13-05-2020

OBITUARY: Włodzimierz Niderhaus

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    Włodzimierz Niderhaus Włodzimierz Niderhaus photo: WFDiF

    WARSAW: Włodzimierz Niderhaus, one of the most important and respected Polish film producers and the longtime director of the Documentary and Feature Film Studios (WFDiF) died at the age of 75 on 12 May 2020 in Warsaw.

    Information about the death of Włodzimierz Niderhaus appeared on the website of the Documentary and Feature Film Studios (WFDiF)

    “In his professional activity as Director, Niderhaus was particularly attentive to young artists, producing award-winning film debuts, as well as creating a series of film adaptations of Polish young drama called Teatroteka, in which dozens of young filmmakers have made their debut in recent years,” WFDiF said in its official statement. 

    Włodzimierz Niderhaus was a graduate of the Faculty of Precision Mechanics at the Warsaw University of Technology. In 1970 he joined the Documentary and Feature Film Production Company, and in 1989 he became its director. In the years 2000-2019 he was the Vice President of the Polish Producers Alliance. From 2000 to 2017 he was a member of the Council of the Polish Film Institute, and from 2005 to 2008 he served as its Secretary.

    In 2009, Niderhaus received the Gold Medal for Merit to Culture Gloria Artis. In 2011, President Bronisław Komorowski awarded him with the Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta. He was also honoured with the prize of the Capital City of Warsaw and the "Jantar" Special Award for 25 years of production cooperation with the "Youth and Film" Festival in free Poland at the 34th Koszalin Film Debut Festival "Youth and Film".

    As a producer and coproducer, he took part in the creation of over 50 feature films, including: Little Rose (WFDiF) by Jan Kidawa-Błoński, Mall Girls (WFDiF) by Katarzyna Rosłaniec, Damaged (WFDiF) by Filip Bajon, Fun, Fun (WFDiF) by Kinga Dębska, Aether (WFDiF) by Krzysztof Zanussi, The Lure (WFDiF) by Agnieszka Smoczyńska, Reverse (WFDiF) by Borys Lankosz, Rose (WFDiF) by Wojciech Smarzowski or Smoleńsk (WFDiF) by Antoni Krauze. In 2015 he was honoured with the Silver Lion of the 40th Gdynia Film Festival for Janusz Majewski's film Eccentrics (WFDiF).


    In 2019, Włodzimierz Niderhaus managed the work of a new state cultural institution composed of WFDIF, KADR Film Studio, TOR Film Studio, ZEBRA Film Studio and KRONIKA Film Studio, to create one of the major production film centres.