Malgorzata Imielska was born on August 11, 1969 in Warsaw, but she received her film education outside the capital, first at Jagiellonian University (film studies) and then at the Radio and Television Department of Silesian University in Katowice. She is extremely versatile. Her directing credits are dominated by documentaries, but also include Television Theater productions, Polish Radio Theater radio dramas, and even an episode of the TV series “For Better or Worse.”
She debuted with an episode of the documentary series “Silesian Album” – “Nowhere to go from here…” (1997), made together with Maciejka Mazan. Her next documentary, “Bachor” (1998), was dedicated to a girl from the Adoption and Foster Care Center, who was first rejected by her biological parents, and then spurned by her foster parents. She made the protagonists of “Criminal Blocks” (1999) three prisoners who started making toys for children as part of their therapy classes….
She devoted most of her documentaries to the time of World War II, especially the tragedy of the Holocaust. These have brought her many prestigious awards and prizes: “Youth in the Time of the Holocaust” (2001) was honored with diplomas at the “Man in Danger” Media Festival in Lodz (2002) and the Warsaw Jewish Film Festival (2003), “Childhood in the Shadow of Death” (2004) won First Prize at the capital festival a year later, “Tell Me Why?” (2005) was showered with laurels in Houston (Bronze Remi, 2007), Krakow (Polish Filmmakers Association President’s Award and Audience Award, 2006), Guangzhou (honorable mention, 2007), Warsaw (Antoni Marianowicz Award at “Jewish Motives,” 2006) and Lublin (honorable mention at “Crossroads of Europe,” 2007). The poignant “Surviving Afghanistan” (2012) was honored with the Golden Sable Award at the International Historical and Military Film Festival in Warsaw (2012).
Imielska dedicated her latest feature-length documentary “Love and Empty Words” (2018) to Wanda and Adam, a married couple of forty years. Today he is relatively healthy, she has been affected by Alzheimer’s disease. This beautiful yet poignant film about great love in the face of a cruel disease offers hope. For, as we read in “St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians” – “Love endures all things, never losing faith and hope.”