Remembering Kieślowski

When Krzysztof Kieślowski died in March 1996, it was as though a certain cinema genre had come to an end along with him. A genious of paradoxes, a powerful storyteller and a keen observer of human nature, Kieślowski became known to a wider international public thanks to his late works shot in mainly in France such as the Three Coulours: Blue, White, Red series and the Double Life of Veronique but some of his Polish fans believe you can only get the taste of the "real" Kieślowski atmosphere by viewing his older productions, especially the Decalogue (1988) series, Blind Chance (1982) or No End (1985).

Initially made for Polish television, Decalogue was shot in less than a year and its fifth and sixth episodes were later expanded into features entitled respectively A Short Film About Killing, a remarkably powerful work about murder and the death penalty that won a jury prize in Cannes and A Short Film About Love - very different from conventional romantic productions.

In spite of the biblical implication in the title, the series doesn't include explicit religious references - Kieślowski himself was a declared agnostic. All episodes are set in the mid-80s in the morose district of grey, prefabricated appartment blocks and each tells a story of a different tenant.

Even though Decalogue is a feature, it draws abundantly on Kieślowski's past experiences as the author of documentaries. It is also thanks to that series that the his works were discovered abroad.

Kieślowski's films wouldn't be the same if it was not for the very characteristic soundtracks composed for him by Zbigniew Preisner and the engrossing screenplays Kieślowski always worked on with Krzysztof Piesiewicz.

On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of Kieślowski's death, The Polish Institute of Cinematography announced the year 2006 will be the year of Krzysztof Kieślowski. There will be many occasions to watch Kieślowski's films during special festivals, watch exibithions dedicated to his works or listen to Zbigniew Preisner's music.

The Three Colours series will be playing at Kinoteka in Warsaw this week until March 23.

The Decalogue series is also available on DVD.