Agnieszka Holland's journey in the film industry began after graduating from FAMU in Prague in 1971, where she pursued a degree in film. She then returned to Poland and started her career as an assistant director, working under the guidance of renowned directors Krzysztof Zanussi and Andrzej Wajda.
Her first feature film, PROVINCIAL ACTORS, released in 1978, was a flagship picture of the "cinema of moral disquiet" and won the International Critics Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1980. This was followed by FEVER in 1980 and THE LONELY WOMAN in 1981.
As the political situation in Poland became increasingly unstable, Agnieszka Holland decided to emigrate to France in 1981, just before the declaration of a state of emergency.
In the years that followed, she continued to make significant contributions to the world of cinema. Her film ANGRY HARVEST, released in 1985, was nominated for a foreign-language Oscar, while EUROPA EUROPA, released in 1990, received a U.S. Academy Award nomination for best screenplay.
Agnieszka Holland also collaborated with her friend Krzysztof Kieslowski on the screenplay of his trilogy, THREE COLOURS, released in 1993.
In addition to her feature films, Agnieszka Holland has also directed several episodes of notable TV series, including THE WIRE, JAG, COLD CASE, TREME, and HOUSE OF CARDS. She was nominated for an Emmy for her work on the pilot episode of TREME.
Furthermore, Agnieszka Holland has written or co-written screenplays for films made by other directors and has directed plays for Polish television.
In recognition of her outstanding contributions to the film industry, Agnieszka Holland was elected chairwoman of the Board of the European Film Academy in 2014 and was subsequently elected as its President in 2021.
