I decided that the subject of Ukraine is thrilling enough, and also important to me, that it required an extensive and thorough study...

About us

Information on Zodiak company

Zodiak Jerzy Hoffman Film Production is one of the most renowned film producers operating in Poland since 1992. Its founders are Jerzy Hoffman – director, screenwriter, creator of the greatest film productions in Poland, nominated for an Oscar for adaptation of “The Deluge” by Henryk Sienkiewicz, and Jerzy R. Michaluk – film producer.

Company’s management board:

President of the company - Mariusz Gazda
Vice-President - Jerzy R. Michaluk

The Studio specializes in feature film production. In the second half of 2010, work on “The Battle of Warsaw 1920” full-length film commenced.

This historical fresco about one of the most important world’s battles is one of the firsts in Europe and first in Poland feature film produced in 3D technology. World premiere will take place in Warsaw, September 2011.

Zodiak Studio is the sole owner of the latest complete equipment for using stereoscope technology – 3D in Poland. It operates in cooperation with most renowned creators, actors and people having best skills and qualifications within film production and distribution from all over the world.

The films produced by the Studio were repeatedly awarded at film festivals in Poland and overseas. They were very popular gathering millions of spectators. The production sin question are the following:

With the Sword and Fire (1999)
An Ancient Tale– When the Sun Was a God (2003)

Ukraine – The Birth of a Nation (2007) - (four episodes, 50 minutes each)

Jerzy Hoffman

JERZY JULIAN HOFFMAN – film director, screenwriter and film producer. He was born on 15^th March 1932 in Krakow, Poland. In 1940 he was deported to Siberia. After the war ended he came back to Poland were in 1950, in Bydgoszcz he received Polish school-leaving examination certificate.

In 1955 he graduated faculty in direction at All-Union State Institute of Cinematography in Moscow. He made his debut together with Edward Skórzewski by a short documentary “Are you among them?” Both artists cooperated until 1966. During that time they directed many documentary films and three full-length feature films. From 1967, Jerzy Hoffman works by himself. He directs feature and TV films, inter alia “Fire in the Steppe” aka “Sir Wolodyjowski”, and “The Deluge” nominated for an Oscar. Movies by Hoffman won prizes at various film festivals for instance in Oberhausen, Mannheim, Venice, Florence and Moscow.

In 1989 he made efforts to direct “With Fire and Sword” and at the same time to complete the adaptation of the trilogy by Henryk Sienkiewicz. His plan was accomplished ten years later as a director and producer of one of the greatest artistic and technical undertakings in the history of cinematography. In 2003 he managed to make his dream come true when directing feature film titled “An Ancient Tale – When the Sun Was a God” based on novel by J. I. Kraszewski.

In 2007, Hoffman completed his work on four documentaries, each 50 minutes long. Their joint title is “Ukraine – The Birth of a Nation.”

Short documentary movies made by Jerzy Hoffman and Edward Skórzewski:

1954: Are you among them?, 1955: Attention, hooligans!, 1956: Children accuse

1957: Sopot 57, On the roads of Armenia, 1958: Souvenir from Kalwaria, Łowicz’s carousel

1959: Gaudeamus, Hansel and Gretel, Codename Oktan, Podgrodzie, Opole land, Types of the day, Green barrier , Track

1960: Reportage straight from the frying pan, Postcard from Zakopane, Two faces of God

1961: Second youth time of the city, Havana 61, Girl, adventure and…

1962: Patria o muerte, Life to bloom, They met in Havana

1963: Visitez Zakopane

Short documentary movies made by Jerzy Hoffman:

1964: Moment of memories 1956/57

1966: Miracles market

1970: Mazowsze

Feature movies made by Jerzy Hoffman and Edward Skórzewski:

1962: Gangsters and philanthropists, 1964 Law and the fist, 1965 Three steps on the ground

Feature movies made by Jerzy Hoffman:

1967: Father

1969: Colonel Wolodyjowski

1974: The Deluge

1976: The Leper

1978: To the Last Drop of Blood

1982: The Miracle man

1983: After Your Decrees

1993: Beautiful Stranger

1999: With fire and sword

2003: When the Sun was God

State decorations, Prizes and Awards:

Cross of Merit
Order of Polonia Restituta - Kntght’s Cross
Order of Polonia Restituta – Officer’s Cross
Order of Polonia Restituta – Commander’s Cross with Star
Order of Merit of Ukraine
Person of National Culture Merit
Person of Merit to the National Defence – Gold and Silver Medal
Person of Merit to the Capital City of Warsaw
Person of Merit to the City of Krakow
Person of Merit– Honorary Gorlice Citizenship
Special Prize by the Minister of Arts and Culture – five-times
Special Prize by the Minister of National Defence – twice
Special Prize by the Minister of Foreign Affairs for propagating Polish culture abroad – twice
The Medal for Merits to Culture – Gloria Artis
Film awards included inter alia Gold Duck – 1999; EAGLES 2000 and Super Wiktor statuette, Golden Studs 2006, Eagles 2006 for life achievements, Golden Lions 2009;

Description of achievements for the last two feature movies:

“When the Sun was God” , director Jerzy Hoffman

Producer – Zodiak Jerzy Hoffman Film Production, year of production 2003

Measurement of tape – 2927 m, emission time – 107 minutes

Attendance in theaters: 1 100 000 spectators

VHS sale: 65 000 pieces

DVD sale: 47 500 pieces

TV emission: 8 Polish National Television

Co-producer of the movie was Polish National Television

International sale: Russia, Ukraine, Czech Republic Slovakia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia

“With fire and sword” , director Jerzy Hoffman

Producer – Zodiak Jerzy Hoffman Film Production, year of production 1999

Measurement of tape – 5284 m, emission time – 176 minutes

Attendance in theaters: 7 500 000 spectators

VHS sale: 105 000 pieces

DVD sale: 450 000 pieces

TV emission: 22 Polish National Television

Co-producer of the movie was Polish National Television

International sale: Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Spain, USA and Canada – The Society for Art, South Korea, Japan

Australia - Orbis Express Ltd.

Prizes:

1999 - Cezary Grzesiuk Gdynia (Polish Film Festival) – Prize for editing

1999 - Marcin "Kot" Bastkowski Gdynia (Polish Film Festival) – Prize for editing

1999 - Andrzej Haliński Gdynia (Polish Film Festival) – Prize for Production Designer

1999 - Jerzy Hoffman Gdynia (Polish Film Festival) - Prize from CEO of Polish National Television

1999 - Jerzy Hoffman Gdynia (Polish Film Festival) - The Jury prize for the creative closing realization of Sienkiewicz’s epos.

1999 - Jerzy Hoffman Chicago (Polish Film Festival)-Golden Teeth – audience award

1999 - Ticket, Association of „Polish cinemas” award- Diamond ticket for movie at the cinemas which has attracted the most viewers

2000 - Jerzy R. Michaluk Eagl, Polish Film Award in category: the best producer; for year 1999; granted on April 10th

2000 - Jerzy Hoffman Eagl, Polish Film Award in category: the best producer; for year 1999; granted on April 10th

2000 - Ewa Wiśniewska Eagl, Polish Film Award in category: the best supporting actress; for year 1999; granted on April 10th

2000 - Eagl, Polish Film Award (nomination) in category: the best movie; for year 1999

2000 - Jerzy Hoffman Eagl, Polish Film Award (nomination) in category: the best director; for year 1999

2000 - Andrzej Haliński Eagl, Polish Film Award (nomination) in category: the best stage design; for year 1999

2000 - Krzesimir Dębski Eagl, Polish Film Award (nomination) in category: the best music; for year 1999

2000 - Piotr Knop Eagl, Polish Film Award (nomination) in category: the best sound; for year 1999

2000 - Krzysztof Wodziński Eagl, Polish Film Award (nomination) in category: the best sound; for year 1999

2000 - Michał Żebrowski Eagl, Polish Film Award (nomination) in category: the best main actor; for year 1999

2000 - Bohdan Stupka Eagl, Polish Film Award (nomination) in category: the best supporting actor; for year 1999

2000 - Krzesimir Dębski Warsaw (TP SA Music and Film Festival)-"Philip Award" in category: original and adapted music in Polish cinematography

2000 - Jerzy Hoffman Golden Duck (awarded by the magazine „Film”) in category: the best Polish movie; for year 1999 (28.02)

2000 - Jerzy Hoffman Moscow (International Film FOrum "Gold Knight") – Award for the best director

2007 - Golden Duck (awarded by the magazine „Film”) "Golden Duck" - fifty years for the song „ Dumka na dwa serca”
(Music: Krzesimir Dębski, Słowa: Jacek Cygan, Wykonanie: Edyta Górniak i Mieczysław Szcześniak) in category: the best song

Jerzy R. Michaluk

Jerzy R.Michaluk

JERZY RYSZARD MICHALUK - film producer

He was born in Warsaw, 15th December 1948. In 1971, upon graduating from Warsaw School of Economics, faculty Statistics and Finance, he started his career working for Film Production Company – Film Groups as an assistant production manager. He was gaining experience by being involved in production of series and number of feature films. In 1981 he was entrusted with a debut. As a production manager he was producing feature film titled “Every Day Closer to Heaven,” directed by Zbigniew Kuźmiński. In 1988 he took up a position as Production Director for Zodiak Film Production. In 1966, together with Jerzy Hoffman they set up a company “Zodiak Jerzy Hoffman Film Production” and starter production of a feature film and TV series titled “With Sword and Fire.” Another films produced in cooperation with Jerzy Hoffman are the following: “An Ancient Tale – when the Sun Was a God ” and 4 episodes of documentary titled “Ukraine - The Birth of a Nation.”

Over the period of forty years of his career, he has manager to produce twenty five feature films and over twenty hours of various TV feature series.

In 2000, the President of the Republic of Poland honoured Jerzy R. Michaluk with the Order of Polonia Restituta - Knight’s Cross for outstanding achievements and creative contribution to the development of Polish culture.

Filmography

2007 - UKRAINE (documentary) Producer
2005 – HOFFMAN’S MIRROR (documentary) Producer
2004 – WHEN THE SUN WAS GOD (TV series) Producer,
2003 – WHEN THE SUN WAS GOD Producer,
2000 – WITH FIRE AND SWORD (TV series) Producer,
1999 - WITH FIRE AND SWORD Producer,
1990 – ON THE FIFTH SIGHT OF THE WORLD Production management,
1990 – GIRL FROM MAZURIA Production management,
1988 - ALCHEMIST SENDIVIUS Production management,
1988 - ALCHEMIST Production management,
1987 - COMEDIENNE (TV series) Production management,
1986 – REPUBLIC OF HOPE Production management,
1986 - COMEDIENNE Production management,
1984 - ACCELERATION Production management,
1983 – EVERYDAY CLOSER TO HEAVEN Production management,
1982 – UNINTRESTING STORY Production management II,
1982 – MOTHER OF KINGS Production management II,
1981 – JOHN HEART Production management II,
1980 - OLYMPICS 40 Production management II,
1979 – ON THE WAY Production management
1979 - ELEGY Production management II,
1978 - WHITE MAZURIA MAN Production management II,
1977 – ROOM WITH SEA VIEW Production collaboration,
1977 – SMART BEAST ALIAS CRYSTAL (17), WAR GAME ALIAS ON FLAT (18), AWAY FROM PEOPLE ALIAS SOMETHING ONE’S (19) in THE FORTY-YEAR-OLD Production collaboration,
1976 - MAJKA SKOWRON’S MADNESS Location manager,
1976 – LAST TRIO LIKE THAT Production collaboration,
1976 – SUNDAY CHILDREN Organization of production,
1976 – I AM A BUTTERFLY ALIAS THE FORTY-YEAR-OLD-MAN AFFAIR Organization of production,
1976 – A DARK HAIRED MAN IN THE EVENING TIME Production collaboration,
1976 – MAŁKIEWICZ’S CASE ALIAS KAMIKAZE (14), EXPENSIVE TRIFLE ALIAS REVISITED (15), WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALIAS SHAKESPEARE (16) in THE FORTY-YEAR-OLD Production collaboration,
1975 – NIGHTS AND DAYS – TV series – Location manager,
1975 – OPENING OF THE ROUT ALIAS FREE TIME (8), FAMILY ALIAS A STRANGER AT HOME (9), POSTCARD FROM SPITZBERGEN ALIAS ENCHANTMENT (10), OTHERS MISERY ALIAS WITNESS OF DEFENSE (11), NEW DEPUTY ALIAS METEOR (12), FALL-GUY ALIAS ROTATION (13) in THE FORTY-YEAR-OLD Production collaboration,

1972 – NIGHTS AND DAYS – Location manager

Prizes and awards:

1999 - Media Award "Niptel '99" for the film „With fire and sword”, for restoring faith In the commercial possibilities of the Polish cinema

1999 – Diamond ticket - Award – Association of „Polish cinemas” , for over 7.500.000 viewers on the film „With fire and sword”

2000 – The Best Film Producer – 1999 Polish Film awards „Eagles" In category: the best producer in 1999

2003 –Platinum Ticket - Award – Association of „Polish cinemas”, for over 1.000.000 viewers on the film „When the Sun was God”

2000 – Order of Polonia Restituta – Commander’s Cross with Star - Polish President Medal - for outstanding achievements and creative contribution to the development of Polish film