Andrzej Wajda

In 2000 Andrzej Wajda, “one of the most respected filmmakers of our time, a man whose films have given audiences around the world an artist’s view of history, democracy and freedom, and who in so doing has himself become a symbol of courage and hope for millions of people in post-war Europe,” was bestowed with an Honorary Award by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He graduated from the National Film School in Łódź in 1954 and established himself as a key figure in the new Polish cinema. Wajda’s filmography includes 44 films he directed, three of which have been nominated by the Academy for Best Foreign Language Film: Land of Promise in 1975, The Maids of Wilko in 1979 and Man of Iron in 1981.