Jakimowski, born in 1963 in Warsaw, a graduate of Philosophy at Warsaw University and Film Direction at the Krzysztof Kieślowski film faculty, made his feature directorial debut in 2002 with the award-winning Squint Your Eyes. ZAIR (www.zair.eu) the production company led by Jakimowski was established in 2002 by the team behind Squint Your Eyes (www.zmruzoczy.pl). An independent project without state funding, the movie was well received in Poland and abroad.

His second feature Tricks (www.tricks-film.com) has won some 30 prizes at international festivals since premiering in the Venice Days sidebar in 2007 where it was named Best Film and received the Europa Cinemas Label for Best European Film and the Lanterna Magica Award. The film, which Jakimowski also wrote and produced, has been sold to more than 20 territories.

Tricks, co-produced with PFI, WFDIF, TVP, Canal + and Opus Film, is the heart-warming story of a young boy and his older sister, who try to "bribe" their faith with small good deeds in order to make their small-town life better.

Speaking with FNE, Jakimowski said, "If I didn't produce my movies, they wouldn't have the form that they do right now. By being a producer, I assure my independence." He says while the country has a "groundbreaking" financing resource in the Polish Film Institute, Poland's biggest problem is the need for other international co-financing options.

"Right now I am working on my new movie. It is a difficult venture, similarly to my previous films. This time, the main problem turns out to be the language barrier. Unfortunately it is hard to distribute a Polish-language movie outside the country, which became more clear to me after selling Tricks," he said.

Contact information:

ZAIR- Zjednoczenie Artystów i Rzemieślników
ul. Poleczki 20 E
02-822 Warsaw
tel. +4822 643 57 57
fax. +4822 855 51 63
mobile +48 515 182 225
email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.