HELENA MODJESKA ART & CULTURE CLUB

Aneta Hickinbotham is one of the most accomplished and visionary film and television producers of her generationa creative force whose work has elevated contemporary Polish cinema onto the world stage.

She is a graduate of the Film and Television Production Organization Program at the Faculty of Radio and Television of the University of Silesia in Katowice. Early in her career, she gained invaluable experience on landmark Polish productions such as Pan Tadeusz and The Pianist, before perfecting her craft on major Hollywood sets, including Troy (dir. Wolfgang Petersen), Munich (dir. Steven Spielberg), and The Legend of Zorro (dir. Martin Campbell). In 2015, she joined Aurum Film as an executive producer. She is a distinguished member of both the Polish Film Academy and the European Film Academy.

Together with Leszek Bodzak, Hickinbotham received the Golden Lions at the 2016 Gdynia Film Festival for The Last Family (dir. Jan P. Matuszyński). The film also earned them the Polish Film Institute Award for Producer of the Best Polish Film at the 2016 Warsaw Film Festival.

Her international breakthrough came with the 2020 Academy Award–nominated Corpus Christi (dir. Jan Komasa), which won the Polish Academy Award for Best Film and was selected as Poland’s official submission to the Oscars by the Motion Picture Academy.  

Her productions have garnered numerous awards, including:

• Golden Lions at the Gdynia Film Festival

• Polish Film Institute Awards

• Polish Academy Awards (Orły)

• Multiple international festival distinctions

Most recently, Altar Boys (dir. Piotr Domalewski), produced by Hickinbotham, won the Golden Lions at this year’s Gdynia Film Festival, further solidifying her position as one of the foremost creative voices in contemporary cinema.

A bold and strategic visionary, Aneta Hickinbotham’s success is rooted in her rigorous education, exceptional creative instinct, and remarkable professional experience. Fearless in the face of challenges, she selects her projects with extraordinary precision approaching each with the purpose, courage, and clarity that consistently lead to outstanding artistic and critical achievement.

Aneta Hickinbotham stands as one of the defining producers of modern European cinema a leader whose influence continues to inspire the next generation of filmmakers around the world.

Andrzej Bartkowiak, is an internationally acclaimed cinematographer, director, and visionary whose work has shaped the visual language of modern cinema. A graduate of the prestigious Łódź Film School (PWSFTviT), he has spent more than five decades working at the highest levels of the film industry, becoming one of the most respected cinematographers in the United States and around the world.  

Throughout his prolific career, Bartkowiak has collaborated with major directors and crafted cinematography for more than thirty prominent films, including Academy Award–winning and Academy Award–nominated productions. His credits include the Oscar-winning Terms of Endearment by James L. Brooks, the Oscar-nominated Prizzi’s Honor by John Huston, as well as iconic Hollywood hits such as Speed, Twins, Falling Down, The Devil’s Advocate, and Lethal Weapon 4.

As a director, he brought a fresh, kinetic visual style to action and genre cinema with films such as Romeo Must Die, Exit Wounds, and Doom, which helped define a new era of dynamic, visually driven storytelling.

In February 2025, Bartkowiak was honored with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), one of the highest distinctions in global cinematography. His achievements continue to be celebrated by the Polish Society of Cinematographers (PSC), the Camerimage Festival, the Polish Filmmakers Association (SFP), the National Center for Film Culture, and UNESCO City of Film in Łódź.

In recognition of his outstanding contributions to world cinema, Andrzej Bartkowiak will be awarded a Star on the Łódź Walk of Fame, joining the most influential figures in the history of Polish film.

This year, he is also being honored with the Helena Modjeska Heritage Award by the Helena Modjeska Art & Culture Club in Los Angeles, celebrating his immense impact on international cinema and his role in advancing Polish artistic heritage on the global stage.  

A bold innovator and a master of storytelling through the lens, Andrzej Bartkowiak remains one of the most significant Polish artists ever to shape world cinema.