Jan Kaczmarek receives Academy Award for best score in 'Finding Neverland'

Finding Neverland

This year's Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles was followed with bated breath in Poland. The hopes of Polish film fans were set on the movie Finding Neverland, and they were not disappointed.

Mark Foster's story of Peter Pan writer J.M.Barrie received as many as seven Oscar nominations. Its only award went to...

"Jan P. Kaczmarek for 'Finding Neverland'. This is the first Academy award and nomination for Jan A.P. Kaczmarek."

Jan Kaczmarek was evidently moved when receiving the Oscar statuette:

"I cannot tell you how happy I am, and thank you Academy. 'Finding Neverland' was a great adventure and I'm so proud to be part of it. Mark Foster, he should be here. Mark, thank you for your subtle mind, for your incredible talent."

Since settling in the United States 16 years ago, Jan Kaczmarek has had many successes to hisname, features such as Washington Square by his compatriot Agnieszka Holland and Unfaithful by Adrian Lyne to name but a few. But to music critic Roman Rogowiecki, the Oscar is of course the highest accolade for a composer of film music:

"This is the pinnacle, but I hope it's not the only one, the last one, because the guy's on the rise, I would say. He's really making progress, and I was quite surprised that he got it. Because I figured that maybe 'The Passion of the Christ", as it wasn't really nominated in so many categories, that politically Hollywood people will give it at least the award for its music which is very provocative, and it really goes to your heart. And suddenly, this is for Kaczmarek who did a beautiful score, I think, I was really surprised when I went to see the movie that it was such a joyous score because he usually writes very dark music and usually it's a bit depressing, to be honest. And then suddenly, because maybe the story of the guy who was a bit of a Peter Pan himself, just suggested to him just write something more playful. So, I think that the music fantastically fits the movie".

Finding Neverland
52 year old Jan Kaczmarek has a degree in law but soon after graduation he abandoned his planned career as a diplomat and focused on music. He first made a name for himself writing incidental music for the theatre. Having moved to America, he directed multimedia shows and worked for theatre companies before skyrocketing to fame, Hollywood-style. Music critic Roman Rogowiecki:

"What Kaczmarek did was prove that hard work pays off. And it's a bit like an American, you know, going from boot polisher to millionaire. I think, now he's going to be quite wealthy, he's going to have lots of offers, he's going to do fine. But, I think, it's not going to change him as a musician, and as a person. So, I think, it's a typical Hollywood story and he deserved it. And he did work very hard for that."

Kaczmarek makes frequent visits to his native Poland. Most recently, he set up a foundation which is to help young artists in their careers. His Oscar is the tenth time the Academy has awarded a Pole. Past recipients of the award include Roman Pola?ski and Andrzej Wajda. The latter received an Oscar five years ago for a lifetime achievement in cinema.