In the case of fine arts, the measure of greatness is immortality – both of the works and their creators. But in the case of film – an art form whose presence is measured not in centuries but merely in decades? 85 years ago, festivals were invented – a place for filmmakers to confront their creative achievements.
At the turn of the 1970s and 1980s – in line with the spirit of the era, or rather in accordance with the rules of the prevailing propaganda of success – we looked out for awards for Polish cinema, rejoicing in even the most modest distinctions. After all, being a leading cinematography in the world – three Oscar nominations in the years 1975-77 – was a responsibility. I remember observing the rivalry of the young Piotrs – Szulkin and Andreyev – wondering who would collect more awards. Did people follow Krzysztof Kieślowski’s successes at the time? No, Kieślowski was already out of reach, having a reputation in the industry as a prize hunter, which was spoken of with admiration – perhaps without pride (ah, that professional envy!), but also without irony.
On www.imdb.com, the largest film portal on the Internet, Kieślowski is presented as a filmmaker twice nominated for an Oscar, winner of 61 awards and 26 nominations. An impressive record, but is it complete? In reality, there were more awards granted to Kieślowski and his works – most of them came from feature films, which in the 1980s and 1990s set the path that world cinema, previously focused on politics, should follow. This shift toward metaphysics made Kieślowski widely known – and at a time when Polish cinema was just beginning to find its place in a new reality. It was then that people started talking about Krzysztof Kieślowski as someone who had managed to leave his mark on world cinema, and the measure of his greatness became the fact that everyone could correctly pronounce his name.