Laksa Kobas

Photographer, screenwriter, director, visual artist. A graduate of the University of Arts in Poznań and the Wajda School in Warsaw, where he attended directing and screenwriting courses. Co-creator of the program "Down the Road," director of casting and the photo shoot of the program's heroes. Creator of feature films (e.g. "Scenes from Use," "Window with a View of the Wall") and documentaries ("I Went on a Pilgrimage with My Mom") as well as music videos, including "Abdul Bej" by the Młynarski, Masecki duo. His artwork has been exhibited in contemporary art galleries both in Poland and abroad. For the photographic project "Buildings: Life after Life," he received the prestigious Golden Lion award in Venice. Privately, he is the father of Jonathan, who has Down syndrome, and the administrator of the largest Polish portal for children with Down syndrome, "Zakątek 21." He is also the creator of the original workshops "Zerówka Zespołowa," where new parents of children with Down syndrome can learn and understand basic issues related to genetics, biology, and physiology of children with trisomy, in order to support their children's holistic development.

Producer, director, and screenwriter of the film ART OF NON-LOVING, which tells the story of the sexuality of people with intellectual disabilities. Author of the film "OUR MOUNTAINS," which tells the story of the Pieniak family, where, despite the disabilities of their children, the parents took on the challenge of climbing together several hundred mountain peaks.

"Actually, I still feel like I'm outside the circle, outside the ghetto of disability. I still felt like a parent of a child who wasn't supposed to have genetic problems, so I didn't write to the 'community,' but to friends, to people. Especially since by education and passion, I am a visual artist, I do not have a pedagogical or medical education. Maybe that's why topics related to genetics, biology, and psychology seem so engaging to me - the ease with which they can become tools of manipulation is frightening, but ignorance in these matters is even more terrifying".