Masquerade
The story of young actor Jacek Burda and his difficult handling of success is both a fascinating analysis of the challenges that artists must face, and a reflection on their role in society. Inspired by the theory of pure form, developed in the 1920s by Polish modernist wunderkind Witkacy, Kijowski lambastes socialism’s imposition of a subservient role upon all art. Yet the defiance of Masquerade’s protagonist is not founded in politics, in contrast with the director’s earlier characters from the ‘cinema of moral concern’ of the 1970s. The director’s alter ego, in the character of Burda’s mentor, notes dryly that he took refuge in the theatre, so as not to lose all wit along with the rest of Polish cinema. Kijowski now works in theater.
Janusz Kijowski
Janusz Kijowski was born in Szczecin, in 1948, but grew up in Warsaw. After joining the student opposition movement in March 1968, he emigrated to Paris, where he studied art history at the Ecole pratique des hautes études. Returning to Poland two years later, Kijowski earned an MA in History from the University of Warsaw, before pursuing further studies at the Directing Department of the National Film School in Łódź. While still a student, he contributed film reviews to the weekly ‘Kultura’. He is a member of the European Film Academy. Since 2004, he has directed the Stefan Jaracz Theater in Olsztyn.
Selected filmography
1977 Indeks / Index
1979 Kung-fu
1980 Głosy / Voices
1986 Maskarada / Masquerade
1989 Stan strachu / State of Fear
2001 Kameleon