  andrzej wajda (; born 6 march 1926) is a polish film director. recipient of an honorary oscar, he is possibly the most prominent member of the unofficial "polish film school" (active c. 1955 to 1963). he is known especially for a trilogy of war films: a generation (1954), kanaÅ (1956) and ashes and diamonds (1958). four of his films have been nominated for the academy award for best foreign language film: the promised land (1975), the maids of wilko (1979), man of iron (1981), and katyÅ (2007). ==early life== wajda was born in suwaÅki, poland, the son of aniela (nÃ©e biaÅowÄs), a school teacher, and jakub wajda, an army officer. wajda' father was murdered by the soviets in 1940 in what came to be known as the katyn massacre. in 1942 he joined the polish resistance and served in the armia krajowa. after the war, he studied to be a painter at krakÃ³w's academy of fine arts before entering the ÅÃ³dÅº film school. ==career== after wajda's apprenticeship to director aleksander ford, wajda was given the opportunity to direct his own film. a generation (1955) was one of wajda's first major films. at the same time andrzej wajda began his work as a director in theatre, including such as michael v. gazzo's a hatful of rain (1959), hamlet (1960), and two for the seesaw (1963) by william gibson. wajda made two more increasingly accomplished films, which developed further the anti-war theme of a generation: kanaÅ (1956) ([[jury prize (cannes film festival)#prize wi
1926_births Academy_Honorary_Award_recipients BAFTA_winners_(people) Best_Director_CA(c)sar_Award_winners Commanders_Crosses_of_the_Order_of_Merit_of_the_Federal_Republic_of_Germany European_Film_Awards_winners_(people) German-language_film_directors Katyn_massacre Living_people Members_of_the_Senate_of_Poland_1989a91 National_Film_School_in_AA3dAo_alumni People_from_SuwaAki Polish_United_Workers\'_Party_members Polish_film_directors Polish_screenwriters Recipients_of_the_Order_of_Friendship Recipients_of_the_Order_of_the_Banner_of_Work Recipients_of_the_Order_of_the_Builders_of_People\'s_Poland Recipients_of_the_Order_of_the_Cross_of_Terra_Mariana,_3rd_Class Recipients_of_the_Praemium_Imperiale