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..

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

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