Renowned Polish animator Prof. Jerzy Kucia gave a talk at TNUA during the 2015 Kuandu International Animation Festival (KDIAF) in October, sharing his experience and answering questions from the audience. 

Prof. Kucia, who heads the Fine Art Department at Poland's University of Rzeszow, is regarded as one of the world's greatest picture poets. He uses unique film techniques to poeticize the deepest layers of the human soul.

He has directed 13 short animated films, including "The Return" (1972), "Reflections" (1979) and "Tuning Instrument" (2000).

He said he studied fine arts in college and was determined to become a painter. But he fell in love with animation art more than 40 years ago after accepting a commission to create an animation film.
Prof. Kucia said as everyone only lives once, he wants to focus his creativity on something personal rather than commercial.

He said that during the 1970s, the animation art circle in Europe was very competitive, giving much emphasis to creativity. Artists had to be very creative and able to tell unique stories of their own.

In order to develop personal styles that were readily recognizable, the artists had to use unique ways to convey their messages to the audience and engage them in dialogues.

Prof. Kucia noted that music is as important as the image in the creation of a film. He added that his inspiration comes from his memories, nature, animals and all the people and things around him.