Marek Kondrat will be awarded a special Golden Angel of Tofifest
He has appeared in more than 100 films. He started his film career, when he was only 11, in “Story of the Yellow Boot”, and finished by playing with... “Adolf Hitler”. During his professional career, he has not only collected all the important awards of Polish cinema, but also portrayed Adam Miauczynski, and last but not least, did the most surprising turn-about in the history of Polish films. Ladies and Gentlemen! We give you Marek Kondrat, a special guest to Tofifest 2016.
He has been consistent in avoiding all film events, since giving his two last film appearances, back in 2010. Nonetheless, we have made it. The master of acting and a wine connoisseur, as a private person, is going to receive a special Golden Angel Awards for artistic insolence, on 18th October, 2016.
A rebellious soul
It takes a truly rebellious soul to be able to give up on being a film star, when one is at the height of their career. It was a truly unique gesture, in a world dominated by those, who would do anything to get their picture published on “Pudelek” (a gossip website).
The actor decided to become a winemaker, which came as a shock to many. All the more so, as Marek Kondrat had already collected a number of prestigious parts and the following awards: Wiktor, Super Wiktor, Telekamera, Złota Kaczka/Gold Duck, Telemaska for the Best Actor of TV Theatre, two Golden Lions in Gdynia, and the Golden Eagle Polish Film Award.
Miauczynski, Kwiatkowski, and Halski
Hehas created many unforgettable characters and it is quite difficult to pick the one that is truly the most important one. To many, it will be the cult figure of Adas Miauczynski from the film trilogy by Marek Koterski (the trilogy inlcudes Dom wariatów / The House of Fools(1984); Dzień świra / Day of the Wacko(2002); and Wszyscy jesteśmy Chrystusami / We're All Christs(2006). Even the shortest fragments performed by Marek Kondrat portraying Adam Miauczynski are considered “gems”. One such scene is the famous dialogue from “Day of the Wacko”, when Marek Kondrat talks to Michal Koterski about “making a beak-like tip” on the hood of a sweatshirt. The tile “Pułkownik Kwiatkowski / Colonel Kwiatkowski” by Kazimierz Kutz (1995) was a film combining comedy and tragedy.
However, there was another “actor’s personality” to Marek Kondrat, who was one of the tried-and-tested machos of the Polish action/gangster genre. Such was Olo Zwirski in “Psy / Pigs” by Radoslaw Pasikowski (1992) and Commissioner Halski in the TV series “Ekstradycja / Extradition” by Wojciech Wojcik (1996). However, the beginning and the end of acting career of Marek Kondrat can be symbolically linked by the work of one particular film director.
Three times Janusz Majewski
Marek Kondrat started his acting career, when was only an 11-year-old kid. Back in 1961, he portrayed the main hero in the historic film for children entitled “Story of the Yellow Boot” by Sylwester Checinski. However, it was a little too early to storm his way into the actor's top.
The success came in 1975, when he portrayed a teenage waiter working in an elegant restaurant at the big Hotel Pacific in Hotel Pacific (1975) by Janusz Majewski. That was the true start of his acting career, which was further confirmed by the prestigious Zlota Kamera award given by “Film” monthly magazine. He would return to work with Janusz Majewski a decade later to play Gefreiter Jan Kania in a comedy entitled “C.K. Dezerterzy / H.M. Deserters” (1985)– the film proved that Marek Kondrat was a great comedian.
The symbolic end of his acting career came in 2010, and it was also in a film made by Janusz Majewski. In “Mała matura 1947”, Marek Kondrat gave his last film appearance in Poland (at the same time, Swiss television released “Der Grosse Kater” by Wolfgang Panzer, in which Marek Kondart played alongside Bruno Ganz, who portrayed Adolf Hitler in “Der Untergang / Downfall”). Now, do you think that there are no more surprises up Marek Kondrat’s sleeve? Not in this case!
A soap and being a true winemaker
Marek Kondrat has two “soap opera” episodes in his professional portfolio. One is playing one of the main characters in thefirst Polish soap opera “W labiryncie / The Labyrinth” (broadcast from 1988 to 1991), which was watched by a staggering number of 16 million viewers! The other “soap-like” episode happened, when he accidentally performed and co-written a disco-polo song entitled “Mydełko Fa” (FA soap) – the song instantly became a big hit.
He has lent his face to a chain of wine stores and... a bank. He has cooperated with the ING Bank in Poland for 18 years, lending his face to its image. He also sells “wines by Marek Kondrat” under the Kondrat Wina Wybrane brand. What wine will he buy in Torun, what do you think?
The 14th edition of the Tofifest International Film Festival will take place in Torun, from 15th October to 23rd October, 2016. The main topic of this year’s edition will be a discussion about the rebellion of women and struggle for human dignity with reference to “Thelma & Louise” by Ridley Scott, which has its 25th anniversary this year. The festival will be opened with a concert by Steve Nash & Film Orchestra with guest appearances of Tomasz Organek and Natalia Nykiel. The Closing Ceremony will be accompanied by the “Tribute to David Bowie”concert featuring Brodka, Skubas, Natalia Przybysz, Tomek Makowiecki, and Tymon Tymanski singing selected songs of the Master. Ticktes for both concerts are already available on www.bilety24.pl.
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