Liliana Głąbczyńska-Komorowska has been living in North America for several decades. She began her career in the US, where she left after the outbreak of martial law.
In 1994, the star survived the Los Angeles earthquake. After such a dramatic experience, she wanted to regain a sense of security and moved with her loved ones to Canada. In America, she developed her acting career, appearing alongside Donald Sutherland, Aidan Quinn and Ben Kingsley.
In 2005, at the Prospero Theatre in Montreal, she directed the play “Biesiada u Hrabiny Kotłubaj” based on the story by Witold Gombrowicz.
The actress and director set herself the goal of creating a documentary film about one of the most recognizable creators in the world of Polish film – Andrzej Wajda. As Komorowska herself admitted, the film has been in the making for eight years – there was no shortage of stumbles, but the idea was not lost. Komorowska invited Maria Zmarz-Koczanowicz to collaborate.
“Marysia is the best documentary filmmaker in Poland. (…) We joined forces, we go further – after the interview with Martin Scorsese, Agnieszka Holland, we go to the big world: Coppola in Rome, Spielberg in Los Angeles, Schlöndorff in Germany, Isabelle Huppert, who played in ‘The Demons'”.
What did he say about Andrzej Wajda, among others? Martin Scorsese? According to Liliana Komorowska, the world-famous director called him a master!
“He said that (Wajda) was his master and that if he wasn’t there, Martin Scorsese wouldn’t have the motivation to become a director. He asked each of his actors, including De Niro and DiCaprio, to watch ‘Ashes and Diamonds’.”
Currently, Liliana Komorowska is not only working on a documentary film, but also appeared in a French series. Like other Polish actors abroad, she played the role of a spy. She summed up her role with the words: “We found our niche”, but she also emphasized that there is only one recipe for success:
“If you want to make it in Hollywood, you have to live there. You can’t do it remotely.”
The 49th Polish Film Festival in Gdynia will last until September 28. The Main Competition includes 16 films, including “Under the Volcano” directed by Damian Kocur – the Polish candidate for an Oscar.