PM Transcripts

S AJUSTRALIA Press: Statement No. 53
February 1973
AUSTRALIAN FILM AND TELEVISION SCHOOL
Professor Jerzy Toeplitz has been appointed foundation
director of the Australian Film and Television School, on the
recommendation of the school's interim council.
We have been fortunate to obtain the services of
Professor Toeplitz, an eminent and distinguished figure with
a world wide reputation.
Professor Toeplitz is a Master in Law and holds a
PhD from the University of Warsaw. He became involved with
film production in Italy and England from 1934-39. From
1945 to 1949 Professor Toeplitz was the Director of the
Polish Film Corporation. He was the first Professor of
Film History at the Polish National Film and Theatre School,
Lodz, from 1949 to 1968 and rector of the school for two teryas,
1949-51 and 1957-68. The Polish Film School was recognised as
the most important in the world under his leadership, producing
such directors as Andrej Wajda, Roman Polanski, and Jerzy
Skolimowski. In 1967-68 Professor Toeplitz was visiting
Professor of Film at the School of Theatre Arts at U. C. L. A.
From 1948 until 1972 he was President of the
International Federation of Film Archives and for many years was
Vice-President of the U. N. E. S. C. O. International Council for
Film and Television. From 1949 he also acted as Director of the
Film Section in the Institute of Art at the Polish Academy in
Warsaw and in 1968 he took up. full time'duties there.
Professor Toeplitz was a co-founder of the Film
School at Zurich ( 1956-66). He has served on numerous
international film juries and has been a delegate to many
international film congresses. He is co-editor of the History
of the Polish Cinema and has written a massive five volume
History of the Cinema. His work on the New American Cinema is
shortly being published in English by George Allen and Unwin.
In 1970 Professor Toeplitz visited Australia to advise
on establishment of the Australian Film and Television School.
In 1972 he returned to Australia as visiting Professor at La
Trobe University in the School of Education's Communication and
Media Centre.
February 1973