Lawnswood Gardens

a portrait of Zygmunt Bauman | 52 min. HD

The world’s most extraordinary and significant
and famous sociologist”
– Griselda Pollock

“...his analysis of the Holocaust shows
that it was not an accident of the modern world
– Vaclav Havel

“…he suddenly lights up this darkness
with the notion of human solidarity
…”
– Miroslaw Balka

In its main part the film documents a four day long spring 2010 visit to 1 Lawnswood Gardens (Leeds, UK) the home of Zygmunt Bauman, the world-renowned sociologist, philosopher and scholar.   

The visitors, remaining mostly off screen, are prof. Anna Zeidler-Janiszewska and Paweł Kuczynski.  The visit yields a warm material dealing both with profound and mundane issues discussed in a casual, yet engaging manner.  This part offers a rare chance for an informal meeting with the famed critic and challenger of “liquid modernity”. 

Through testimonials, analysis and recreations, the film explores links between Bauman’s groundbreaking “Modernity and the Holocaust” and “Winter in the morning”, a Warsaw Ghetto memoir by the Professor’s wife Janina Bauman, who passed away in December 2009. 

Modern dangers are further dealt with through the Bauman’s involvement/response to Mirosław Bałka’s 2009/2010 installation “How it is” at Turbine Hall/Tate Modern.  

The film also features the Professor’s friends from Leeds: Anthony Bryant and Griselda Pollock, as well as from Poland: Aleksandra Jasińska-Kania, Nina Kraśko, Jerzy Wiatr and from the Czech Republic: Miloslav Petrusek and Vaclav Havel.

producer/director/editor  – Paweł Kuczyński

writers – Paweł Kuczyński/Anna Zeidler-Janiszewska

co-producers – Andrzej Chrzanowski/Anna Zeidler-Janiszewska

camera – Paweł Kuczyński/Piotr Rejmer

music – Robert Jurjendal

post production supervisor/on line editor – Piotr Rejmer

sound editors – Piotr Rejmer/Michał Dominowski

artistic consultant – Lydia Bauman

editing consultant – Agnieszka Bojanowska

production consultant – Ewa Jastrzębska

recreations from “Winter in the Morning” by Janina Bauman:

cast – Nina Chrzanowska, Ludwik Przyrowski,

Robert Waćkowski, Wiesława Łukasik, Rafał Stryjewski

camera – Andrzej Belina-Brzozowski

make up – Zosia Andrusiak

costiume consultant – Katarzyna Lewińska


Produced with the financial support from:

Adam Mickiewicz Institute
Paweł Potoroczyn

National Culture Center
Krzysztof Dudek

Autor’s Society ZAiKS
Janusz Fogler

trailer – here


“making off” 1 – here

“making off” 2 – here

Festivals/screenings/broadcasts:

Planete + (2012/13)
Florida Atlantic University
Polish Sociological Association (Warsaw University)
Festival de Cinema Judaico de San Paulo
It’s All True, Brasil
Jewish Motifs, Poland
plus its 16 cities Travelling Festival
Filmic Philosophy, Olsztyn, Poland

See blog for production notes.

a Delos Films production

From “Lawnswood Gardens”