by Cody Hedges
Slightly northwest of the Cienega Creek Natural Preserve, I pull into a gravel drive. The home is charming and perfectly suited for its neighborhood – rustic southwest. There are a variety of cacti, succulents, and other native plant life around the porch; here and there, an antique item. However, towards the back, there’s a small building which has been converted into a film studio. On the walls are numerous posters, works of art, and shelves of film reels. It also has a bluescreen stage for special effects, and filming equipment.
Zbigniew Rybczynski (Rib-chin-ski), a Vail resident of four years, is a director and cinematographer, who has earned a variety of domestic and international recognitions – including an Oscar, Academy Awards, and MTV Music Awards — for special effects achievements and innovation in film technique. Having lived in Warsaw, Vienna, New York, and Los Angeles, he has decided to spend the rest of his days working as a non-commercial experimentalist in filmmaking, collecting antiques, and viewing the Mica Mountains, which remind him of a Salvador Dali painting. “I came to Arizona because I was always fascinated by the southwest deserts of the United States, because of a close proximity to Spanish-Mexican culture; Mexican art for me was always very attractive. Plus, I like the amazing landscape. It’s a paradox really, when I was young I was fanatical about art; I was a painter. I never thought much for travels. But because of my career in film, I spent more than half of my life abroad. But, I’ve decided to settle in Vail; there is a certain coziness about it. And the rush hour traffic is nothing like Los Angeles.”
Some might imagine it difficult to apply a passion and talent for painting to filmmaking and special effects. But for Rybczynski, that was easy. “When I was young, I was painting. I came to the conclusion, when I was sixteen or seventeen, that the old masterpieces were done. The development of the fine arts, painting, has come to photography. And photography was film and television. The creation of these moving images involved new technologies. So, I studied camera work and photography. I wanted to make a new masterpiece, of course, but first I wanted to learn all the technical aspects of filming and production, so I learned them by producing experimental films, and it ended up giving me some commercial success.”
Rybczynski is currently finishing construction of his private studio, which he’ll use to develop and produce a consistent line of experimental films, screenplays, and projects with his wife, Dorota, who is a fashion and costume designer. They plan to remain in Vail, and often travel to work fashion shows in places as diverse as El Paso and New York.
“Good film,” said Rybczynski, “is so because it is strange – something new – or something true. It isn’t so important for people to know the technical aspects of filming, but it is important for them to know it’s necessary.”
