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Zenon Mirota - Shipyard Portrayed

The documentary presents Zenon Mirota, Polish photographer who for over 50 years has portrayed Gdańsk Shipyard (Poland), the cradle of Solidarity. He has started his job in the Shipyard as a young man without experience in photography and he became an artist devoted to his beloved Shipyard. Mirota photographed the daily life of the shipyard and his journey went parallel to the journey of the shipyard workers who have initiated the most powerful freedom movement in the history of mankind – SOLIDARNOŚĆ (SOLIDARITY) led by Lech Wałęsa that has helped to destroy the communist system of Soviet domination in Europe and brought freedom to Poland and other countries of former Eastern Bloc. We have a unique chance to accompany him on his walk through the modern Shipyard and to see the crucial moments captured in his photos of the past.

  • Anna Maria Mydlarska
    Director
  • Piotr Tomaszkiewicz
    Director
  • Anna Maria Mydlarska
    Writer
  • Piotr Tomaszkiewicz
    Writer
  • European Solidarity Centre
    Producer
  • Zenon Mirota
    Key Cast
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Zenon Mirota - Portrety Stoczni
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    art
  • Runtime:
    23 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    June 1, 2019
  • Country of Origin:
    Poland
  • Country of Filming:
    Poland
  • Language:
    Polish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Anna Maria Mydlarska, Piotr Tomaszkiewicz

Anna Maria Mydlarska, writer and director of over 40 documentary films, the manager of Documentary Film Section of European Solidarity Centre in Gdansk. In 1981 she has worked at the National Committee of Solidarity Translators’ Office and as the “Solidarność” Bulletin (with lions) editor. After 1990 she taught students of journalism at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, USA and at Gdansk University. She has worked for Polish TV and collaborated as writer and director with Video Studio Gdansk. In 1996 she has joined Polish Filmmakers Association. She has created (with her husband, Jacek Mydlarski) films on art presented at Films on Art Biennale at Centre Pompidou in Paris. She has directed a project of filmed interviews with Solidarity members and supporters “Notacje” ESC – from around 1400 interviews filmed she has conducted over 200 herself. She has co-created films present at the permanent exhibition of ESC, coordinated the team of filmmakers for the exhibition, she has created the ESC film archive. She has received main award od Polish Journalist Association for her film “Zmierzch emigracji, rozmowy paryskie”(The Twilight of Emigration, Paris Talks”), the Solidarity trade union Medal Gates of Freedom (for the support of strikes in 1988) and Minister of Culture and National Heritage Medal – Gloria Artis.

Piotr Tomaszkiewicz has completed his MSc in Sound and Vision Engineering at Gdańsk University of Technology in 2008. During his studies, he started working for internet TV and participated in Gdynia Film School workshops and various film productions’ sets. In 2009 he has started to collaborate with European Solidarity Centre Documentary Film Section as director of photography, film editor and co-director of documentary films and projects on Solidarity and Gdańsk Shipyard. He has co-directed films, written and produced for the European Solidarity Centre permanent exhibition by Anna Maria Mydlarska. In 2015 he became vice-president of Fale Kultury, a foundation based in Gdańsk devoted to the support of art, culture and creativity. He co-organised many painting exhibitions (among them Gdańsk exhibition of paintings from the feature film Loving Vincent) and workshops. in 2019 he directed a short film Last Judgment based on the famous painting Last Judgment by Hans Memling and Jacek Kaczmarski poetry.

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