1941年6月27日出生於波蘭華沙，於共產主義橫行的年代成長。少年時曾瘋狂愛上戲劇，並打算考進電影學院以達至當劇場導演的夢想。經過三次投考，著名的洛茲(Lodz)電影學院終於取錄了他，但此時的奇斯洛夫斯基已經不再喜歡戲劇了。在電影院學習期間(1964-1968)，剛好遇上1968年爆發的政治事件，令他感到個人力量的微小，自此決定不涉足政治，只以影像說話。 1970年至1978年，於華沙紀錄片廠當導演。當時紀錄片的地位很高，波蘭人都喜歡上戲院看紀錄片。而對身處謊言世界的奇斯洛夫斯基來說，紀錄片那尋找真象的本質亦特別吸引。這時期的作品包括《初戀》、《守夜者的觀點》等。 1975年，執導首部電視劇情片《人員》，1979年憑劇情長片《影迷》首次贏得國際獎項(莫斯科國際電影節「最佳電影」)。1987至88年間，他和律師好友Krzysztof Piesiewicz合作，構思以聖經十誡為主題拍攝十個電視短篇《十誡》。作品在歐洲各地播放後極受歡迎，長版本的《情誡》和《殺誡》更在各大影展中獲獎；以紀錄片起家的奇斯洛夫斯基，終以劇情片導演之名而鵲起。 1991年，奇斯洛夫斯基起用籍籍無聞的Irene Jacob拍出優美絕侖的《兩生花》，成為九十年代初最為人津津樂道的藝術電影之一；而與他「秤不離砣」的配樂師Zbigniew Preisner所撰寫的配樂，亦立時躋身電影配樂的不朽經典。1994年，奇斯洛夫斯基完成了《藍白紅三部曲》，此三片是他執導以來資金最充裕、最廣為人知和最大眾化的作品。完成三部曲後，他曾宣稱不再拍片但旋即回心轉意；可惜於1996年3月，奇斯洛夫斯基便因心臟病發逝世，享年54歲，《紅》亦成了他的遺作。離世前，他正埋首創作的「天堂、地獄、煉獄」三部曲的劇本大綱，此意念最後由Krzysztof Piesiewicz代為完成，並由Danis Tanovic執導拍成《Hell》。 Krzysztof Kieslowski was born in Warsaw, Poland on 27 June, 1941, and grew up under the influence of communism. He entered the prestigious Lodz Film School, and upon graduation he started making short documentaries. The main subject of his early films was the lives of ordinary people living in socialist Poland. In a country filled with bureaucracy and lies, his interest is in revealing human truths. Notable films of this period include First Love and From a Night Porter's Point of View. In 1975 he made his first made-for-television feature film, Personnel, and received international acclaim with Camera Buff in 1979. Between 1987 and 1988, he collaborated with good friend Krzysztof Piesiewicz, an activist lawyer, on a series of ten television dramas on the 10 Commandments. The series was shown widely in Europe and was a popular success. The longer versions A Short Film About Killing and A Short Film About Love were released theatrically and won numerous awards. After firmly establishing himself as a feature film director, he became truly international with Double Live of Veronique, a Polish-French co-production. Featuring the then unknown Irène Jacob, the film made her a star, and remained one of Kieslowski's best loved works. The musical score by long time collaborator Zbigniew Preisner became an instant classic among film buffs the world over. Between 1993 and 1994, Kieslowski completed the Three Colours Trilogy, three features, Blue (1993) White (1994) and Red (1994), inspired by the three colours of the French Revolution, each examining the themes of freedom, equality and fraternity. They are his most accessible and widely known works, and many critics consider the trilogy his magnum opus. Exhausted from making three features back-to-back, Kieslowski announced his retirement from filmmaking in 1995, although he continued to collaborate with Piesiewicz on another trilogy tentatively titled Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory. Unfortunately he never had the chance to see this project come to fruition. He died in March1996 while undergoing heart surgery, at the age of 54.