
Acting
Henryk Bista
Born — Died
1934-03-12 — 1997-10-08
Place of birth
Katowice, Poland
Known for
Acting
Credits
73 titles
Known for
8.6The true story of how businessman Oskar Schindler saved over a thousand Jewish lives from the Nazis while they worked as slaves in his factory during World War II.
Schindler's List
1993
8.3The Ten Commandments, exact and uncompromising, literally cast in stone, continues to provide a source of moral conflict in contemporary society. In the ten part collection of films, The Decalogue, Krzysztof Kieślowski examines the dilemma of fundamental sin in the lives of ordinary Warsaw citizens.
Dekalog
1989
7.3The story of the residents of a tenement house on Złota Street in Warsaw from 1945 to 1980.
Dom
1980
7.5The series centres around the investigations of Police Lieutenant Sławomir Borewicz. Each episode features a different case being solved by Borewicz.
Calling 07
1976
8.1One of the most important action series created during the transition period. It brilliantly and credibly portrays the realities of the 1990s and the work of police officers in a new reality, one in which entirely new criminal groups emerged – drug dealers and warring gangs.
Ekstradycja
1995
7.6A small group of cosmic explorers, including a woman, leaves Earth to start a new civilization. They do not realize that within themselves they carry the end of their own dream. They die one by one, while their children revert to a primitive native culture, creating new myths and a new god.
On the Silver Globe
1989
Film credits
1990s · 21 titles
8.6The true story of how businessman Oskar Schindler saved over a thousand Jewish lives from the Nazis while they worked as slaves in his factory during World War II.
Schindler's List
1993
6.9Michał, a mature man and father, is full of bitterness, regret, and longing for unfulfilled youthful dreams of true love. He reminisces about all his past lovers. With his first, Asia, he went on a seaside camping trip. He was 19 at the time, and she was two years younger. Despite his unambiguous advances, the girl resisted for a long time. Eventually, however, she gave in. For Michał, it was the proverbial pebble that caused an avalanche.
Porno
1990
6.3The story of catholic saint Maximilian Kolbe (1894-1941), who volunteered to die in place of a stranger in the Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz.
Life for Life: Maximilian Kolbe
1991
5.7In the beginning of the Second World War, Germans, Austrians and persons without nationality living in France are sent to the concentration camp of Les Milles by France government. Commander Charles Perrochon is the responsible for this camp and he promises to the leaders of the prisoners to protect them from the Nazis. When France is invaded by the Germans, Commander Perronchon will disobey orders and his superiors trying to save these men. He gets a train, a ship and money from USA to send about eight hundred of these prisoners to the safety of Casablanca, in Marrocos.
Les Milles
1995
6.6Set in a small Ukrainian village during the outbreak of war with Germany in 1941 Private Chonkin, not overly endowed with intelligence, is left to guard a downed military aircraft. The authorities appear to have forgotten about him so this leaves him free to work his chams on the village postmistress, Njura, untill the local militia are tipped off.
The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin
1994
6.0A high-ranking Polish politburo member is banished from the party, and must find out why. Set in 1979 Poland before the Solidarity events.
Eminent Domain
1991
6.7Told as a film within the film, the story concerns an aging actress. Ewa is a flamboyant, pushy actress whose career and love life have come to a dead end. She lives in a faceless housing development. She is totally engrossed in herself and dreams of making a comeback as a singer. But her overbearing personality time after time sets her into conflict with those she tries to work with in the theater and her bedroom.
An Immoral Story
1990
6.2Warsaw, 1909. Arthur Herling makes an assassination attempt on a Russian police official and his family. During the action, the officer's daughter is killed and his wife is maimed. The wounded militant is arrested. Tormented by remorse, Herling agrees to cooperate with the tsarist authorities as a provocateur. Into his cell comes Adam Tanski, suspected of having contacts with the wanted conspirator Andrzej Woyda. One day, while being transported in a prison ambulance, Herling kills the guards. Accompanying him, Adam urges him to escape to the mountains.
Provocateur
1995
7.5Film based on the book of Viktor Suvorov, a former Soviet military intelligence officer. The story of the strange friendship between the two GRU officers. That relationship began in the Soviet military range where daring young officer Witek action drew the attention of Colonel Kravcov. With the protection of Colonel Witek gets to the interview. Price to be paid for this "favor" is the total loyalty to his patron.
Aquarium
1996
7.0Sławek Wiśnik, a young, ambitious musician and graduate of the conservatory's organ class, wants to escape from Kaliszewo, a small town near Suwałki, and pursue a career in music. Unfortunately, he does not receive the expected scholarship to study in Heidelberg and has to start a new life in his hometown. His girlfriend, Agnieszka, plans to get married soon, especially since her father, Zenon Nowak, offers Sławek a job running his business. However, this does not suit Sławek, who prefers to play as a substitute organist, and even... as a disco-polo musician.
Love Me and Do Whatever You Want
1997
6.2A young writer in 1939 Warsaw faces the conflict of acting his age or relapsing into childhood during the brink of World War II. Based on the famous novel Ferdydurke by Witold Gombrowicz.
30 Door Key
1991
6.0An unknown Polish writer can't publish his novels, so his ex-wife decides to help him and get some of the profit for herself. She finally finds a publisher, but there's a strange single condition that could cost the writer his life.
The Little Apocalypse
1993
6.5Two friends recall the PRL. After serving time in jail, they took up an illegal currency exchange. Cheated by partner - they decide to take revenge. Preparations take many months, but the action ends differently than it was planned.
Sztos
1997
6.9One day, hospital orderlies, watching corpse in the morgue, recognize film director. Man, even though he died, he begins to remember his life. He made a career making movies, had numerous mistresses, but never realized their dreams. His life was interspersed with many setbacks that enfeebled him from the inside. Although he made a career in film, he was not happy with his life.
Nothing Funny
1996
6.8Young democracy activist is being chased by police in a very funny way.
Reverted
1994
6.3The screening of a movie "Daybreak" at the "Liberty" Cinema is interrupted by an unusual event - actors come to life on the screen, start conversations among themselves, draw the audience into them. Crowds gather around the cinema, the relevant authorities and services wonder what to do in this complicated situation. Also arriving is the censor, a man reaching his fifties, a one-time literary critic and journalist. The line between fiction and reality begins to blur.
Escape from the Liberty Cinema
1990
7.0The story of Finnish boxer Joni, who brings up a son Simppa from his relationship with Polish girlfriend Eva. The mother left them years ago and returned to Poland. Eve is about to marry, but she still loves Joni.
Who Is Joe Louis?
1992
4.8Twenty years old prostitute and drug addict, Jola, by chance meets Andrzej, a "railway station gay". They try to stay together, in spite of numerous diffculties. They both are carriers of the HIV virus. At the end of their travels they find themselves in the Red Palace - formerly the recreation centre for Party dignitaries, now a home for AIDS sufferers - which is run by father Jan. In the nearby small town aggression begins to grow again the unwanted guests; the house have been promised to the local people for housing purposes... The lives and fates of Jola, Andrzej, and father Jan become increasingly intertwined with one another...
A Time for Witches
1994
7.3A film based on a simple situation: several men talk in the sauna.
Sauna
1992
5.2Atanazy Bazakbal navigates a destructive love triangle between his innocent fiancée Zofia and the decadent Hela Bertz while seeking meaning through hedonism. As their personal lives unravel, a communist revolution sweeps through Poland, crushing the aristocracy's old world.
Farewell to Autumn
1990
10.0Poland, 1991. Two elderly political refugees, Demosthenes and Argyris, take the train from the coal mining region to the cemetery where the former's wife and the latter's mother are buried. Stuck in a cramped train carriage because of the rain, they begin to talk about their lives in exile. One has decided to return to his homeland, but the other seems hesitant. They speak candidly, revealing their sad loneliness and fears for the future, trying to share their feelings and their deepest pain.
Apricots in the Baskets
1992
1980s · 31 titles
7.6A small group of cosmic explorers, including a woman, leaves Earth to start a new civilization. They do not realize that within themselves they carry the end of their own dream. They die one by one, while their children revert to a primitive native culture, creating new myths and a new god.
On the Silver Globe
1989
6.0The trio of adventurous pals, a man who is a scientist, a fine lady and a former military pilot are in the Indochina jungles looking for some mysterious vase that holds a metal container that is of no mundane origin.
The Curse of Snake Valley
1988
5.5Set in the 60's in a provincial town: four high school teenagers approach graduation, but all they think about are The Beatles.
Yesterday
1985
6.4Scope is a prisoner on a behemoth space station and is chosen, like all his fellow prisoners, to 'volunteer' for the exploration of far-away planets. Landing on planet Australia 458, he is given a hero's welcome with all the sex, booze, and violence that any one man can stomach. But as his new caretakers push him towards even more heinous and deplorable acts, Scope finds that his freedom comes with a high price; his own violent demise, broadcast live for the viewing pleasure of Australia 458's inhabitants.
Ga-ga: Glory to the Heroes
1986
7.6October 1934. Poland. Famous bank robber Kwinto decided to quit his dangerous criminal job, but after his friend's death, he changed his mind and organized a burglary of famous and well protected bank which belonged to his former partner in crime, backstabbing and double-crossing Kramer. Kwinto designs a clever plan not to only rob the Kramer's bank but to make it look like Kramer himself did it.
Vabank
1981
7.0In 2059 scientists manage to revive two people after 80 years of suspended animation - a boy Marek Torlewski and a dictator Muanty, who quickly becomes a serious threat to humanity. Synteza is an adaptation of a novel by Maciej Wojtyszko.
Synthesis
1984
5.5After two years in prison, Adam returns home set on revenge against the uncle who betrayed him. En route, he lands a job on a highway construction site near his uncle’s village. Soon, fellow ex-con Tojfel appears and makes a chilling offer: his men will kill the uncle if Adam joins his new criminal schemes. Adam’s silence triggers a violent spiral that threatens everything he holds dear - especially his growing love for young trainee Magda.
Cheap Money
1986
7.2Laguna was once a great soccer player whose career was interrupted by an injury. He spent years climbing the ranks to become an international referee. He sees the prevailing arrangements, manipulations, and bribery around him. Now desperate, he decides to stage an extraordinary culmination of his career: he wants to create a so-called "miracle Sunday" by "printing" the final round of games - taking substantial bribes from the interested clubs and manipulating the matches so that the results align in the order he set up.
Soccer Poker
1989
6.9The world has been ravaged by nuclear war. The planet is frozen and radiation kills anyone or anything that ventures outside of 'The Dome'. Soft is a shepherd for the last remnants of humanity who have gathered together as they await rescue from a mysterious craft known only as 'The Ark.' He wanders among the masses, performing his regular daily tasks; keeping morale from plummeting, wooing prostitutes, squashing rebellions, and sometimes feeding the hungry. But as the true and sinister nature of 'The Dome' comes to light, Soft must ask himself if humanity is worth saving...
O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization
1985
7.9Jerzy and Artur’s father dies, leaving behind a valuable stamp collection, which, they discover, is coveted by dealers of varying degrees of shadiness. The more involved the brothers get in their father’s world, the more dire and comical their situation becomes.
Decalogue X
1989
8.0The manager of a small provincial cinema finds her lost son, and he tries to save the movie theater.
I Love Cinema
1988
6.8As high school students put on a politically-engaged school play, tensions begin to rise between them and their headmaster. The conflict seems to mirror the social situation in the 1980s Poland.
The Last Schoolbell
1989
5.6Story of four people in Sopot in 1933, mysteriously brought together to an old villa to reenact a murder ritual that took place 36 years earlier.
Medium
1985
NRMost important events of November Uprising in Poland.
Powstanie listopadowe. 1830 - 1831
1980
6.5A sleepy provincial town with only one "Błysk" bar. If it weren't for the nearby prison, it would be forgotten to the world. This is how guests come. Agnieszka works in the bar and dreams of New York . Krzysiek and Józek love the girl. Józek tells her about a militia van carrying money.
New York, 4 A.M.
1988
6.3In difficult times of political and social change, a mother raises four sons alone.
The Mother of the Kings
1987
6.1Set during the insurgency of 1863, the story focuses on a tragic romance between a poor gentlewoman and a rebel noble. After a bloody battle a unit of insurgents have been wiped out and only one survived, but badly wounded. He eventually finds shelter and care from a landsteward's daughter, hiding in a burned-out manor with an old servant.
The Faithful River
1987
The nouveau riche chinchilla breeder hires a painter-portraitist.
Prywatne niebo
1989
NRPoland, 1930s. Agata, a twenty-year-old young woman, a niece of the lady of a small manor, is about to get married. This fact causes dramatic changes for three people: Miss Stawro, a music teacher who cares for Agata, and two sixteen-year-old boys, Witek and Stas, who have their own feelings for the girl. However, the closer the wedding date gets, the more the bride-to-be is haunted by morbidly surreal visions related to her troubled past.
Sérénité
1989
NRAn ordinary man has to do constant favors for other people in order to reserve a place for himself in a queue.
Porcelain in an Elephant's Shop
1988
5.6On the eve of the Day of the Dead, among mysterious old rituals of the Vilnius region, ghosts of the past and present start to appear.
Lava
1989
9.0December, 1981. World-class champion Ewa Jaskólska is looking forward to a cruise around the world with her yacht. At her farewell party, several people are present that are connected to the new Solidarnośc movement. The guests are filmed by a TV journalist. The introduction of the martial law in Poland leads to problems for all people involved. Can Ewa go back to her home country after these dramatic changes in Poland?
Inner State
1989
5.8Thanks to the powers of magic, Adaś Niezgódka is transported to the fairy tale land of Mr. Blot – the protagonist of Jan Brzechwa’s classic book. Mr. Blot is a teacher and a magician in one. His lessons cannot be boring. Especially when bIotology is the subject. Adaś learns about the miracles of the enchanted land, but also gets to know its dark secrets.
Mister Blot's Academy
1984
A docu-fiction movie portraying the Polish Brethren religious group over the years.
Sąd nad Braćmi Polskimi
1984
10.0A two-part historical film covering the years of the First World War and the post-war period up to 1919 - until the signing of the peace treaty in Versailles near Paris. An attempt to show the great and complicated process of regaining an independent existence by a nation within its own state. The screen shows characters from history textbooks: Józef Piłsudski, Ignacy Paderewski, Roman Dmowski, Wojciech Korfanty as well as representatives of the world political scene, incl. David Lloyd George, Woodrow Wilson, Georges Clemenceau, Vladimir Lenin and others.
Polonia Restituta
1981
5.0No synopsis available yet.
Fik-Mik
1988
8.0Young artist arrives at Zakopane and meets local people.
Upstairs, Downstairs
1989
4.0Thais, an Egyptian courtesan, is converted to a life of a penitant by Paphnutius, a holy man. She is taken to a convent in the desert and lives her life in the care of the abbess there. But Paphnutius is changed by the vision of Thais and becomes obsessed with gaining her love and retrieving her from the spiritual world for himself.
Thais
1984
6.5A continuation of the story "Oko proroka", which ended with the sale of a mysterious jewel and the purchase by the Bystry family of an inn near Tarnów. Unfortunately, times in 17th-century Poland are troubled, and a curse still hangs over Hanusz and his father. Driven by an adventurous nature, Hanusz Bystry sets out for the Balkans to free his friend, Semen Berdychka, captured by the Turks while searching for his father, who has been taken into the yasir.
Przeklęte oko proroka
1985
9.0Main character, Rysiek, tries to live through dangerous times of war-torn and later stalinist Poland.
Sonata marymoncka
1988
7.0The owner of an ice cream parlor in a coastal town is murdered. The investigation is conducted by platoon leader Rogowski, but soon he is joined by Lieutenant Joanna Szczęsna from the voivodeship headquarters.
Koniec sezonu na lody
1988
1970s · 7 titles
4.2Dagny Juell was the doctors daughter who left Kongsvinger for Berlin to study music, and became famous painter Edvard Munchs mistress and model. Than she ran into August Strindberg. They had a brief affair but after a couple of weeks Dagny left him for Stanisław Przybyszewski.
Dagny
1977
9.01945. Soviet offensive is approaching Cracow. Local resistance cooperate despite political differences to save the city from destruction planned by Germans.
To Save the City
1976
5.2A former partisan now 38 years old remembers his childhood in the war.
The Card Index
1979
No synopsis available yet.
Kobieta
1976
9.0A young landowner, fascinated by billiard, falls into the trap of gambling
Green, Bygone...
1976
6.8The last days in the life of Edward Dembowski (1822-1846), the organizer of the Kraków Uprising in 1846. The informal leader of the uprising, determined to fight for the unification of Polish lands and the liberation of the peasants, negotiates with other politicians.
Passion
1978
7.0Kozyra - a former athlete wants to return to the circus arena, where young Błażyce is successful.
Żelazna obroża
1976
Series credits
8.3The Ten Commandments, exact and uncompromising, literally cast in stone, continues to provide a source of moral conflict in contemporary society. In the ten part collection of films, The Decalogue, Krzysztof Kieślowski examines the dilemma of fundamental sin in the lives of ordinary Warsaw citizens.
Dekalog
1989
7.3The story of the residents of a tenement house on Złota Street in Warsaw from 1945 to 1980.
Dom
1980
7.3The story of the residents of a tenement house on Złota Street in Warsaw from 1945 to 1980.
Dom
1980
7.5The series centres around the investigations of Police Lieutenant Sławomir Borewicz. Each episode features a different case being solved by Borewicz.
Calling 07
1976
8.1One of the most important action series created during the transition period. It brilliantly and credibly portrays the realities of the 1990s and the work of police officers in a new reality, one in which entirely new criminal groups emerged – drug dealers and warring gangs.
Ekstradycja
1995
8.0No synopsis available yet.
Życie na gorąco
1979
6.0An epic tale of a hundred years of Polish history from the perspective of women, the titular maidens and widows. Set against the backdrop of turbulent historical events.
Panny i wdowy
1992
8.0The series evokes the events of 1900-35 - from the reign of Emperor Wilhelm II, through World War I, the birth of the Independent Poland, the Silesian Uprisings, to the increasingly turbulent period of the rising tide of fascism. The action takes place mainly in the palace of the Dukes of Pszczyna, where the last great descendant of the von Teuss family resides. Prince Hans Fredrich marries the beautiful Englishwoman, Princess Daisy, and has three sons with her. Their fate, the choice of completely different life paths and even different nationalities reflect the enormously complicated mutual relations between the Polish and German elements in the border areas.
Biała wizytówka
1989
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Do krwi ostatniej
1981
8.0No synopsis available yet.
Przyłbice i kaptury
1986
9.0No synopsis available yet.
Crimen
1990
7.5The series presents an original, non-didactic view of rural Poland during the Nazi occupation, rejecting stereotypes about ubiquitous wartime heroism, sacrifice, and martyrdom. It is a record of a "war-torn" state of consciousness, a drama of lost people who sink into ever greater degradation.
Popielec
1984
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Żywot człowieka rozbrojonego
1994

