Film music composer; born 20 May 1955 in Bielsko-Biała.

A self-taught composer, Zbigniew Preisner studied history and philosophy at the Jagiellonian University. In 1978 he became a part of the Kraków-basd cabaret Piwnica pod Baranami, and later took up working for the town's Teatr Stary. His debut as a composer of film scores took place in 1981 with the premiere of Antoni Krauze's film Prognoza pogody / Weather Forecast. In 1984 he began to write scores for films directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski; this relationship continued until Kieślowski's death in 1996. The success of Kieślowski's films sparked off Preisner's career in Europe and the United States.

Preisner has composed music for more than eighty feature, documentary and short films, winning a number of prestigious awards, including the Los Angeles Films Critics Association Award - the titles of the composer of the years 1991, 1992 and 1993, Golden Disc in Paris for the score to Krzysztof Kieślowski's The Double Life of Veronique, two Cesars of the French Film Academy (for Krzysztof Kieślowski's Three Colours: Red in 1995 and for Jean Becker's Élisa in 1996) as well as the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival for Søren Kragh-Jacobsen's The Island on Bird Street. In 1998 he wrote Requiem for My Friend, dedicated to the memory of Krzysztof Kieślowski.

Preisner is a member of the French Film Academy.

Film scores:
Prognoza pogody / Weather Forecast dir. Antoni Krauze (1981); Psychoterapia / Psychotherapy dir. Maciej Drygas (1983); Kilka obrazow w czasie przeszlym / A Few Pictures in the Past Tense dir. Jacek Link-Lenczewski (1983); Bez końca / No End dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski (1984); Cud / The Miracle dir. Magdalena Łazarkiewicz (1984); Wezwanie / The Call dir. Andrzej Papuziński (1984); Lubię nietoperze / I Like Bats dir. Grzegorz Warchoł (1985); Przez dotyk / By Touch dir. Magdalena Łazarkiewicz (1985); Lullaby dir. Federo Sevelli (1986); Ucieczka / Escape dir. Tomasz Szadkowski (1986); Czy będzie wojna / Will There Be a War dir. Krzysztof Magowski (1986); Sami dla siebie / For Ourselves dir. Stanislaw Jędryka (1987); Kocham kino / I Love Cinema dir. Piotr Łazarkiewicz (1987); Krótki film o zabijaniu / A Short Film About Killing dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski (1987); Dzień jak rok / A Day Like a Year dir. Pawel Kedzierski (1987); Wielkie oczekiwanie / Great Expectation dir. Andrzej Papuzinski (1987); Dziewczynka z hotelu Excelsior / The Little Girl from the Excelsior Hotel dir. Antoni Krauze (1988); Krótki film o milosci / A Short Film About Love dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski (1988); Zabić księdza / To Kill a Priest dir. Agnieszka Holland (1988); Decalogue I - Decalogue X dir. Krzysztof Kieslowski (1988); Siedem dni w tygodniu / Seven Days a Week dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski (1988); Ostatni dzwonek / The Last Schoolbell dir. Magdalena Łazarkiewicz (1989); Przewodnik / The Guide Man dir. Tomasz Zygadło (1989); W środku Europy / In the Middle of Europe dir. Piotr Łazarkiewicz (1990); Eminent Domain dir. John Irvin (1990); Europa, Europa dir. Agnieszki Holland (1990);Podwójne życie Weroniki / The Double Life of Veronique dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski (1991); At Play in the Fields of Lord dir. Hector Babenco (1991); Zwolnieni z życia / Released from Life dir. Waldemar Krzystek (1992); Olivier, Olivier dir. Agnieszki Holland (1992); Damage dir. Louis Malle (1992); The Secret Garden dir. Agnieszka Holland (1993); Fio do Horizonte dir. Fernando Lopes (1993); Three Colours: White dir. Krzysztof Kieslowski (1993); Three Colours: Blue dir. Krzysztof Kieslowski (1993); Three Colours: Red dir. Krzysztof Kieslowski (1994); When a Man Loves a Woman dir. Luis Mandoki (1994); Mouvements du desir dir. Léa Pool (1994); Élisa dir. Jean Becker (1995); Feast of July dir. Christopher Menaul (1995); Krzysztof Kieślowski: I'm So-So... dir. Krzysztof Wierzbicki (1995); Radetzky March dir. Axel Corti and Gernot Roll (1995); Foolish Heart dir. Hector Babenco (1996); The Island on Bird Street dir. Søren Kragh-Jacobsen (1997); Fairy Tale: A True Story dir. Charles Sturridge (1997); Liv dir. Edoardo Ponti (1998); Dreaming of Joseph Lees dir. Eric Styles (1999); The Last September dir. Deborah Warner (1999); Weiser dir. Wojciech Marczewski (2000); Aberdeen dir. Hans Petter Moland (2000); Between Strangers dir. Edoardo Ponti (2002); It's All About Love dir. Thomas Vinterberg (2003); Strange Gardens dir. Jean Becker (2003); SuperTex dir. Andrew Kazamia and Richard Reitinger (2003); The Beautiful Country dir. Hans Petter Moland (2004);Sportsman of the Century dir. Mischa Alexander (2006); Un secret / A Secret dir. Claude Miller (2007)

Author: Małgorata Kosińska, Polish Music Information Center, October 2006; updated: November 2007