| Native Name Lang: | pl |
| Birth Date: | 3 February 1958 |
| Birth Place: | Łódź, Polish People's Republic |
| Death Place: | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Alma Mater: | National Film School in Łódź |
| Father: | Witold Sobociński |
| Children: | 3, including Maria Sobocińska |
Piotr Sobociński (pronounced as /pl/; 3 February 1958 – 26 March 2001) was a Polish cinematographer.[1]
He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for in 1994. Sobociński was the son of Polish cinematographer Witold Sobociński.
Born in 1958, in Łódź, Poland, as a youngster, Sobociński felt led in his father's footsteps. He studied at the National Film School in Łódź and earned his degrees in 1987.
He worked with noted Polish director, Krzysztof Kieślowski in many films, starting with Dekalog (1988) and culminating with Kieślowski's final film, (1994), for which Sobociński won his first award the Silver Frog Award at Camerimage, Poland's International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography in 1994,[2] as well as an Oscar nomination the same year. In the following year, he won the Golden Frog award for The Seventh Room and, in 1997, received a Golden Frog nomination for Marvin’s Room.
His career hit a peak in the mid-1990s when he was asked by Ron Howard to work on the film Ransom starring Mel Gibson and Rene Russo.
While filming Trapped (aka 24 Hours) in 2001, he suffered a massive heart attack and died in his sleep in Vancouver, British Columbia.[3] He was buried at the Powązki Military Cemetery in Warsaw, Poland. Hearts in Atlantis, released a few months after his death, and Trapped are dedicated to him.
His sons, Piotr and Michał, are both cinematographers.[4] His daughter, Maria, is an actress.
| Year | Title | Director | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Die Kinder von Himmlerstadt | |||
| 1990 | Koniec | Bogusław Linda | ||
| 1992 | Zuk | Dariusz Kadziela Jakub Skoczen | With Dariusz Kadziela |
Documentary short
| Year | Title | Director | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Arena Zycia | Bogdan Dziworski | ||
| 1985 | Zu Hause - Was ist das eigentlich? | Reinhardt Firchow | With Hans-Eberhard Leupold and Serge Roman | |
| 1986 | Szczurolap | Andrzej Czarnecki |
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Milosc z listy przebojów | Marek Nowicki | |
| 1986 | Tanie pieniadze | Tomasz Lengren | |
| 1987 | Magnat | Filip Bajon | |
| 1989 | Lawa | Tadeusz Konwicki | |
| Pension Sonnenschein | Filip Bajon | ||
| 1990 | Bal na dworcu w Koluszkach | ||
| Potyautasok | Sándor Söth | ||
| 1992 | A nagy postarablás | ||
| 1993 | Die Wildnis | Werner Masten | |
| 1994 | Krzysztof Kieślowski | ||
| 1995 | The Seventh Room | Márta Mészáros | |
| 1996 | Ransom | Ron Howard | |
| Marvin's Room | Jerry Zaks | ||
| 1998 | Twilight | Robert Benton | |
| 2001 | Hearts In Atlantis | Scott Hicks | Posthumous release |
| Angel Eyes | Luis Mandoki | ||
| 2002 | Trapped | ||
Miniseries
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Dekalog | Krzysztof Kieślowski | Segments Three and Nine |
| 1989 | Biala wizytówka | Filip Bajon | |
| 1993 | Die Piefke-Saga | Werner Masten | Episode "Die Erfüllung" |
TV series
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992-1993 | Unser Lehrer Doktor Specht | Werner Masten | 21 episodes |
| 1995 | Frauenarzt Dr. Markus Merthin | Matthias Gohlke | Episodes "Alte Bekannte" and "Pläne" |
| Die Straßen von Berlin | Werner Masten | Episode "Babuschka" |
| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Academy Awards | Best Cinematography | |||
| 2001 | Satellite Awards | Best Cinematography | Hearts In Atlantis |