Krzysztof Kieślowski, Marek Piwowski, Witold Leszczyński, Grzegorz Królikiewicz, Wojciech Marczewski, and Marcel Łoziński. The Cinematography Department had students such as Adam Holender, Sławomir Idziak, Andrzej Jaroszewicz, Edward Kłosiński, Paweł Edelman and Jolanta Dylewska. This new generation of filmmakers initiated the trend known as “cinema of moral anxiety,” in contrast to the earlier “Polish Film School,” focusing on contemporary issues and deep psychological portraits of characters. Polański, Skolimowski, and Holender emigrated and pursued careers in the West. The Acting Department boasts alumni such as Janusz Gajos, Zygmunt Malanowicz, and Barbara Brylska. The school’s curriculum places a strong emphasis on practical exercises. It educates students in the fields of film, television, photography, and acting. Students acquire knowledge to prepare them for careers as directors, cinematographers, animators, photographers, screenwriters, editors, production managers, and actors. The education combines hands-on workshops with theoretical classes in culture and art history, supporting the comprehensive artistic and scholarly development of students. The Łódź Film School consists of four departments: the Department of Film and Television Directing, the Department of Cinematography and Television Production, the Department of Acting, and the Department of Film Art Organization. Moreover, the School supports and organizes the production of nearly 300 film projects annually. It produces feature, documentary, cinematographic, and animated student films using every available film technique and state-of-the-art equipment.