MICHAŁ CYGAN
BIOGRAPHY
Michał, being born and raised in the city of Kraków where the aura of medieval and renaissance is still tangible, decided to be a filmmaker as a teenager after watching Stanley Kubrick’s "2001: A Space Odyssey". The collective unconscious of the society and culture that he spent his childhood with, mixed with his personal experiences and crucial events of his life, has shaped the foundations of his beliefs and visual style.
His body of work includes short films like "Silent Night", which tells the story of a deaf woman from Lebanon who finds her first job in London, in a place where no one knows sign language, and "Knight", which depicts a mysterious masked knight whose visit to the Nobleman's manor provokes confrontation between two different visions of human rights. Whether it's commercial or music video, his style looks to find new ways of exploring visual opportunities, always with a human at its core.
Back in Poland, being able to study and work with people from Krzysztof Kieslowski Film School and Lodz Film School was a crucial step in finding his own, independent voice. Later, working with people from around the world at London Film Academy hardened his conviction that cinema is truly a universal language.
Michał currently lives in London, where he is in the early stages of putting together his debut feature, besides working on several projects as a director and making behind-the-scenes photography on various film sets.
RECOGNITION:
LONDON SHORT FILM FESTIVAL 2025 (BAFTA QUALIFYING) - OFFICIAL SELECTION (SILENT NIGHT)
EXGROUND FILMFEST 2024 - SPECIAL SCREENING (SILENT NIGHT)
AMICORTI IFF 2025 - OFFICIAL SELECTION (SILENT NIGHT)
SPLAT!FILMFEST INTERNATIONAL FANTASTIC FILM FESTIVAL 2023 - OFFICIAL SELECTION (KNIGHT)
ATHVIKVARUNI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2022 - BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM AWARD (NOT ENOUGH OF A HUMAN)
PRAGUE FILM FESTIVAL 2022 - BEST SHORT FILM AWARD (NOT ENOUGH OF A HUMAN)
SPEKTRUM FILM FESTIVAL 2021 - OFFICIAL SELECTION (H8)
SOLANIN FILM FESTIVAL 2021 - OFFICIAL SELECTION (H8)