SHORTS

SHORTS

TRAMWAJ (TRAMWAJ), 1966

Poland, DVD, Black & White, 6’, Silent Film

Cast: Maria Janiec, Jerzy Braszka

A shy boy starts to exchange glances with a girl on the tram, but it is only after he gets off that he realizes he must meet her. This first short by Kieślowski is important for the clues it offers as to his interest in reality and coincidence.

THE OFFICE (URZĄD), 1966

Poland, DVD, Black & White, 6’, Polish

A documentary exercise observing the absurdity of bureaucracy through a government office service window.

CONCERT OF REQUESTS (KONCERT ŻYCZEŃ), 1968

Poland, DVD, Black & White, 17’, Polish

Cast: Ryszard Dembinski, Jerzy Fedorowicz, Ewa Konarska

This student film is about the camping days of a young couple traveling on a motorcycle. An observation on subcultures during the 60s.

FROM THE CITY OF ŁÓDŹ (Z MIASTA ŁODZI), 1968

Poland, DVD, Black & White, 16’37”, Polish

This creative graduation film by Kieślowski is a portrait primarily of the textile industry but also of the city of Lodz, changed by the advent of communism.

THE PHOTOGRAPH (ZDJĘCIE), 1968

Poland, DVD, Black & White, 32’, Polish

We see an old photograph of two boys wearing soldiers’ headgear and holding rifles. The film is about finding these two men who are now adults and documenting their story.

FACTORY (FABRYKA), 1971

Poland, DVD, Black & White, 16’, Polish

A tractor plant in Ursus which no longer meets production quotas... Despite all the correspondences, applications for licenses, and meetings, they cannot escape the bureaucratic vicious circle. A bitter observation on the impossibility of enterprise in a socialist economy.

I WAS A SOLDIER (BYŁEM ŻOŁNIERZEM), 1971

Poland, DVD, Black & White, 16’, Polish

A documentary about soldiers who lost their sightduring World War II.

WORKERS ‘71: NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US (ROBOTNICY 1971 – NIC O NAS BEZ NAS), 1971

Poland, DVD, Black & White, 47’, Polish

Directors: Krzysztof Kieślowski, Tomasz Zygadio

The film was shot following the strikes in December 1970 during which workers were killed. It shows how the alleged ruling class had somewhat different views from those reflected in the newspaper headlines.

BEFORE THE RALLY (PRZED RAJDEM), 1971

Poland, DVD, Black & White, Color, 14’27”, Polish

This documentary is an account of the preparations of driver Krzysztof Komornicki for the Monte Carlo rally. The technical shortcomings of his Polish Fiat 125 prevent him from finishing the race. The film is an allegory of the country’s economic situation.

REFRAIN (REFREN), 1972

Poland, DVD, Black & White, 10’, Polish

A documentary about a paranoid bureaucracy in which funerals, mourning, and emotions are turned into numbers and forms.

THE PRINCIPLES OF HYGIENE AND SAFETY IN A COPPER MINE (PODSTAWY BHP W KOPALNI MIEDZI), 1972

Poland, DVD, Color, 10’, Polish

A documentary about safety and hygiene conditions in the Lubin copper mine.

BETWEEN WROCŁAW AND ZIELONA GÓRA (MIĘDZY WROCŁAWIEM A ZIELONĄ GÓRA), 1972

Poland, DVD, Color, 10’, Polish

The life of workers was an important topic for Kieślowski. Focusing on the Lubin copper mine, this documentary has a word to say about the hopes of the mineworkers.

THE BRICKLAYER (MURARZ), 1973

Poland, DVD, Color, 17’, Polish

The film tells the story of how a mason, an exemplary worker of the Stalinist era, was enticed to serve communist purposes.

PEDESTRIAN SUBWAY (PRZEJŚCIE PODZIEMNE), 1974

Poland, DVD, Black & White, 28’48”, Polish

Cast: Teresa Budzisz-Krzyza, Anna Jaraczowna, Zygmunt Maciejewski

With its handheld camera, editing, and narrative this story was shot in a documentary style and is about a woman who leaves her married life in the small town to move to Warsaw and her husband who comes after her to win her back.

FIRST LOVE (PIERWSZA MIŁOŚĆ), 1974

Poland, DVD, Color, 52’09”, Polish

Half documentary, half fiction, the film touches upon the problems of young Polish people through the story of a young unmarried couple.

X-RAY (PRZEŚWIETLENIE), 1974

Poland, DVD, Color, 13’, Polish

A documentary analyzing the fears and psychology of tuberculosis patients and their wish to return to a normal life.

CURRICULUM VITAE (ŻYCIORYS), 1975

Poland, DVD, Black & White, 45’, Polish

The Party Control Commission examines the life of a worker excluded from the Party. While the Party Control Commission is real, the person they are judging and his life story are fictional.

SLATE (KLAPS), 1976

Poland, DVD, Color, 6’, Polish

A compilation of outtakes from Kieślowski’s first feature film The Scar...

HOSPITAL (SZPITAL), 1977

Poland, DVD, Black & White, 11’, Polish

This documentary shows how orthopedic surgeons on a 32-hour shift persevere despite constant power outages and shortage of material.

FROM A NIGHT PORTER’S POINT OF VIEW (Z PUNKTU WIDZENIA NOCNEGO PORTIERA), 1979

Poland, DVD, Color, 15’45”, Polish

The portrait of a factory watchman; a disciplinarian who believes that regulations are more important than people.

SEVEN WOMEN OF DIFFERENT AGES (SIEDEM KOBIET W RÓZNYM WIEKU), 1979

Poland, DVD, Black & White, 15’15’’, Polish

The film follows a group of ballerinas between 7 and 77 years old who work and rehearse seven days of the week.

TALKING HEADS (GADAJACE GŁOWY), 1980

Poland, DVD, Black & White, 15’, Polish

79 Polish people of various ages ranging from children to elders answer three questions: “When were you born?”, “What are you?”, and “What do you want the most?”...

RAILWAY STATION (DWORZEC), 1980

Poland, DVD, Black & White, 12’, Polish

Warsaw railway station... Some have fallen asleep, others are waiting for another person. According to Kieślowski this film is about “people looking for something”..