Adrian Politowski Explained
Adrian Politowski [1] (born October 1978) is a BAFTA-nominated[2] Swedish film producer, fund manager, and entrepreneur. He co-founded and was CEO of Umedia from 2004 to 2019. He currently is the Executive Chairman of the production and financing group Align that he co-founded and ran as CEO (2019-2024). His career is focused on three areas:
- Entrepreneurship as a co-founder and CEO of both Umedia and Align, as well as board of director member of Goodbye Kansas Group (listed at NASDAQ First North)[3] and the health-tech startup Nordic Executive Medicine.[4]
- Media with 500 film & TV productions credited as producer [5]
- Finance with €650M ($730M) raised, managed and deployed in media financing
He has produced and financed films such as the five-time Academy Awards winner The Artist (2011),[6] Good Luck to You, Leo Grande[7] (2022) (Four-time nominated at BAFTA and premiered at Sundance Film 2022), Grace of Monaco (2014) starring Nicole Kidman,[8] (Official Selection and opening film of the 2014 Cannes Film Festival), Mandy (2018) starring Nicolas Cage that premiered on Sundance Film Festival 2018,[9] (2022) starring Samuel L Jackson, Michael Cera and Ricky Gervais,[10] animation feature (2022).[11] that premièred as the Official Selection at Cannes Film Festival 2022,[12] won the Cristal Award at Annecy Animation Film Festival,[13] and was nominated for an Annie Award for Best Independent Feature Film[14] and The Pod Generation (2023)[15] starring Emilia Clarke and Chiwetel Ejiofor and premiered in Sundance Film Festival (2023).[16] He also produced the HBO TV series My Brilliant Friend.
Personal life
Politowski was born in Stockholm, Sweden.[17] His birth name is Murshid, and he is of Polish and Bangladeshi descent. On the paternal side, he is the grandson of Nurjahan Murshid and Khan Sarwar Murshid. On the maternal side, he is the grandson of Mieczyslaw Politowski.
Politowski attended Oxford University / Somerville College from 1996, receiving a Master of Engineering in 2000 (First Class). Staying on at University of Oxford (St. Peter's College), he obtained his second Master's aged 23 - a Master of Philosophy in Economics in 2002.
Politowski married fellow producer Nadia Khamlichi. Together with his ex-wife, they have one son, born 2012. Adrian is currently with Swedish model/influencer Amanda Gyllensparv.[18] He "currently splits his time between Los Angeles, Brussels and Stockholm".
Career
Politowski and his partners Nadia Khamlichi (his ex-wife) and Jeremy Burdek founded Motion Investment Group in 2004 in Brussels, Belgium. In 2010, the group rebranded as Umedia (formerly stylized uMedia), with business divisions of "uFund (fundraising), uFilm (production and investment), uDream (distribution) and uFX (visual effects)."
In 2019, Politowski and Khamlichi co-founded and launched the production company Align Pictures, resigned as CEO and sold his remaining stake in Umedia in 2020.[19]
At his departure from Umedia, the group had grown into a $100M+ turnover international production group with 200 staff. From 2004 onto 2020, it had raised and financed over $630M, produced over 400films and its VFX division has grown into the largest in Benelux.[20]
Politowski is currently on the Board of Directors of the gaming/VFX company and tech group Goodbye Kansas since 2022 (publicly traded on NASDAQ First North),[21] is a member of the advisory board of WIFTI (Women in Film and TV International)[22] [23] and is Chairman of Nordic Executive Medicine.[24]
Selected filmography
Notes and References
- 2012 . Cooke . Liz . Somerville College Report - 11 - 12 . 70, members news; 73, births . 27 January 2022 . . Somerville College.
- Web site: 2023-01-19 . 2023 EE BAFTA Film Awards: The Nominations . 2023-02-08 . www.bafta.org . en.
- Web site: Corporate Governance . 2023-02-09 . Goodbye Kansas Group . en.
- Web site: Nordic Executive Medicine AB i Uppsala – Info Ratsit . 2023-02-09 . www.ratsit.se . sv-se.
- News: Sacré . Jean-François . 26 May 2024 . Align, le "petit belge" qui co-finance le cinéma anlo-saxon . L'Echo.
- Web site: IT . SCEEN . The Artist - filming locations . 2022-05-27 . www.sceen-it.com . en-US.
- Web site: GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE . 2022-05-27 . Searchlight Pictures.
- Web site: Roxborough . Scott . 2013-05-15 . Cannes: uMedia CEO Adrian Politowski on Nicole Kidman’s ‘Grace of Monaco’ (Q&A) . 2023-02-08 . The Hollywood Reporter . en-US.
- Web site: Moloshok . Danny . 2018 Sundance Film Festival - "Mandy" Premiere . 2023-02-08 . The Advocate . en.
- Web site: P . Maddie . 2022-07-16 . 'Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank' Cast and Character Guide: Who's Who in the Animated Comedy . 2023-02-09 . Collider . en.
- Web site: Little Nicholas - Happy as Can Be (Le petit Nicolas - Qu’est-ce qu’on attend pour être heureux ?) . 2022-05-27 . Cineuropa - the best of european cinema . en.
- Web site: Review: Little Nicholas – Happy as Can Be . 2023-02-08 . Cineuropa - the best of european cinema . en.
- News: Kay . Jeremy . 2022-12-09 . Annecy winner ‘Little Nicholas: Happy As Can Be’ scores Buffalo 8 US deal (exclusive) . 2023-02-08.
- Web site: 2023-01-17 . 2023 Annie Award Nominations . 2023-02-09 . Oscars Central . en.
- Web site: The Pod Generation . 2023-02-08 . Cineuropa - the best of european cinema . en.
- Web site: The Pod Generation Sundance Film Festival 2023 . 2023-02-08.
- News: Keslassy . Elsa . 4 February 2015 . Umedia Aims for Further Expansion in Second Decade . . 27 January 2022.
- Web site: 26 May 2022 . Amanda Gyllensparv .
- Web site: Align Our Story . 2023-02-08 . Align 2.0 . en.
- Web site: Tartaglione . Nancy . 2019-06-24 . Adrian Politowski Exits Umedia To Form Align; LA-Based Production & Finance Venture Has $150M Fund . 2022-09-07 . Deadline . en-US.
- Web site: Corporate Governance . 2022-05-28 . Goodbye Kansas Group . en.
- Web site: Heavyweight players to debate Inclusion and Diversity at Carla Conference . 2022-05-28 . Nordisk Film & TV Fond . en.
- Web site: WIFTI Introduces Rebate System for Gender-Balanced Projects at Berlinale . 2022-05-28 . womenandhollywood.com . en-US.
- Web site: Nordic Executive Medicine AB i Uppsala – Info Ratsit . 2022-09-07 . www.ratsit.se . sv-se.
- Black Book (2006) . PDF . Zwartboek Productie BV pages=15 . . press kit.
- Web site: Three domestic co-productions hit screens . 2023-02-08 . Cineuropa - the best of european cinema . en.
- Web site: Lodderhose . Diana . 2010-05-12 . Belgian fund offers new services . 2023-02-08 . Variety . en-US.
- Web site: Kemp . Stuart . 2012-05-09 . Belgium’s uMedia Inks Deal With Holland’s A-Film . 2023-02-08 . The Hollywood Reporter . en-US.
- News: Harvey . Dennis . 15 May 2013 . Film Review: ‘Erased’ . . 27 January 2022.
- Web site: Hoeij . Boyd van . 2012-07-27 . What’s in a Name? . 2023-02-08 . Variety . en-US.
- Web site: 2013-07-12 . Blancanieves . 2023-02-09 . Inlander . en.
- Web site: Debruge . Peter . 2014-03-17 . Film Review: ‘Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart’ . 2023-02-09 . Variety . en-US.
- Web site: Debruge . Peter . 2013-10-12 . Film Review: ‘Me, Myself and Mum’ . 2023-02-09 . Variety . en-US.
- Scott Roxborough . Cannes: uMedia CEO Adrian Politowski on Nicole Kidman's 'Grace of Monaco' (Q&A) . 9 January 2022 . . 15 May 2013 . Adrian Politowski.
- Web site: What Happened to Monday, Cast & Crew . live . 2022-01-22 . . en.
- Web site: Yves Saint Laurent Movie Review (2014) - Rating, Cast & Crew With Synopsis . 2023-02-09 . nettv4u . en.
- Web site: Le Brio . 2023-02-09 . Cineuropa - the best of european cinema . en.
- Web site: Cast – Revenge . 2023-02-09 . Kinorium . en.
- Web site: Busch . Anita . 2017-11-13 . ‘Journey’s End’ Acquired By Good Deed Entertainment, Will Debut In U.S. In 2018 . 2023-02-09 . Deadline . en-US.
- Web site: Nouvelle - What Happened to Monday : Featuring Original Music Composed By Christian Wibe . 2023-02-09 . mulderville.net.
- News: Collis . Clark . 8 September 2017 . I Kill Giants: A misfit teen hunts monsters in new clip . . 27 January 2022.
- Web site: Scheck . Frank . 2018-12-04 . ‘Swimming With Men’: Film Review . 2023-02-09 . The Hollywood Reporter . en-US.
- News: Defore . John . 28 January 2018 . ‘Mandy’: Film Review - Sundance 2018 . . 27 January 2022.
- Web site: Hamman . Cody . 2018-07-09 . Howden and Weaving share BTS images from the set of Guns Akimbo . 2023-02-09 . JoBlo . en-US.
- Web site: 2020-08-11 . Review – ‘La Belle Époque’ . 2023-02-09 . into:screens . en.
- Web site: Fisherman's Friends (2019) - Financial Information . 2023-02-09 . The Numbers.
- Web site: T. H. R. Staff . 2019-03-15 . ‘Extra Ordinary’: Film Review SXSW 2019 . 2023-02-09 . The Hollywood Reporter . en-US.
- News: 2019 Film Fest Ghent: Matthias Schoenaerts, filmmaker Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre and “The Mustang” . 2023-02-09.
- News: Woods . Maggie . 2020 . My Brilliant Friend Series 2: The Story Of A New Name | Review by Maggie Woods . MotorBar .
- Web site: Cast – Rogue City . 2023-02-09 . Kinorium . en.
- Web site: The Mustang (2019) - Cast and Crew . live . 2022-01-22 . . en.
- Web site: Blithe Spirit - Cast & Crew Credits . 2022-01-22 . . en.
- News: Tartaglione . Nancy . August 7, 2020 . ‘Blazing Samurai’: Adrian Politowski’s Align Boards Production Financing On Feature Toon . .
- News: Dudok de Wit . Alex . Paramount Will Release Aniventure’s ‘Blazing Samurai’ On July 22 . . 27 January 2022.
- News: Ramachandran . Naman . 2021-10-11 . Emma Thompson's 'Good Luck to You, Leo Grande' Acquired by Lionsgate U.K. . . 2022-01-22.
- Web site: Gleiberman . Owen . 2023-01-20 . ‘The Pod Generation’ Review: Emilia Clarke and Chiwetel Ejiofor Anchor a Winning Sci-Fi Satire of Pregnancy Gone Dystopian . 2023-02-09 . Variety . en-US.
- Web site: Flam . Charna . 2023-07-10 . Blue Fox Entertainment Acquires Stop-Motion Feature ‘The Inventor’ Starring Daisy Ridley, Marion Cotillard and Matt Berry . 2024-06-24 . Variety . en-US.
- Web site: Gleiberman . Owen . 2024-03-10 . ‘Magpie’ Review: Daisy Ridley in a Thriller About Motherhood, Loneliness and a Husband with a Fatal Attraction . 2024-06-24 . Variety . en-US.
- Web site: Gleiberman . Owen . 2024-04-12 . ‘Sting’ Review: A Giant Spider Grows in Brooklyn in a Knowingly Cheeseball Indie Horror Trifle . 2024-06-24 . Variety . en-US.
- Web site: Dalton2023-06-12T13:08:00+01:00 . Ben . “It worked in our favour”: How UK’s Lupus Films made Annecy premiere ‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’ during two lockdowns . 2024-06-24 . Screen . en.
- Web site: Olivia Colman and John Lithgow Star in Sophie Hyde’s New Project JIMPA - Media centre . 2024-06-24 . Screen Australia . en.
- The Thing with Feathers - IMDb . 2024-06-24 . www.imdb.com.