Behind the lens: the journey of a young film maker

Photo courtesy of Patryk Lukaszewski

The art of filmmaking is constantly evolving. Young filmmakers are bringing new perspectives, experiences and ideas to the screen. Patryk Lukaszewski is a young filmmaker living here in the Liberties in his final year of film school.  

“I moved over to Ireland when I was five years old,” he tells The Liberty. “Obviously there is a language barrier there. One of the first pieces of advice I received from my teachers was to watch movies in English with Polish subtitles. 

“Thats where it all started – I watched so many movies that I became obsessed with films. One that sticks out from that time is 2001: A Space Odyssey. My dad showed me the film, and I remember it completely blew me away with its visuals.” 

Although he happened to find his passion in Ireland, he is influenced by his Polish roots.

“I would trace my biggest influence back to Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski. I attended his film school for a year – his films are amazing to me and have always been so influential.” 

“He like myself was an immigrant from Poland: he made most of his films in France and all his films related back to that feeling of being abroad and looking for your home, and always linking back to Poland.” 

A film by other Polish film-makers, Ida – a 2013 drama directed by Paweł Pawlikowski and written by Pawlikowski and Rebecca Lenkiewicz – encouraged Lukaszewski’s drive to create.

“I remember seeing it in the cinema with my parents and – well, I probably would have been a little bit too young to fully comprehend it – but even at that age I could appreciate the art I was witnessing. 

“It was just amazing. The marriage between the audio and the visuals really made me appreciate how a director can influence a film.” 

What are the styles and themes that he wants to incorporate in his own projects? 

“Themes that always show up in my films would be the journey of immigration – I like to explore the life of immigrants. I like to explore subtle stories that are a slow burn, but violent at the core. 

“I have a fixation on violence and how violent life is as a whole. I think in general our existence is pretty violent. I think that there’s no way to tell any story without violence in it. 

“I’ve always found violence curious in a way. It has always interested me: what leads a person to be violent, what leads a society to be violent, and the reactions that ensue from violent actions. Through my films I try to address that, whether it’s physical violence or societal violence.

“Racism, for example, is a systemic violence. I faced a lot of that when I was younger – in Ireland there was not a lot of other immigrants around at that time and I feel that is where my obsession with violence in film stems from.” 

Photo courtesy of Patryk Lukaszewski

Lukaszewski is busy organising his final year film at the National Film School (NFS) at IADT Dún Laoghaire. 

“Tymek is a story of a young punk coming over from Poland and living in rural Ireland, and how societal differences clash with his ego and character and how stripped he feels in this situation. 

“We’re aiming for a premiere at the end of May in Dublin – I’m really looking forward to it.” 

Patryk Lukaszewski has no shortage of ambition. To learn more about him, you can check out his Instagram page.