Jacek is a Cinematographer, Director and a Photographer born in Warsaw, Poland. After graduating from the Polish National Film Academy with a degree in Cinematography Jacek left for the United States and made his home in New York City. There, he worked for BBC TV on many documentaries including the re-recording of “West Side Story”  with Leonard Bernstein. While in New York Jacek also worked on numerous music videos with the Academy Award winning directors Zbigniew Rybczynski and Jonathan Demme.  Jacek collaborated with them on Saturday Night Live as well.

It was in NYC that he shot his first feature film “Parting Glances”, directed by Bill Sherwood (Sundance Film Festival competition) as well as “Invisible Thread”, directed by Bob Balaban. He has also lensed several other independent films, music videos and commercials.

After moving to Los Angeles Jacek worked with Directors such as Donald Petrie Sr. (Square Dance Sundance Film Festival Premier), Robert Altman (The Caine Mutiny Court Marshal ), Michael Pressman (Quick Sand, Frankie & Johnny are Married, and the television series The Guardian).

“The Caine Mutiny Court Marshal” earned Jacek the 1989 American Society of Cinematographers nomination for Outstanding Cinematography. In 1996 “Garden of Redemption”, a WW2 drama directed by Tom Donnelly earned Jacek his second A.S.C nomination. In 1997 Jacek co-lensed a full-length documentary, “Colors Straight Up”. The film was nominated for a 1998 Academy Award. In 2007 Jacek shot “Jerry was a Man” directed by Academy Award nominee Michael Tolkin.

Jacek has traveled the globe, shooting films in Canada, Portugal, New Zealand, Italy, Lithuania, Georgia, Japan, Nepal, India, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, and Peru.

In 2000 Jacek became a member of The American Society of Cinematographers.

In 2011 Jacek became a member of the Polish Society of Cinematographers.

In 2022 Jacek directed and produced a 40 min short film “Picnic and a Little Mutiny” about 4 blind sailors sailing to an offshore island off the coast of Maine.

Jacek's second passion is Photography. He has participated in several group shows, among them “Still Moving” at the gallery in Los Angeles, and in 2006 “Photographs by the members of the A.S.C.” at the Academy of Motion Pictures. In April 2008 he held his first solo exhibit at the WM Gallery in Amsterdam. In 2013 Jacek published “Hollywood PL”, a large-format book featuring personal stories and photographs of Polish born filmmakers working in Hollywood. The opening photo exhibit was at Camerimage Film Festival in Poland.

In 2017 Jacek had a solo photography exhibit in the Underground Museum in LA showcasing photographs of homeless youths, called “See Me”, in conjunction with My Friend’s Place, a non-profit support group for homeless youth in Hollywood.

Over the course of the past ten years Jacek has taught Cinematography at several colleges: USC School of Cinematic Arts, California Institute of the Arts, and The Maine Photographic Workshop.

In 2014 Jacek started teaching at American Film Institute Conservatory, becoming Senior Lecturer in 2017. His emphasis is on developing collaboration between Cinematographers and Directors. He greatly enjoys being a Mentor to the next generation of Storytellers.

Jacek speaks Polish, English (badly) and French

IMDb Link

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0489678/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_0_nm_7_in_0_q_Jacek%20Laskus