ABOUT           

MARZENA

  I like well-developed concepts and good stories. And I like numbers.  They help us stay grounded in reality. As a filmmaker, I am naturally interested in vanishing points, messy situations, hidden causality, trouble spots, disintegrating personalities, and aporias. In all I do, I explore the tension among all of these.

– MARZENA GRZEGORCZYK

In the past several years, Marzena’s work has centered around two main axes: one involving her own writing/directing/producing projects, and another one – creative development for others.

Her work in film has garnered her nomination to the Rolex Mentor & Protégé Arts Initiative (Geneva, Switzerland), to the Sundance NHK Awards as well Creative Excellence Platinum Award (Houston Int’l FF). She is the recipient of the Women in Film Award (Los Angeles), F. Rielo Literary Award (Madrid), numerous academic awards. She has worked in different capacities (writer/producer/director/cinematographer/ camera operator/gaffer) on over 20 films, learning the craft from some of the most brilliant people in the field (N. Foch, R. Altman, C. and E. Ponti, M. Antonioni, M. Harris).

She is the author of a book Private Topographies (NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005) and numerous articles. She has lectured widely on Latin American & European literature and cinema, critical theory, visual expression and the art of screenwriting.

Born in Warsaw, Poland, she was educated at the University of Budapest (Hungary), Stanford University (PhD in Latin American & Comparative Literature) and School of Cinematic Arts, University of Southern California in Los Angeles (MFA in film production, concentration: directing and cinematography). She lives in Atlanta. Currently, she is in Poland filming HIJACKING THE TRUTH, a documentary about judicial ethos and accountability.

RESUME
CV
RESUME
CV

SELECTED AWARDS

  • Polish Institute of Cinema screenwriting award for JAR: JEWISH AUTONOMOUS REGION (documentary feature); experts rating: excellent (2011)
  • Nicholl Fellowships in screenwriting, SEX LIFE OF SAVAGES selected one of the 100 best screenplays of the year (out of 5050), semifinals (http://www.oscars.org/nicholl/index.html) (2007).
  • Nominated to Sundance NHK Awards (2003).
  • „Women in Film Award” (Los Angeles) (2001).
  • City of Atlanta, Bureau of Cultural Affairs, Grants for Individual Artists, for post-production of ENGLISH IS FOR OPTIMISTS (1996).
  • Audience award for screenplay SEX LIFE OF SAVAGES, Interscenario Festival, Wrocław, Poland (2010).
  • Nominated to Rolex Protégé Programme, Geneva, Switzerland (10 nominated film directors from the entire world) (2004).
  • Selected as top choice by Louis Vuitton/Moët&Chandon for their ad campaign (2003).
  • Film FAITHFUL (2002) screened at over 80 festivals worldwide, including: Venice (Italy) International Film Festival, Kyoto (Japan), Sienna (Italy), Mar del Plata (Argentina) Hamptons (Hamptons); Houston; Seattle; New York/Avignon Film Festival and others; won 12 awards for creative excellence.
  • Teaching Fellowship University of Southern California, School of Cinema-Television (2000-01) intermediate and advanced cinematography.
  • Center for Teaching and Course Development, Course Development Award, Emory University, Department of Political Science/Department of Spanish (Summer 1998).
  • International Travel Grant, Emory University (1998).
  • American Council for Learned Societies, Travel Grant for Conferences Abroad (1996).
  • New Faculty Development Award, Emory University (1998).
  • Emory University Research Council Summer Grant (Summer 1995).
  • New Faculty Development Grant, University of Oregon, for research in Cuba (June 1994).
  • Josephine de Kármán Dissertation Fellowship (1992-1993).
  • Knowles Fellowship for Feminist Studies in Latin America for research in Argentina (1992).
  • Fellowship of the Center for International Studies, Stanford University (1991).
  • Mellon Foundation Travel Research Grant for Summer Research in Brazil (1988).
  • Spanish & Portugese Department Fellowship, Stanford University (1987-1991).
  • Fellowship at University of Panama and Panama College, Panama (1987).
  • Fellowship of the Hungarian Ministry of Culture held at University of Havana, Cuba (1984/5).
  • Literary Award of the Fundación „Fernando Rielo”, Madrid, Spain (1982).
  • Fellowship at Eötvös Loránd Tudományegyetem, Hungary (1980-1986).
  • Marzena’s article From Urb of Clay to the Hypodermic City: Improper cities in Modern Latin America, was selected as one of the 25 most impactful articles in the last 25 years published by the Journal Latin American Cultural Studies (2018).
  • Interviewing prospective students for Stanford Office for Undergraduate Admissions (2017 – ongoing).
  • Reviewer for TEXTOS HIBRIDOS (USA/Chile).
  • Member of the Scientific Advisory Committee, CHRONOTOPE REVISITED. International Interdisciplinary Conference, Sopot-Gdynia, Poland (April 2017).
  • Consultant for LE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUE (Paris, France) on life/work of Gunter Holzmann, author, recipient of Legion of Honor (anti-nazi fighter, ecologist, anthropologist), Santa Cruz, Bolivia (199).New Faculty Development Grant, University of Oregon, for research in Cuba (June 1994).

UPCOMING EVENTS

SEPT

12

1 PM PST

REGISTER NOW

Filming HIJACKING THE TRUTH. Behind the scenes and Q&A with the director, Marzena Grzegorczyk.

PST time zone (for US-based viewers). For a registration link, email Marzena [marzena@nostos-films.com]. Please join us!

SEPT

13

2 PM CET

REGISTER NOW

Filming HIJACKING THE TRUTH. Behind the scenes and Q&A with the director, Marzena Grzegorczyk.

CET time zone (for European audiences). For a registration link, email Marzena [marzena@nostos-films.com]. Please join us!