Krzysztof Lang - In attendance on Friday, Oct. 28

Director of two films presented in Austin this fall:

“Lullaby Killer” at APFF on Oct. 28 and “March’68” at Austin Jewish Film Festival on Nov.12

Film director, screenwriter, producer. After earning his degree in Chemistry from the University of Warsaw, Lang graduated in TV and film directing from the Radio and Television Department at the Silesian University in Katowice, Poland. Then, from the recommendation of Krzysztof Kieslowski, he joined Andrzej Wajda’s production studio, “X”. He has made over 30 documentaries, 7 feature films, and 15 TV dramas. Lang also directed theatrical performances in Warsaw and Moscow and has won numerous awards for his work. He co-owns and runs the production company TFT Studio and teaches at the Film and TV Department at the Silesian University.

Paweł Wysoczański - In attendance on Saturday, Oct. 29

Director of “Long Day Tomorrow” presented at the APFF 2022

Paweł Wysoczański, born in 1980 in Głogów, Poland. Graduated in Film Studies from the Jagiellonian University in Kraków and in Directing from the Silesian University in Katowice in the Krzysztof Kieślowski's TV and Radio Department. Director of documentary and feature films: "Point of view ", "Flying lesson", "On the road", "We will be happy one day", feature documentary “Jurek”. His documentaries have won awards at numerous festivals in Poland and internationally. Wysoczański serves as expert adviser for the Polish Film Institute.
Wysoczański was invited to give a guest presentation “Truth and Fiction in Documentary Filmmaking” to prof. Nancy Schiesari’s graduate students class at the RTF Department at the University of Texas at Austin on November 2 at 3pm.

Michał Szpak & Manny Moreno - In attendance on Sunday, Oct. 30

Director/Producer of “Overnight Paradise” presented during the shorts block at the APFF 2022.

Michał Szpak was born and raised in Przemyśl, Poland, where he attended music school playing cello and trumpet. Over time, he appeared in school and local theater productions. Whenever opportunity came, he worked on historical reconstructions and film productions. After high school, he moved to Warsaw and in 2017 graduated from the acting school of Halina and Jan Machulski. Not sure if he wanted to only pursue acting, he moved to the USA to study film production in Houston, Texas. This year, he produced, directed, and will be performing in a theater play. Michał recently made his first movie, a short “Overnight Paradise”, in which he is credited as both producer and actor. This movie feels to him as a dream come true and a great kickstart for what the future brings.

Cinematographer/ Director of “Overnight Paradise”

Manny is a US-based cinematographer who sees himself as a headstrong visual storyteller with a passion for the technical challenges of bringing life to the screen. He started his career in 2013, while in film school that he entered after serving in the US Army. Manny has been part of the Austin film community gaining experience on film sets as cinematographer.

 Zbigniew Banaś - Festival MC

Introducing films and moderating Q&A sessions during the APFF 2022

A film critic, teacher, and a radio and television journalist.  Banaś holds a B.A. degree from the University of Chicago and Sc.M. degree from Brown University. Over the years, his reviews have appeared in Chicago Reader, Boston Phoenix, New City and other publications.  He is affiliated with WPNA (1490 AM) and WNVR (1030 AM) radio stations in Chicago, as well as Polvision TV (Ch. 24.4).  Banaś is currently an Instructor in International Film at Loyola University in Chicago and in the past has lectured at Columbia College.  He also moderates discussions for Talk Cinema and teaches film-related classes for the Road Scholar program. Mr. Banaś has been accredited as a journalist at over 20 film festivals, including Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, and Sundance.  He is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association.