Wojciech Krysztofiak

A designer’s experience

SFP’s institutional profile traces Wojciech Krysztofiak’s film work to Jasne łany in 1947. It lists Colonel Wołodyjowski, The Deluge, Pharaoh and Death of a President. He received an annual Polish Filmmakers Association award in 2011¹.

Historical places and spaces built for filming

Krysztofiak was responsible for production design on The Deluge². When visiting places connected with the film, distinguish the location represented in the story, the shooting location and a constructed set: they can be three different things.

The production guide discusses sets representing Lithuanian settlements built in Belarus.

Wooden settlements and concealing modern features

Kersten identified Gloger, old drawings and Lithuanian open-air museums among the references. The exterior church in the film’s Wołmontowicze replicated the church at Wola Grzymalina³. Building the setting combined documentation with constructed scenery.

The report also describes concealing electrical cables at Olesko and Pidhirtsi with wooden covers⁴. Existing historic buildings still required modern features to be hidden from the camera.