Kazimierz Wawrzyniak

(born 1914 in Łódź, died 1977 in Łódź) Cinematographer. He worked mainly with Wanda Jakubowska on movies “Pożegnanie z diabłem", “Historia współczesna" and “Koniec naszego świata" as well as with other directors from the production company Zespół Filmowy “Start". He was the first cinematographer who began to learn his profession with making stills. “My father, Kazimierz Wawrzyniak, came back to Łódź almost with Polish Army Film Studio in 1945 – says his son, Krzysztof Wawrzyniak, a cinematographer, too. And it was here where he met Władysław Forbert and Stanisław Wohl whom he had got to know earlier. And they started thinking »Kazimierz, what should we do with you?«. Since my father was passionate about portrait and nature photography, he became the director of the laboratory [photographic laboratory of the Polish Army Film Studio in Łódź], which was located at Narutowicza street. At the beginning, he made stills"¹.

It was Kazimierz Wawrzyniak who photographed Adolf Dymsza in the movie “Skarb", while he was imitating various sounds in a wonderful scene in a radio studio. At that time, his stills to the movie “Czarci żleb" were evenly popular. “And because he was eager to help others – says his son – at one point, when someone was missing, my father substituted for him/her at once. And from a photographer he became, by chance, a cinematographer"². As cameraman, Wawrzyniak debuted in 1952 in work on the movie “Żołnierz zwycięsta" directed by Jakubowska. Two years later, he became a cinematographer in the production of the film “Niedaleko Warszawy", directed by Maria Kaniewska.

He had two passions: yachting and wood carving. Supposedly, he received several awards for his religious sculptures during folk art exhibitions.

Piotr Śmiałowski