Bartosz Dombrowski: Appreciation for the World14.06.2020

Born in Greece, raised in Germany, currently living and working in Poland. Meet Bartosz Dombrowski—another Papaya Films-represented director, with ten years of experience in advertising. 

Although he enrolled in college to study political science, he quickly realized that filmmaking was his true passion. His career in the industry began with first assistant director jobs on international feature and documentary films. He honed his craft working under distinguished filmmakers, such as Michael Glawogger, Janusz Kondratiuk, Robert Gliński, Bill Butler, and Christopher Doyle. To date, he’s worked with a number of leading brands, including Samsung, Książęce, Castorama, Carrefour, Rossmann, Aviva, Nestlé, Mazda, and VW. 

Broad, cross-cultural experience and years spent working on international productions make Bartosz a versatile, well-rounded filmmaker—he’s a great storyteller, comfortable with both complex undertakings featuring acting talent as well as documentaries. His works are highly original and deeply honest, demonstrating an appreciation and understanding for the world. Bartosz sees emotions as the fundamental element of any narrative that he works on—his stories often encourage reflection but without compromising on their entertainment value. 

His work has brought him a number of industry awards—including a Grand Prix at the Adweek Awards gala and a Shots Award nomination for the film Missed Spaceflight he directed for Samsung. His campaign for Prima took home 8 KTR Awards and a Bronze Lion at the 2015 Cannes Lions Festival, while his film for Amnesty International, seen by over a billion people across the world, won a Golden Euro Effie, the main prize at the Facebook Awards in Cannes, and was nominated for a Shots Award in London. 

His feature-length documentary Sześć kroków (Six Degrees), inspired by Stanley Milgram’s “six degrees of separation” theory, is an experimental film that shifts between micro and macro views to explore and examine human relationships. 

What he loves most about working on commercials is that they often allow him to work on a real set. “Most of these projects involve live actors and a pronounced storytelling component, and as such veer surprisingly close to genuine filmmaking,” Bartosz says. His advertising efforts could often be considered miniature documentaries, featuring real-life stories of real people, which Bartosz expertly frames with the camera. 

According to the director, advertising “values every frame,” and runtime constraints requires filmmakers to make each second count toward pushing the story forward. There’s no time for superfluous shots. Dombrowski also argues that directing demands flexibility and excellent communication skills. “The director’s seat calls for an amalgam of skills, you have to be able to draw the best from people you’re working with and then make it work on the screen,” the director says. 

Other works by Bartosz Dombrowski are available here.