Andrzej Wajda | |
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Born | Andrzej Witold Wajda 6 March 1926 |
Died | 9 October 2016 Warsaw, Poland | (aged 90)
Alma mater | National Film School in Łódź |
Occupation(s) | Film director, theatre director |
Years active | 1951–2016 |
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Andrzej Witold Wajda (Polish: [ˈandʐɛj ˈvajda]; 6 March 1926 – 9 October 2016) was a Polish film and theatre director. Recipient of an Honorary Oscar,[1] the Palme d'Or,[2] as well as Honorary Golden Lion[3] and Honorary Golden Bear Awards, he was a prominent member of the "Polish Film School". He was known especially for his trilogy of war films consisting of A Generation (1955), Kanał (1957) and Ashes and Diamonds (1958).[4]
He is considered one of the world's most renowned filmmakers,[5] whose works chronicled his native country's political and social evolution[6] and dealt with the myths of Polish national identity offering insightful analyses of the universal element of the Polish experience – the struggle to maintain dignity under the most trying circumstances.
Four of his films have been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film: The Promised Land (1975),[7] The Maids of Wilko (1979),[8] Man of Iron (1981) and Katyń (2007).[9]