THE WORLD OF Z

At first sight, 60-year-old Zbigniew Daniel Fiks, a Chicagoan who arrived from Poland at the age of 13, is an engaging man. He’s an artist whom friends refer to as a genius, a poet, and a raconteur of conspicuously nimble intelligence. He’s also a manic-depressive subject to such violent rages that his own mother has had him jailed. Directors Besser and Clemente took a three-year journey into the brilliant and terrifying world of “Z,” charting the struggles with bipolar disorder that have scarred his life, and compassionately exploring the mystery of the untamed creativity that comes at so high a personal price. HDCAM video. (BS)

Directors Brad Besser and Vince Clemente and star Zbignew Fiks will be present for audience discussion at all screenings.