Kris Bilski came to the UK with little English but has followed his passion for film production – helping others like him along the way
Astor Film Productions worked on the British comedy thriller, Hustle and Cuss.(Image: Astor Film Productions Ltd)
A talented cinematographer who built his own business having moved to Hull from Poland has told of his hopes for region’s “massive” creative potential. Kris Bilski was only 14 when his family moved to the city 20 years ago, following his father’s work.
Speaking little English to begin with, Kris found his feet with a media course at St Mary’s College – a period which would launch him into the world of film and TV production. But with few opportunities available to the young creative, he honed his entrepreneurial chops, setting up Astor Film Productions in 2012 – which has gone on to work with scores of big name organisations and employ a number of people and regional freelancers.
Picking up the story from his sixth form days, Kris said: “I fell in love with the subject and the teacher there said he could see potential in me. He encouraged me to carry on. I decided on going to the University of Lincoln and a degree in TV and Film Design and most of that was studied at Hull School of Art and Design.”
With vanishingly few opportunities nearby to get all important work experience in the film and TV, Kris hit upon the idea to launch his own commercial film business. He set up Astor as a second year student and within only two months had landed his first major client in Humberside Police.
After graduating, Kris found part time work as a media teacher in a local school – a job which also gave him the time to build up Astor. Another big contract win with major retailer Dunelm was the catalyst that really set the business off and allowed Kris to focus full time on his venture – which has gone on to work with high profile clients such as Primark, Barclays and even Team GB.
“It allowed me to employ friends who had been at university with me – so it helped them get a foot in the industry too,” said Kris. “There wasn’t many opportunities so I had to create my own. I thought to myself, “if it doesn’t work out, at least I’ll have tried.”
After more than a decade, Kris, now 34, and colleagues have quite the body of work to look back on and are helping today’s students by offering work experience and the opportunity to work on market-leading kit which Kris has invested in. Astor also produces much of the University of Hull’s video marketing and there has also been work for Visit Hull and East Yorkshire in promoting the region to tourists – a proud involvement for Kris who says he feels “as much British as Polish”.
The commercial work has helped Kris support his passion for film – inspired by favourite directors Guy Ritchie and David Fincher. He explained: “I always had the dream to work in the TV and film industry. I’ve also shot a lot of short films and four feature films – one of which was available to watch on Netflix. That was called Three Day Millionaire and I worked on as a second unit director of photography, filmed in Grimsby.”
More recent work with local director Jack Grewar has resulted in Hustle and Cuss – a comedy filmed at Hull’s Adelphi venue and following a bunch of creatives in the chaotic week leading up to the opening night of their play. The feature has secured US distribution which is seen as quite an achievement and is now available on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.
The pair are now looking to raise investment for their latest effort – “City Limits” – which is a billed as a crime thriller to be shot in more than 30 locations across Hull. It follows the story of Helen Stevens, an ex-marine turned detective.
Kris said: “After more than a decade in business, we try to give back locally through industry placements and practical support for emerging filmmakers. A good example is the Hull-made short film Reparation, where we supported the production by supplying kit and crew — the kind of opportunity that was largely missing when I was starting out.”
Kris is effusive about Hull and its creative potential saying the city is “full of very talented people”. Astor itself has been name checked by development consultants Kada Research as having been instrumental in helping to retain skills locally and supporting the city’s growing reputation as a serious centre for film and media production.