Krzysztof Marek Piesiewicz (born on October 25, 1945 in
WarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River roughly from both the Baltic Sea coast and the Carpathian Mountains. Its population as of 2009 was estimated at 1,709,781, and the Warsaw metropolitan area at approximately 2,785,000...
,
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
) is a
PolishPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
lawyerA lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person licensed to practice law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain stability, and deliver...
,
screenwriterScreenwriters or scenarists or scriptwriters are people in a film crew who write/create the screenplays from which films and television programs are made....
, and
politicianA politician or political leader is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making. This includes people who hold decision-making positions in government, and people who seek those positions, whether by means of election, coup d'état, appointment, electoral fraud, conquest,...
, who is currently a member of the
Polish ParliamentThe Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. Each member of Sejm is called Poseł.Before the 20th century, the term "Sejm" referred to the entire three-chamber Polish parliament, comprising the lower house , the upper house and the King. It was commonly termed a three-estate parliament...
and head of the Ruch Społeczny (RS) or Social Movement Party.
Piesiewicz studied law at Warsaw University and began practicing in 1973. Through the late 1970s he became increasingly involved in political cases, defending opponents of the Communist regime, serving as a legal advisor for
SolidaritySolidarity is a Polish trade union federation founded in September 1980 at the Gdańsk Shipyard, and originally led by Lech Wałęsa.Solidarity was the first non-Communist-controlled trade union in a Warsaw Pact country...
, and assisting in the successful prosecution of the murderers of Jerzy Popiełuszko.
In 1982 he met the film director
Krzysztof KieślowskiKrzysztof Kieślowski , was an influential Polish film director and screenwriter, known internationally for his film cycles The Decalogue and Three Colors.-Early life:...
, who was planning to direct a
documentaryDocumentary film is a broad category of visual expressions that is based on the attempt, in one fashion or another, to "document" reality. Although "documentary film" originally referred to movies shot on film stock, it has subsequently expanded to include video and digital productions that can...
on political
show trialThe term show trial is a pejorative description of a type of highly public trial. The term was first recorded in the 1930s. There is a strong connotation that the judicial authorities have already determined the guilt of the defendant and that the actual trial has as its only goal to present the...
s in Poland under
martial lawMartial law in Poland refers to the period of time from December 13, 1981 to July 22, 1983, when the government of the People's Republic of Poland drastically restricted normal life by introducing martial law in an attempt to crush the political opposition against the Communist rule in Poland...
.
Krzysztof Marek Piesiewicz (born on October 25, 1945 in
WarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River roughly from both the Baltic Sea coast and the Carpathian Mountains. Its population as of 2009 was estimated at 1,709,781, and the Warsaw metropolitan area at approximately 2,785,000...
,
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
) is a
PolishPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
lawyerA lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person licensed to practice law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain stability, and deliver...
,
screenwriterScreenwriters or scenarists or scriptwriters are people in a film crew who write/create the screenplays from which films and television programs are made....
, and
politicianA politician or political leader is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making. This includes people who hold decision-making positions in government, and people who seek those positions, whether by means of election, coup d'état, appointment, electoral fraud, conquest,...
, who is currently a member of the
Polish ParliamentThe Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. Each member of Sejm is called Poseł.Before the 20th century, the term "Sejm" referred to the entire three-chamber Polish parliament, comprising the lower house , the upper house and the King. It was commonly termed a three-estate parliament...
and head of the Ruch Społeczny (RS) or Social Movement Party.
Piesiewicz studied law at Warsaw University and began practicing in 1973. Through the late 1970s he became increasingly involved in political cases, defending opponents of the Communist regime, serving as a legal advisor for
SolidaritySolidarity is a Polish trade union federation founded in September 1980 at the Gdańsk Shipyard, and originally led by Lech Wałęsa.Solidarity was the first non-Communist-controlled trade union in a Warsaw Pact country...
, and assisting in the successful prosecution of the murderers of Jerzy Popiełuszko.
In 1982 he met the film director
Krzysztof KieślowskiKrzysztof Kieślowski , was an influential Polish film director and screenwriter, known internationally for his film cycles The Decalogue and Three Colors.-Early life:...
, who was planning to direct a
documentaryDocumentary film is a broad category of visual expressions that is based on the attempt, in one fashion or another, to "document" reality. Although "documentary film" originally referred to movies shot on film stock, it has subsequently expanded to include video and digital productions that can...
on political
show trialThe term show trial is a pejorative description of a type of highly public trial. The term was first recorded in the 1930s. There is a strong connotation that the judicial authorities have already determined the guilt of the defendant and that the actual trial has as its only goal to present the...
s in Poland under
martial lawMartial law in Poland refers to the period of time from December 13, 1981 to July 22, 1983, when the government of the People's Republic of Poland drastically restricted normal life by introducing martial law in an attempt to crush the political opposition against the Communist rule in Poland...
. Piesiewicz agreed to help, though he doubted whether an accurate film could be made within the constraints of the judicial system; indeed, the filmmakers found that their presence in court seemed to be affecting the outcomes of cases, often improving the prospects of the accused, but making it hard to capture judicial abuses.
Kieślowski decided to explore the issue through fiction instead, and the two collaborated for the first time as writers on the
feature filmIn the film industry, a feature film is a film made for initial distribution in theaters and being the "main attraction" of the screening...
No End, released in 1984.
Piesewicz returned to his law career, but remained in touch with Kieślowski and three years later persuaded him to create a series of films based on the
Ten CommandmentsThe Ten Commandments, or Decalogue, are a list of religious and moral imperatives that, according to Judeo-Christian tradition, were authored by God and given to Moses on the mountain referred to as "Mount Sinai" or "Horeb" in the form of two stone tablets...
. This series,
The DecalogueThe Decalogue is a 1989 Polish television drama series directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski and co-written by Kieślowski with Krzysztof Piesiewicz, with music by Zbigniew Preisner...
, explored the filmmakers' mutual interest in
moralMorality has three principal meanings.In its first, descriptive usage, morality means a code of conduct or belief concerning matters of what is moral or immoral...
and
ethicalEthics is a branch of philosophy which seeks to address questions about morality, such as what the fundamental semantic, ontological, and epistemic nature of ethics or morality is , how moral values should be determined , how a moral outcome can be achieved in specific situations , how moral...
dilemmas in contemporary social and political life, and achieved (belated) critical acclaim around the world.
Their later collaborations,
The Double Life of VéroniqueThe Double Life of Véronique is a 1991 French- and Polish-language film directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski, co-written by Kieślowski and Krzysztof Piesiewicz, starring Irène Jacob, with music by Zbigniew Preisner. The film was Kieślowski's first to be produced partly outside Poland.A Criterion...
and
Three ColorsThree Colours is the collective title of three films — a trilogy — directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski, two made in French and one primarily in Polish: Trois couleurs: Bleu , Trzy kolory: Biały , and Trois couleurs: Rouge...
(
BlueThree Colours: Blue is a 1993 French film written, produced and directed by the acclaimed Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski...
,
WhiteThree Colours: White is a 1994 Polish-film co-written, produced, and directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski...
,
Red), focused on metaphysical questions of personal choice and appeared relatively apolitical, though the latter series was based on Piesiewicz's idea of dramatizing the
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
political ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity in the same way they had previously dramatized the Ten Commandments.
Piesiewicz was credited as co-writer on all of Kieślowski's projects after
No End, the last of which was
Nadzieja, directed by Stanislaw Mucha after Kieślowski's death. He has begun writing a new series of films,
The Stigmatised; the first of these,
Silence, was directed by Michał Rosa and released in 2002.
Piesiewicz's career in electoral politics began in 1989, when he began working in the Social Movement for Solidarity Electoral Action (RS AWS) party, originally the political wing of the Solidarity union and the leading party in the center-right
AWSAWS or aws can mean:* Abyss Web Server* Advanced Wireless Services* Affordable Weapon System, cruise missile system built into standard shipping container by Titan Corporation for US Navy’s Office of Naval Research...
coalition. In 1991 he was elected to the
Polish SenateThe Senate is the upper house of the Polish parliament. It consists of 100 senators elected by universal ballot and is headed by the Marshal of the Senate .-History:...
, served for two years, then returned in 1997. In 2002, RS AWS changed its name to RS and elected Piesiewicz as its leader. However, since 2001 the AWS coalition and RS have played a negligible role in Polish national politics.
External links