Documentary Shorts by Krzysztof Kieslowski

Director: Krzysztof Kieślowski

1979 / 87min / DCP

A program of Kieślowski’s short nonfiction films, where the same dedication to capturing the textures of the “real” found in his fiction work first appears, and remains abundantly evident. Includes The Office, an early study in bureaucratic torment produced while the director was still at Łódź Film School; I Was a Soldier, a platform for blind veterans to recall their experiences and recount their dreams; From a Night Porter’s Point of View, a 17-minute interview with a highly opinionated minor security functionary who revels in the small portion of authority he enjoys; Hospital, an immersion into 24 hours in the life in an overcrowded and underfunded Warsaw emergency room; Talking Heads, in which 79 interviewees from various walks of life and of all ages answer the questions “What year were you born?”, “Who are you?”, and “What do you most wish for?”; and Railway Station, the fruits of, per Kieślowski, “about 10 nights… trying to photograph ‘lost’ people” at the Warsaw Central Railway Station.

The Office (1966, 6 mins)

I Was a Soldier (1970, 16 mins)

From a Night Porter's Point of View (1979, 17 mins)

Hospital (1977, 20 mins)

Talking Heads (1980, 15 mins)

Railway Station (1980, 13 mins)

Part of Moral Mazes of Krzysztof Kieślowski