Mariusz Kotowski

Last updated
Mariusz Kotowski
Mariusz Kotowski.jpg
Born
Olsztyn, Poland
Citizenship Polish-American
Occupation(s)Writer, director
Years active2004–present
Notable work Pola Negri: Life is a Dream in Cinema

Mariusz Kotowski is a Polish-born writer and director. As a director, he has gained a reputation for cinematic portrayals that are atypical of both Hollywood and independent film styles and that cleverly mix different film approaches into a cohesive whole. [1]

Contents

To date, Kotowski's feature films include Pola Negri: Life is a Dream in Cinema (2006), a feature-length biographical documentary about the silent film actress Pola Negri; the Holocaust film Esther's Diary (2010), which was originally released in 2007 as Forgiveness; and Deeper and Deeper (2010), an erotic psychological thriller starring Emmy-winning actor David Lago. All of these films have been released by Kotowski's Austin-based production company Bright Shining City Productions.

Prior to the launch of his directorial career, Kotowski worked as a renowned dancer and dance choreographer. As a dancer, Kotowski has the distinction of being the first Polish citizen ever to receive the rare Triple Fellowship in dance from the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing in London. [2]

Biography

Mariusz Kotowski was born in the city of Olsztyn in northeast Poland. Kotowski's original inspiration to get into the arts came from watching Gene Kelly and Billy Wilder films on television. Kotowski made a decision at a young age to emigrate to America and become a movie director. [2]

Initially Kotowski studied dance and dance choreography in Poland, and received a Master of Arts in Education before being accepted into Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing in London. [3] It was there that he became the first Polish citizen ever to receive the rare Triple Fellowship from the organization. Kotowski then moved to New York City 1988, working as a dancer, choreographer, and dance instructor [4] by day and studying film directing at the NYU Film School by night. [2]

Kotowski invested three years and a considerable personal fortune into researching and filming the documentary Pola Negri: Life is a Dream in Cinema , [5] a biographical documentary about silent film actress Pola Negri. The film is notable for featuring extensive interviews with film stars Hayley Mills and Eli Wallach, who were starring actress and supporting actor respectively in Negri's final film The Moon-Spinners (1964). The film premiered on April 29, 2006 at Laemmle's Sunset 5 Theatre in Hollywood as part of the Seventh Annual Polish Film Festival of Los Angeles, [6] The film went on to play festivals and Pola Negri retrospectives all over the United States and Europe, including screenings at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York and La Cinémathèque Française in Paris. [1]

Kotowski's next film was a dramatic film with a Holocaust-related subplot entitled Forgiveness (2007). The film was re-edited to more strongly emphasize the Holocaust story and retitled Esther's Diary (2010). The film's Holocaust narrative is inspired by real-life stories told to the director by his Polish grandparents, who were personally involved with hiding Polish Jews from the Nazis during World War II. [7]

Kotowski's most recent film is the erotic psychological thriller Deeper and Deeper (2010). The film stars Daytime Emmy Award-winning [8] actor David Lago ( The Young and the Restless ). Like its predecessor, Pola Negri: Life is a Dream in Cinema, the film made its premiere at Laemmle's Sunset 5 Theatre in West Hollywood, California, playing on April 26, 2010 at the Eleventh Annual Polish Film Festival of Los Angeles. [9]

Kotowski authored a Polish-language biography of Pola Negri entitled Pola Negri: Legenda Hollywood (English title: Pola Negri: Hollywood Legend). The book was released in Poland on February 24, 2011, by Prosynski Media. [10] The book won the "Book of The Year" and "Book of the Month" award in the biography category from the Polish publication Ksiazki magazyn literacki (Books Literary Magazine). [11]

Also in 2011, Kotowski produced the 3-DVD set Pola Negri: The Iconic Collection, which features the Negri's Polish and German silent films Bestia (The Polish Dancer, 1917), Der Gelbe Schein (The Yellow Ticket, 1918), Die Augen der Mumie Ma (The Eyes of the Mummy Ma, 1918), and Sappho (1921). The films have been re-mastered, with intertitles translated into English and scored with original piano music composed and performed by Rick Dejonge. [12] The DVD set was picked up for distribution by Emphasis Entertainment later in the year and reissued February 7, 2012. [13]

The Golden Halo Award presented to Kotowski by the Southern California Motion Picture Council in 2010. In 2011, Kotowski received a Pola Negri Appreciation Award from the Pola Negri Cultural Society in Lipno (Lipnowskie Towarzystwo Kulturalne im. Poli Negri).

Filmography

Feature films

Short films

Related Research Articles

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<i>Forgiveness</i> (2008 film) 2008 American film

Forgiveness, also known as Esther's Diary, is a 2008 American dramatic Holocaust film written and directed by Polish-American director Mariusz Kotowski, with a screenplay by Allan Knee. The film is marked as being the director's first feature-length film.

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<i>Pola Negri: Life Is a Dream in Cinema</i> 2006 American film

Pola Negri: Life is a Dream in Cinema is a feature-length biographical documentary film by Polish-American director Mariusz Kotowski released in 2006. The film chronicles the life of Polish silent film actress Pola Negri, as told by those who knew her and those who have studied her life and films.

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<i>Mazurka</i> (film) 1935 film

Mazurka is a 1935 German drama film directed by Willi Forst and starring Pola Negri, Albrecht Schoenhals, and Ingeborg Theek. A woman is put on trial for murdering a predatory musician. It takes its name from the Mazurka, a Polish folk dance.

<i>Tango Notturno</i> 1937 film

Tango Notturno is a 1937 German drama film directed by Fritz Kirchhoff and starring Pola Negri, Albrecht Schoenhals, and Lina Carstens.

<i>Lily of the Dust</i> 1924 film by Dimitri Buchowetzki

Lily of the Dust is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Dimitri Buchowetzki, starring Pola Negri, produced by Famous Players–Lasky, and distributed by Paramount Pictures. This movie was based on the 1908 novel The Song of Songs by Hermann Sudermann and the 1914 Broadway play The Song of Songs by Edward Sheldon.

Bright Shining City Productions is an independent film and media production company established in Austin, Texas by Polish-American film director and producer Mariusz Kotowski in 2005. The company's initial film project was the full-length documentary Pola Negri: Life is a Dream in Cinema, highlighting the career of Polish silent film star Pola Negri. The production company went on to release the narrative films Forgiveness and Deeper and Deeper (2010), the latter starring Emmy-winning actor David Lago. All three of the films have also been released on DVD.

<i>The Yellow Ticket</i> (1918 German film) 1918 film

The Yellow Ticket, also known as The Devil's Pawn, is a 1918 German silent film starring Pola Negri in a double role as Lea and her mother Lydia, Victor Janson as Ossip Storki, and Harry Liedtke as Dimitri. It was directed by Victor Janson and Eugen Illés.

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The Closed Chain is a 1920 German silent film directed by Paul L. Stein and starring Pola Negri, Aud Egede-Nissen, and Carl Ebert.

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Mania is a 1918 German silent drama film directed by Eugen Illés and starring Pola Negri, Arthur Schröder and Ernst Wendt.

<i>The Secret Lie</i> 1938 film

The Secret Lie is a 1938 German drama film directed by Nunzio Malasomma and starring Pola Negri, Hermann Braun, and Herbert Hübner.

<i>Fanatisme</i> 1934 film

Fanatisme is a 1934 French historical drama film directed by Tony Lekain and Gaston Ravel and starring Pola Negri, Jean Yonnel and Lucien Rozenberg. The film's sets were designed by the art director Claude Bouxin.

<i>Moscow–Shanghai</i> 1936 film

Moscow–Shanghai is a 1936 German drama film directed by Paul Wegener and starring Pola Negri, Gustav Diessl and Susi Lanner. It was shot at the Babelsberg Studios in Berlin. The film's sets were designed by the art director Alfred Bütow and Willi Herrmann.

<i>The Night of Decision</i> (1938 film) 1938 film

The Night of Decision is a 1938 German drama film directed by Nunzio Malasomma and starring Pola Negri, Hans Zesch-Ballot and Sabine Peters. The film was Negri's final production in Nazi Germany, made at the time of the Munich Crisis. It was an independent film.

References

  1. 1 2 "Pola Negri: Life is a Dream in Cinema documentary page at POLANEGRI.COM". Archived from the original on 2022-10-07. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
  2. 1 2 3 Mariusz Kotowski biography at Bright Shining City Productions website
  3. ↑ Mariusz Kotowski biography, Artist/VIP page, Polish Film Festival of Los Angeles
  4. ↑ "WEDDINGS/CELEBRATIONS: VOWS; Heidi Hutter and Mark Kotowski" by Lois Smith Brady. New York Times, May 18, 2003. Online version of article accessed July 3, 2010.
  5. ↑ ""About The Director", Pola Negri: Life is a Dream in Cinema page, POLANEGRI.COM". Archived from the original on 2022-10-07. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
  6. ↑ "Polish Film Festivals." Archived 2011-02-07 at the Wayback Machine Polish Music News, April 2006, Vol. 12, No. 4. ISSN 1098-9188. Los Angeles: Polish Music Center, University of Southern California.
  7. ↑ Review of Esther's Diary by David Gasten, POLANEGRI.COM Archived 2010-08-02 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ↑ David Scott Lago at Soap Opera Central
  9. ↑ "Psychological Thriller DEEPER AND DEEPER Debuts in Hollywood with World Premiere at 11th Annual Polish Film Festival on April 26." Press release, Bright Shining City Productions, nd. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-08. Retrieved 2010-10-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. ↑ Pola Negri: new biog salutes Polish star. Polski Radio, February 25, 2011. Accessed March 2, 2011.
  11. ↑ Award of the Year for Mariusz Kotowski, Olsztyn 24, January 12, 2012. Polish language source, translated by Google Translate. Accessed February 20, 2012.
  12. ↑ News Page Archived 2016-10-10 at the Wayback Machine at POLANEGRI.COM. Archived 2011-12-18 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ↑ Emphasis Entertainment Press Page. Accessed February 19, 2012.
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