Juliusz Kossakowski - Producer/ Executive Producer - Short Biography
Juliusz Kossakowski has been developing, producing and directing films around the world over three decades in collaboration with film-makers such as Godfrey Reggio, Lech Majewski, Thomas Vinterberg, Pavel Lungin, and Bela Tarr.
He began his career directing “PUNKING OUT” (1979) which quickly gained notoriety for its raw and immediate look at the world of New York punk rock. After three decades of exhibition in alternative venues in the U.S. it was revived in 2001 as world-wide broadcast by the BBC. The film received a Guggenheim grant for the restoration of the original negative, and is now a part of the permanent film collection at the Museum of Modern Art, New York City. In April 2010 it was featured in “Profil: No Wave” at the Oberhausen International Kurtzfilmtage, Germany.
Mr. Kossakowski’s first feature motion picture production was "PRISONER OF RIO" (1987) a controversial portrait of Great Train Robber “Ronald Biggs”, directed by Lech Majewski and starring Steven Berkoff, Paul Freeman and Peter Firth. The film was distributed in Scandinavia by Nordisk Film, in the U.K. by Palace Pictures and internationally by Columbia/Tri-Star.
From 1989 through 1993 Mr. Kossakowski dedicated his attention to producing and directing advertising spots for radio and television including over forty spots for McDonald’s Corp., through Castor Advertising in New York City and Leo Burnett in Chicago, and culminating in a nomination for an Addy Award in 1991.
From 1995 through 2001 Mr. Kossakowski produced “THE ZOOKEEPER” directed by Ralph Ziman and starring Sam Neill and Gina McKee, a co-production between Denmark, United Kingdom, Netherlands, and the Czech republic and receiving support from Eurimages. The picture was an official selection at the 2001 Toronto International Film Festival, and winning the Best Film and Best Actor awards at 2001 Ft. Lauderdale Int’l. Film Fest, and the Best Film award at the 2002 Taos Talking Picture.
From 2003 though 2007 Mr. Kossakowski executive produced “THE MAN FROM LONDON” based on the novella by Georges Simenon, directed by Bela Tarr and starring Tilda Swinton, a co-production between Hungary, France, and Germany and with the support of the Hungarian Motion Picture Fund, the CNC in France, the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg in Germany, and Eurimages. The picture was an official selection for the Palm d’Or competition at the Cannes Film Festival in 2007.
In 2007/08 Mr. Kossakowski co-wrote, produced and co-directed “TAKING THE FACE”, a feature length documentary about the controversial and contradictory world of the Portuguese bullfight. With over 120 hours shot over a period of eight months in high definition, the picture was opening night selection at the 2008 Artivist Film Festival Lisbon and is distributed worldwide via Horizon Motion Pictures Inc.
Mr. Kossakowski holds a BFA degree from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts (Department of TV & Film) and a Masters of Business Administration in Marketing Management from Pace University.