Fabrice Ziolkowski

Fabrice Ziolkowski
BornJanuary 28, 1954 (1954-01-28) (age 70)
Occupations
  • Screenwriter
  • director
  • producer
  • writer
Years active1980–present
Known forThe Secret of Kells
Websitefabriceziolkowski.com

Fabrice Ziolkowski (born January 28, 1954) is a French-born screenwriter, best known for writing Cartoon Saloon's debut Oscar-nominated[1] film The Secret of Kells, the animated series Gawayn, and directing and producing the avant-garde documentary film L.A.X..

Background

[edit]
Place ducale in Charleville-Mézières.

Fabrice Ziolkowski was born on January 28, 1954, in Charleville-Mézières, France. His family emigrated, first to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, then to the United States. He studied at the Brooks Institute of Photography, received a BA and MA in film and literature from the University of California at Santa Barbara, and did doctoral work at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Career

[edit]

Ziolkowski started his career as a member of the Lumina film group which included experimental filmmaker MM Serra.[2] He is foremost a screenwriter, but has also directed and produced films. Since the 2000s, he has emerged as a voice director. . He was development executive of TF1 subsidiary Protecrea from 1999 to 2002.

Personal

[edit]

Ziolkowski resides in France with his spouse Luli Barzman (daughter of Ben Barzman and Norma Barzman). He met Barzman at UCLA; the two have collaborated on various projects for years, from screenwriting to producing and directing documentaries.

His daughter, Marina Ziolkowski, is now a third-generation filmmaker in the family.

Works

[edit]

Ziolkowski is best known for his screenplay of the acclaimed animated film The Secret of Kells. The Hollywood Reporter described it as a "stirring tale" of "universal themes of the transcendent power of imagination and following one's dreams" in an "Irish-legend-and-lore-laced script "[3] The New York Times noted that "A gentle spirit of syncretism suffuses The Secret of Kells."[4] Variety called it a "Gorgeous hand-drawn 2D animation, which is so retro that it looks like a direct descendent of the medieval illuminated manuscript tradition, perfectly complements its tale... A tour-de-force."[5]

His documentary L.A.X. continues to receive notice: film scholar David James has called it "a disabused, skeptical rendering of the city's grittier underside" which reveals "the noir realities behind the sunshine."[2] It has been described as "an essay" on Los Angeles, an "experimental documentary, and "a fictional structure... a journey through the city."[6]

Filmography

[edit]

Ziolkowski has directed, written, produced, and/or voice-directed feature films, television films and series in live-action and animation.[7][8]

Director and producer

[edit]
  • Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! (2012) documentary
  • Mazopo (2004) music video
  • Death Letters (2000) documentary
  • L.A.X. (1980) documentary[9][10][11][12]

Producer

[edit]
  • The 1001 Lives of Lia Rodrigues (2006) documentary
  • Back to Kinshasa (2003) documentary

Screenwriter

[edit]

Ziolkowski has written, co-written, or edited scores of films, television series and episodes, particularly animation.

  • Sadie Sparks (2019) television series
  • Alvin and the Chipmunks (2015) television series
  • Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! (2012) documentary
  • The Bellflower Bunnies (2010) television series
  • Gawayn (2009–2012) animated television series[13]
  • The Secret of Kells (2009) feature film[9][13][14][15]
  • Hairy Scary (2008) television series
  • Atout 5 (2007) television series
  • Khochkhach (Flower of Oblivion) (2006) feature movie[9]
  • Viva Carthago (2005) television series
  • Les énigmes de providence (The Mysteries of Providence) (2002) television series
  • The Southern Star (2001) animation movie
  • Mysterious Island (2001) animation movie
  • The Greatest Show on Ice (2001) animation movie
  • Death Letters (2000) documentary film
  • Baby Monitor (1997) television movie
  • L'amerloque (1996) television movie
  • Billy the Cat (1996) television series
  • Highlander (1993) television series
  • Counterstrike (1992) television series
  • Tattle Tale (1992) television movie
  • The Venture (1992) feature film[9]
  • Hot Chocolate (1992) television movie
  • Fly by Night (1991) television series
  • The New Adventures of the Black Stallion (1990) television series
  • Circles in a Forest (1991) feature film (with Luli Barzman)[9]
  • L.A.X. (1980) documentary film

Voice

[edit]

Ziolkowski has served as voice director, actor or dialogue coach on the following:

  • My Knight and Me (2017) voice direction
  • Scary Larry (2012) voice direction
  • Sherlock Yack: Zoo-Detective (2011) television series – voice direction
  • Lulu Vroumette (2010) television series – voice direction
  • Tales of Tatonka (2010) television series – voice and voice direction
  • Miss Missouri (1990) feature film – dialogue coach[15]
  • Nocturne indien (1989) feature film – dialogue coach and script translation
  • Man on Fire (1987) dialogue coach and uncredited translation[9][15]

Books and articles

[edit]

Ziolkowski has written non-fiction and fiction books and articles, which include:

  • Introduction au scenario (Introduction To The Screenplay) (1999, reprinted 2006)[16][17]
  • "Comedies and Proverbs: An Interview with Eric Rohmer" (1981)[18]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "The 82nd Academy Awards 2010". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  2. ^ a b James, David E. (2005). The Most Typical Avant-Garde. University of California Press. pp. 419, 492. ISBN 9780520938199. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  3. ^ Rechtshaffen, Michael (14 October 2010). "The Secret of Kells". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  4. ^ Scott, A.O. (5 March 2010). "Outside the Abbey's Fortified Walls, a World of Fairy Girls and Beasts". New York Times. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  5. ^ Blair, Iain (5 February 2010). "'Secret' of Oscar animation noms". Variety. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  6. ^ "L.A.X." Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF). 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  7. ^ "Fabrice Ziolkowski". IMDB.com. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  8. ^ "Fabrice Ziolkowski". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2015. Archived from the original on 10 October 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  9. ^ a b c d e f "Fabrice Ziolkowski". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  10. ^ "Film Series / Events". Harvard Film Archive. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  11. ^ "L.A.: Erasure and the Modern City". Los Angeles Film Forum. 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2015.[permanent dead link]
  12. ^ Woodward, Richard B. (10 December 2014). "A Tale of Three Cities". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  13. ^ a b "Fabrice Ziolkowski". TV Guide. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  14. ^ Ebert, Roger (10 March 2010). "The Secret of Kells". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  15. ^ a b c "Fabrice Ziolkowski". The Movie Channel. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  16. ^ Ziolkowski, Fabrice; Luli Barzman (1999). Introduction au scenario. Dixit. ISBN 9780520938199. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  17. ^ Ziolkowski, Fabrice; Luli Barzman (2006). "Ecrire une histoire pour le cinéma et la télévision". Dixit. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  18. ^ Ziolkowski, Fabrice (2013). "Comedies and Proverbs: An Interview with Eric Rohmer". Eric Rohmer: Interviews. Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 9781628468434. | access-date = 26 September 2015

External sources

[edit]