PIWOWSKI, MAREK

(1935-)

Director, scriptwriter, and actor, known for his celebratedcomedyThe Cruise(Rejs, 1970). During his stay at theŁódź Film School, and after graduating in 1968, Piwowski produced a series of well-received short films such asFire!Fire!Finally Something Is Going On(Pożar!Pożar!Coś nareszcie dzieje się, 1967),Fly-Swat(akaThe Fly Catcher, Muchotłuk, 1967), andPsycho-drama(1969). They were followed by equally popular shortsCorkScrew(Korkociąg, 1971) andHair(1971).The Cruise, coscripted by Piwowski and Janusz Głowacki, instantly gained a cult film status in Poland. Piwowski's next film,Foul Play(Przepraszam, czy tu biją?1976), was a crime picture starring two boxing champions (Jerzy Kulej and Jan Szczepański) as two unconventional police inspectors who are not afraid to employ brutal, yet apparently successful, methods in their investigative work. In 1993 Piwowski directedThe Kidnapping of Agata(Uprowadzenie Agaty), a film about a politician who abuses his power to get rid of his daughter's lover, followed by two medium-lengthtelevision films:Step(Krok, 1997) andOscar(Oskar, 2005). Piwowski also appeared as an actor in several films, mostly episodically, with the exception ofKrzysztof Zanussi'sBalance Sheet(Bilans kwartalny, 1975), in which he plays a strong supporting role.