Graduate of the Department of Philosophy at the Catholic University of Lublin and a postgraduate course of television and film direction at the Faculty of Radio and Television of the University of Silesia in Katowice. Director of award-winning documentaries, television films, theatrical plays and videos.
He made his debut in the early nineties with documentaries dedicated to artists' biographies: Gancwol Photographer (1993) told the story of a pre-war photographer from Siedlce Adolf Ganiewski, The Road (1993) was an artistic interpretation of the life of the painter Marian Czapla and The Divine Architect (1993) was dedicated to Gaudi. Malec directed more films on art later in his career: in 1998 the story of a photographer from Kraków, Stanisław Markowski entitled Stworzyć wiatr / To create Wind was created, and in 2000 his film Wieczny wędrowiec / The Constant Wanderer about the famous choreographer Boris Ejfman was named one of the best films on art at the Art Film Festival in Montreal.
The director also made films about war. Cicha przystań / The Quiet Harbour which won awards in Tampere and New York (1994) told the story of a former executioner of the Freedom and Independence organization, who decided to speak about his life fifty years after the war despite his vow of silence. In 2000 he made a reportage about Chechnya entitled Matka nieznanego żołnierza / Mother of the Unknown Soldier was honoured at festivals in Kielce, Łódź and Monte Carlo. Człowiek, którego nie ma / The Man Who Is Not (2002) also speaks about Chechnya, this time looking at it with the eyes of a Russian mercenary. In his story the myth of military life and and childish dreams of adventure are confronted with the absurdity and brutality of the Chechn war. For this film Malec won the Planete prize for best Polish documentary at the Kraków Film Festival and the Findlings-Prejs at the 11. International Documentary Film Festival dokumentArt in Neubrandenburg in Germany. The film Nord-Ost. Theatre of Death (2003) recounts the tragic events that took place at the Dubrovka theatre in 2002 from the perspective of two young Russian artists.
In his later films he confronted himself with historical themes. The documentary Oni szli szarymi szeregami / They walked in the Grey Line (2010), awarded by president Lech Kaczyński, was a story of The Polish Scouting and Guiding Association's conspiratory actions during the II World War, and Batalion Zośka. Okruchy historii / The Zośka Battalion. Bits of History (2013) portrays the first leaders of the Grey Ranks: Zośka, Rudy and Alek.
Malec also made dwo feature films. Człowiek wózków / The Cart Man, 2000) was described by the critics as a "metaphysical road movie". In 2008 a romantic comedy entitled Jeszcze raz / One more time, featuring Danuta Stenka and Jan Frycz, hit the screens.
Filmography:
Documentaries
- 1993 Boski architekt / Architect of God
- 1993 Droga / The Road
- 1993 Gancwol fotograf / Gancwol Photographer
- 1995 Cicha przystań / The Quiet Harbour
- 1995 Uniwersytet Warszawski / Warsaw University
- 1996 Dni tworzenia - Dni zagłady / Days of Creation - Days of Extermination
- 1997 Joan Miro
- 1997 Dzieje kultury polskiej / The History of Polish Culture
- 1998 Stworzyć wiatr / To Conjure the Wind
- 2000 Matka Nieznanego Żołnierza / Mother of Unknown Soldier (Main Award "Nurt Event" ["Wydarzenie Nurtu"] at the NURT Documentary Film Festival in Kielce, 2000; Main Award at the Media Festival "Man in danger", Lodz 2000; Considered one of the five best documentaries in the world at the international Television Festival in Monte Carlo, 2001)
- 2000 Boris Eifman. Wieczny wędrowiec / Boris Eifman, The Eternal Wanderer
- 2002 Człowiek, którego nie ma / The Man who is not (Planete Award for the best Polish documentary at the Cracow Film Festival, 2002)
- 2003 Nord Ost. Teatr śmierci / Nord Ost. The Theatre of Death (Main Award "Nurt Event" ["Wydarzenie Nurtu"] and Award of the public at the Nurt Documentary Film Festival in Kielce, Kielce 2003)
- 2003 Karolek
- 2005 Igor
- 2006 Cud w kamienicy. Ballady Jana Jangi Tomaszewskiego / Miracle in a Tenement House. Ballads of Jan Janga Tomaszewski
- 2009 Trzy historie jednej historii / Three stories of one story
- 2010 Oni szli szarymi szeregami / They walked in the Grey Line
- 2013 Batalion Zośka. Okruchy historii / The Zośka Battalion. Bits of History
Feature films
- 2000 Człowiek wózków / The Cart Man
- 2008 Jeszcze raz / One more time
Source: the "Young Polish Cinema" catalogue, published by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, June 2007; updated by NMR, August 2016.