In his remarks announcing the winner, Dariusz Jabłoński, head of the Polish Film Academy, described Starski as ”a moral and ethical beacon for the Polish film community."
Born on January 1, 1943, Allan Starski is the son of Ludwik Starski, a popular song and screenwriter of Jewish descent, and dancer Maria Bargielska.
After graduating in interior design from the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts in 1969, he started working as a set designer for the Polish film industry.
During his long career, he has worked with leading Polish directors, including Andrzej Wajda, Krzysztof Kieślowski, Janusz Zaorski, Agnieszka Holland and Roman Polanski.
Starski's greatest achievement is winning an Oscar for the production design of Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List, an honour he shared with Ewa Braun.
His credits also include masterpieces such as Wajda's Man of Marble, Man of Iron and The Maids of Wilko, Holland’s Europe, Europe and Washington Square, and Polanski’s The Pianist and Oliver Twist.
The Eagles Polish Film Awards ceremony will be held in Warsaw on March 10.
(mk/gs)