Jan Komasa

Early life and education

Jan Komasa was born in 1981 in Poznań, Poland. His father, Wiesław Komasa, is a theatre actor and professor at National Academy of Dramatic Art in Warsaw. His mother is a singer and music producer who worked for a television channel. His brother is a bass-baritone singer, Szymon Komasa. His sister Mary Komasa is a musician.

Komasa was raised in Warsaw, where his family moved in 1988.

He graduated from National Film School in Łódź.

Career

He was 21 when he directed his short film Nice To See You (2003) which won 3rd prize at Cannes Film Festival (Cinefondation) and was presented on several film festivals including Munich Film Festival, São Paulo International Film Festival and Cork Film Festival.

He was 23 when he directed a part of a triptych feature film Ode to Joy (2005) which premiered in main competition at Rotterdam Film Festival(2006) and won numerous awards including (second in importance) Special Jury Prize at Gdynia Film Festival (2005). Ode to Joy was present ed at over 30 festivals including Chicago International Film Festival, Karlovy Vary Film Festival, Jerusalem Film Festival, Moscow International Film Festival, Palić Film Festival, Cottbus Film Festival, Valencia Cinema Jove Festival and more.

In the upcoming years he focused on directing music videos, commercials with the exception of full-length documentary film The Flow (2007) which premiered at Kraków Film Festival and television film Wroclaw's Golgotha (2008) which won lead actor's award at Monte-Carlo Television Festival along with Grand Prix and 5 other awards at Polish Radio and Television Dramatic Art "Two Theatres" Festival.

He wrote his first feature film Suicide Room script in 2008, directed the film in 2009 and premiered it at Berlin Film Festival in 2011. Film generated a big buzz afterwards which ultimately led to a sweeping box office success (with 900,000 admissions in Polish cinemas - $4,878,284 and $2,348,656 abroad). Komasa was awarded with Polish Film Award for Discovery of the Year and Best Editing along with FIPRESCI at International Festival of Independent Cinema Off Camera, Best Film and best score award at Giffoni Film Festival, Silver Lion at Gdynia Film Festival, Best Polish Film award at MTV Movie & TV Awards, Best Film at Stockholm International Film Festival, best film at Geneva International Film Festival, Best Debut Film at New Horizons Film Festival and many other awards. Leading actor Jakub Gierszał was awarded with Shooting Stars Award for his portrayal of Dominik Santorski, Suicide Room's main character. Suicide Room was distributed by Wolfe Video, the oldest and largest exclusive distributor of LGBT films in North America.

He created a concept of a unique full-length documentary he directed - Warsaw Uprising (2014) which was a critical and box office success with 700,000 viewers in Polish cinemas. The film received very good reviews from Los Angeles Times ("Warsaw Uprising" is not only a unique, remarkably assembled documentary-narrative hybrid but also a powerful look at the personal and public devastation that can occur during wartime. Movies rarely feel as authentic as this") to Village Voice (Despite its context in a global conflict, "Uprising" is a strangely intimate film.) to Times of Israel (...a mesmerizing account of the fierce house-to-house fighting against the German.) Warsaw Uprising was awarded with Golden Reel Award 2015 for Best Documentary and Polish Film Award for Best Documentary and Best Sound Design.

Filmography

Feature film

Ode to Joy segment "Warsaw" (2005)

The Flow documentary (2007)

Suicide Room (2011)

Warsaw Uprising documentary (2014)

Warsaw 44 (Miasto 44) (2014)

Corpus Christi (Boże Ciało) (2019)

The Hater (2020)

Good Boy (2025)

Anniversary (2025)

Short film

Nice To See You (2003)

Mary Komasa: Lost Me (2016)

Television

Teatr telewizji (TV Series) - Golgota wrocławska episode (2008)

Krew z krwi (TV Series, second season) (2015)

Ultraviolet (TV Series, 5 episodes) (2018)