23 Pawel Pawlikowski Quotes for You to Enjoy

Pawel Pawlikowski

Polish Director

Born: Sep 15, 1957

Films Life People Think Time You

Related authors: Alfred Hitchcock David Lynch George Lucas Martin Scorsese Steven Spielberg Tim Burton Woody Allen

My films are always a reflection of where I am in my life. Pawel Pawlikowski

Life Reflection My Life Films Always Am Where

I come from a magnetic field of Catholicism. I was baptised by my mother's family, who were all traditional Catholics. But my mother was the black sheep of the family - she ran away to the ballet at 17. Pawel Pawlikowski

Family Mother Black Sheep Field Ran Black Sheep Magnetic Come She Catholicism Catholics Ballet Traditional Were Who Away

I'm not emotionally excited by the power of cinema's tricks anymore. Pawel Pawlikowski

Cinema Power Tricks Emotionally Excited Anymore

I grew up in a secular environment, you know, in the '60s and '70s. My mother's family was Catholic, but you know, just very kind of conventionally Catholic. You know, nothing - there was nothing, you know, extreme about their version of religion. And my father was a free spirit, you know? He had no time for religion at all. Pawel Pawlikowski

Time Family Religion You Mother Father Secular Free Nothing Extreme Kind Spirit About No Time Free Spirit Had He Environment Know Catholic Version Up Very Just Grew

I think - you know, the big trauma in my life, personally, was the fact that at 14, I was taken out of Poland unwittingly because my parents were divorced. Left the country - my mother left for England with her new husband. I wasn't even aware that she'd married him. Pawel Pawlikowski

Life You Mother Husband My Life Parents Country Big Think Out Married Fact Taken Divorced Poland New Know She Him Because Were Left Personally England Trauma Even Aware Her

Strangely, you know, my parents, who left Poland separately and, you know, divorced, ended up marrying other people. But then they met again abroad, and they got together again. Pawel Pawlikowski

A good script is like a work of art in itself. I've read hundreds of scripts, and good ones are very rare. If the writer has something to say, and a voice, and a plot that matches character, and an emotional trajectory that works, then I'd be an idiot to fool around with it. It's just that few scripts ever are like that. Pawel Pawlikowski

Work Art Good Character Fool Rare Idiot Few Hundreds Say Plot Good Ones Something Good Script Voice Emotional Writer Like Read Around Matches Itself Very Trajectory Just Script Scripts Then Works Ever

I think people crave those meaningful situations, stuff about faith, identity, dilemmas of live paradoxes in our souls. It's going back to a time where lives were really defined by history, and also how you behave in the face of history. It's kind of interesting to go back to that simpler humanity, simpler but deeper. Pawel Pawlikowski

Faith Time History You Humanity People Face Live Think Back Our Dilemmas Defined Those Kind Paradoxes About Simpler Stuff Also Identity Souls How Go Were Behave Going Situations Where Crave Interesting Meaningful Really Deeper Lives

I like to control my films from beginning to end, to write them the way I want. Pawel Pawlikowski

Beginning Control Films Way Write Like End Want Them

The problem with shooting in Paris is, it's been shot to death. When you're in it, you already think you're in a movie, so how do you get away from that feeling, and give some frisson to the viewer? Pawel Pawlikowski

Death You Problem Feeling Think Some Give Paris How Been Get Shooting Movie The Problem With Shot Viewer Away

In 2006, I started making a film called 'Restraint of Beasts.' While I was making it, I had a personal disaster. My wife fell ill, so we stopped shooting halfway through. And then sadly, my wife died. Pawel Pawlikowski

Wife Restraint Beasts Through Had Disaster Sadly Fell Halfway Making Personal Shooting Died Stopped While Then Ill Film Started

The most interesting stuff happens when an authoritarian government removes itself a little and gives this margin of freedom. And then art is grabbed with both hands. Pawel Pawlikowski

Art Government Freedom Gives Both Stuff Most Itself Grabbed Authoritarian Hands Happens Interesting Little Then Margin

I'm a pretty chaotic person, but I'm also a perfectionist. It's a very unfortunate mix. Pawel Pawlikowski

Chaotic Pretty Perfectionist Also Mix Very Person Unfortunate

It's so difficult to actually come up with ideas that you really fall in love with, you know? That's the most difficult thing about filmmaking - and that's my main challenge in life. Pawel Pawlikowski

Life Love You Challenge Fall Difficult About Main Come Ideas Know Most Most Difficult Thing Up Really Actually Thing Difficult Thing Filmmaking

What's been lost is allowing cinema to be artful, playful, to have ambiguity, to have form, to be contemplative, to wish to be art. This slightly timeless approach to reality, like Chekhov in literature, where you look at all humanity and try to find what's transcendent. Pawel Pawlikowski

Art You Reality Humanity Cinema Try Wish Lost Approach Slightly Find Allowing Like Contemplative Look Chekhov Been Ambiguity Timeless Artful Transcendent Where Form Literature Playful

To cast Ida, it took ages, and I was a bit desperate. I couldn't find somebody I could believe in. I spent months looking for the lead among young actresses and drama students. Pawel Pawlikowski

Desperate Somebody Looking Young Believe Drama Took Months Spent Bit Find Cast Could Lead Students Ages Actress Among

I'm more interested in people the way they are than what they've done onscreen before. So I don't worry much about the acting skills or the name, the status. I just think, 'Do I believe this person? Do I like them? Are they interesting, complicated, have the right aura, energy?' Pawel Pawlikowski

People Complicated Before Energy Believe Think Worry Way Status About More Onscreen Name Like Aura Than Person Done Just Interested Interesting Them Much Skills Acting Right

In America, I don't think you have the creative freedom that I'm used to. Traditionally, it's a producer's cinema here. Pawel Pawlikowski

Freedom You Creative Cinema Think America Producer Used Here

Pawel Pawlikowski Quotes

No more Pawel Pawlikowski quotes