Biography
Ryszard Lenczewski spent many years as a cinematographer bringing to life the images of directors like Jerzy Domaradzki, Andrzej Baranski, and Academy Award winner Pawel Pawlikowski. Working internationally for four decades, Lenczewski established himself as a proficient photographer who could turn stories of all kinds into visual spectacles. Lenczewski showcased his greatest command of the lens on the beautifully shot "Ida" (2013), for which he earned his first Oscar nomination. Ryszard Lenczewski was born in Milków, Dolnoslaskie, Poland, on June 5, 1948. He began a professional career in cinematography in the 1970s, making his feature film debut with writer/director Jerzy Domaradzki's "Bestia" (1979). Lenczewski stayed busy throughout the '80s, averaging one film per year over the course of the decade. He'd collaborate with Domaradzki twice more in this period, first on the TV movie "Wielki bieg" (1987), and then on the children's adventure film "Bialy smok" (1987), which earned the English title "Legend of the White Horse" and a cast including Christopher Lloyd, Steve Martin, and Dee Wallace. Though Lenczewski stuck mainly to Polish films throughout the 1990s, he did continue to work with figures familiar, or who would become familiar, to American audiences. The cinematographer collaborated with Chase Masterson and Vivian Schilling on "In a Moment of Passion" (1993) and Christoph Waltz on "Our God's Brother" (1997). Lenczewski also worked with the likes of Helen McCrory and Mark Strong on the small screen project "Anna Karenina" (PBS 2000). Lenczewski first collaborated with writer/director Pawel Pawlikowski on "Last Resort" (2000), kicking off what would become promising partnership for both artists. After expanding his reach to the United Kingdom and Ireland to shoot "Tabloid" (2001), "Intermission" (2003), and "The Last King" (2004), for which he earned a BAFTA Award, Lenczewski teamed again with Pawlikowski for "My Summer of Love" (2004) and "The Woman in the Fifth" (2011). Expanding his connection to American cinema, Lenczewski shot the Anna Paquin, Matt Damon, and Mark Ruffalo film "Margaret" (2011) with director Kenneth Lonergan. Lenczewski earned his first bit of Oscar recognition with Pawlikowski's drama film "Ida" (2013), for which he earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography at the 87th Annual Academy Awards. Lenczewski shared the nomination with fellow cinematographer Lukasz Zal, who made his feature debut on the project.
