REPORT IN THE POST EAGLE (11 JUNE 2025):
https://posteaglenewspaper.com/helena-modjeska-prize-for-polish-actor-piotr-adamczyk/
REPORT IN BIALY ORZEL/ THE WHITE EAGLE (7 MAY 2025)
https://bialyorzel24.com/polscy-aktorzy-nagrodzeni-w-los-angeles/
REPORT ON PORTAL E- TEATR.PL (12 MAY 2025)
https://e-teatr.pl/nagrody-im-heleny-modrzejewskiej-w-kaliforni
REPORT ON THE PORTAL OF STOWARZYSZENIE FILMOWCOW POLSKICH
On Saturday, April 26, 2025 at 6:00 p.m., the Helena Modjeska Club invites you to the presentation of its annual H. Modjeska Prize for achievements in the field of acting. Danuta Stenka and Piotr Adamczyk are the current winners of the award granted for the year 2024, ex aequo. Unfortunately, Mrs. Stenka cannot come to receive the award in person presentation will take place in the fall. Now, however, we are honored that Mr. Piotr Adamczyk will personally receive the award in April.
During the ceremony, he will perform, together with Katarzyna Smiechowicz and Jerzy Antczak, in the presentation of the book "Chopin's Heart" by Jerzy Antczak, in the presence of the author. The ceremony will take place at the residence of Mrs and Mr Helena and Stanley Kolodziey, Beverly Hills and is partly sponsored by the Polish Consulate in Los Angeles and the Polish Center in Los Angeles. In addition, Moonrise Press, Hotel "Zamek Ryn" and Mrs. and Mrs. Golema are among the event's sponsors. Chris Justin and the Board serve as volunteers.
“An artist should not seek easy applause. Their goal must be truth – the truth embodied by the character, and the truth that the audience is meant to discover within themselves.”
— Helena Modrzejewska
“My favorite word related to acting is authenticity. I want the viewer to believe in the character I play – to feel their emotions, follow their truth, and through that, reach their own truth. preferably – the uncomfortable one.”
— Piotr Adamczyk
Piotr Adamczyk is one of the most versatile and recognizable Polish actors of his generation. A graduate of the Aleksander Zelwerowicz Theatre Academy in Warsaw and the British-American Drama Academy in London, he has successfully combined a career in theatre, film, radio, and voice acting with international film and television work. With impressive ease, he crosses linguistic and cultural borders – making him a spiritual heir to Helena Modrzejewska.
He gained international recognition for his portrayal of Karol Wojtyła in the international production Karol: A Man Who Became Pope. This role, grounded in authenticity and profound spirituality, reached an audience of over 800 million viewers worldwide. In Jerzy Antczak’s film Chopin: Desire for Love, he portrayed Fryderyk Chopin, revealing both the genius and the fragile, complex humanity of the composer. He is a recipient of numerous international awards granted by juries abroad, as well as multiple audience awards in Poland.
In recent years, Adamczyk has successfully expanded his career abroad, appearing in American series such as Hawkeye (Marvel), For All Mankind (Apple TV+), and Night Sky (Amazon Prime), becoming one of the few Polish actors with a recognizable presence in American productions. With the rise of premium series, he has created dramatically different characters in productions such as A Simple Case (Canal+), Klara (TVN Player), Lead the Way, Brother (Netflix), and most recently: Project UFO (Netflix).
For his overall artistic achievements, he has been awarded the Silver Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis. He is especially proud of the “Little Sceptre” award, presented to him by Janusz Gajos.
Citation:
"Piotr Adamczyk receives the Helena Modrzejewska Award for his outstanding acting achievements, his ability to combine artistry with accessibility, and for transcending linguistic and cultural boundaries in the spirit of universal values. Just as Modrzejewska – an ambassador of Polish theatre around the world – brought Polish sensibility into international dialogue, so too does he. This award honors not only his body of work but also his consistency, passion, and artistic integrity." - Katarzyna Smiechoweicz
Danuta Stenka
Laureate of the 2024 Modjeska Prize
Danuta Stenka (b. 10 October 1961 in Sierakowice, Poland) is a Polish actress. She made her stage debut in 1984 and since then acted in many productions receiving theatre awards for her performances. She made her big screen debut in 1995 and appeared in more than 60 films since then. Stenka received two Polish Film Awards for her roles in Jerzy Antczak’s Chopin: Desire for Love (2002) and Andrzej Wajda’s Katyń (2007). From 1991, she spent a decade working at Teatr Dramatyczny in Warsaw, then at TR Warszawa. She earned critical acclaim for her distinguished roles in plays directed by Krzysztof Warlikowski's (Electra, The Taming of the Shrew, Krum, Angels in America and (A)pollonia). In 2003, she joined the ensemble of the National Theatre in Warsaw, taking on roles with many renowned directors, including Robert Wilson (Lady from the Sea), Grzegorz Jarzyna (Giovanni), Maja Kleczewska (Phaedra, Marat/Sade, Oresteia) and Jan Englert (King Lear). She played in many films and TV series and won over 30 awards for her theatre and film work, including the Silver Medal for Merit to Culture‚ Gloria Artis, from the Polish Ministry of Culture.
Helena Modjeska Prizes
Helena Modjeska Art & Culture Club established the Modjeska Prize as a lifetime achievement award for eminent Polish actors to honor its patron and appreciate the acting talents. In 2010, Jan Nowicki received the first Prize, followed in 2011 by Anna Dymna (in Kraków), and Marian Dziędziel (in Los Angeles). In 2012, the winner was Barbara Krafftówna; in 2013 – director Ryszard Bugajski. After a gap, the prize for 2018 was awarded to Jadwiga Barańska, and in 2019 to two actresses of the Polish Theater in Toronto (Maria Nowotarska and Agata Pilitowska). In 2020, the award was presented virtually to Andrzej Seweryn. In 2021, on the occasion of the Club’s 50th anniversary, the recipients were Beata Poźniak (in person) and Jan Englert (virtually, and in 2022 in person). The 2022 Modjeska Prizes were presented to Marek Probosz and Katarzyna Śmiechowicz. In September 2024, Janusz Gajos received the 2023 Modjeska Prize in Warsaw, Poland.
Jerzy Antczak (born 25
December 1929 in Włodzimierz) is a Polish television, theatre and film director
and actor. He graduated from the Leon Schiller Academy of Dramatic Art in Łódź
in 1953.He made his debut as an actor on the stage of the Powszechny Theatre in
Łódź; from the end of the 1950s he was active only as a director and
screen-writer. In 1957, he became the
director of the "715" theatre in Łódź, in 1959 – the chief director
of the Łódź Television Centre, and from 1963 – the chief director of the Warsaw
Television Centre. In the years 1963–1975, he was the chief director of the
Television Theatre. He personally directed J. Słowacki's Kordian,
Chekhov's Three Sisters, T. Williams' The Glass Menagerie; as
well as important performances of the Theatre of Fact (Nuremberg Epilogue).
In 1977, his film Nights and Days was nominated for an Oscar in the Best
Foreign Language Film category. Since 1979 he has lived in the USA, where he served
as professor at the University of California (UCLA) in Los Angeles, at the
Department of Film and Television. In the early 1990s, he made two films in
Poland: The Lady of the Camellias and Chopin. Desire for Love. He
also directed two TV theatre performances: Caesar and Pompey and Paths
of Glory. In September 2013, Jerzy Antczak received the Platinum Lions for
lifetime achievement at the 38. Gdynia Film Festival. From 1956 until the death
of his wife in 2024, he was married to actress Jadwiga Barańska, with whom he
has a son, Mikołaj (born 1964).
Antczak has been an Honorary
Member of the Modjeska Club for many years and in 2024 received the Club’s
first Golden Award for lifetime achievement as film and theater director. Among
the multitude of his honors are: Commander's Cross of the Order of Polonia
Restituta; Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta; Knight's Cross of
the Order of Artis Polonia Restituta; and Gold
Medal for Merit to Culture Gloria Artis.
“A unique novel, which is the result of the love of the director of Nights and Days for Chopin. The author outlines events that followed the Master's death, recalls his life in reminiscences, enriches the world of historical figures with the fictional universe he created, and weaves this story with notes of Chopin's works. Based on lesser-known facts from the composer’s life, Antczak builds the plot around the figure of Chopin’s sister Ludwika, who, after the artist's death, began efforts to have his heart placed in the Church of the Holy Cross. Unfortunately, the Tsarist authorities were not in favor of this, and the canon law stated that locations within the church were intended solely for saints. After all, Chopin was not a saint...”
Information about the book from the portal lubimyczytac.pl.
PHOTOS FROM THE EVENT
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