Studied physics at Warsaw University (1955-59) and philosophy at Jagiellonian University (1959-62). Taking an active part in the amateur film movement
he made 11 motion pictures, 9 of which gained various awards. Since 1980 he has been running the TOR Film Studio – initially as its artistic director, subsequently in charge of the entire unit. From 1971 to 1983 he was vice-chairman of the Polish Filmmakers Association, from 1975 to 77 – president of the Council of the Polish Federation of Film Discussion Clubs. In 1987 he became member of the Cinema Committee. Mr. Zanussi is also a theater director staging productions in Milan, Palermo, Bonn, Cracow, Bremen, Basel, Syracuse, Kiev, Novosibirsk and Rome – to mention some major ones. Among his many prestigious prizes and distinctions are: the David di Donatello Award, the Cavalier’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta, the Cavalier de L’Ordre des Arts et Lettres (France), the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit to Lithuania, the Order of Jaroslav the Wise conferred by the President of Ukraine. In the years 1990-1994 he was president of the European Federation of Audiovisual Producers (FERA). He is a member of the Pontifical Commission of Culture at the Vatican and ex-president of the EUROVISIONI Association. Krzysztof Zanussi is also a member of: the European Film Academy, the Polish Academy of Learning, the PEN-Club, the Polish Writers Association. Mr. Zanussi has been invited to give lectures at numerous universities, including Columbia, Yale, Cambridge, Rice University (Houston), and also to teach master classes in London, Moscow, Beijing, Pune (India), Pusan (South Korea) and many Western European cities.