“Emmy” prize-winner Paul Smaczny studied law, Romance languages and Germanic studies in Regensburg and Paris. After graduation he first threw in his lot with the theatre, working as director’s assistant and dramaturge in France from 1986 to 1989.
In 1989 he switched his allegiance to film and television, directing and editing numerous international documentaries notably in the classical music sector, among them: "Claudio Abbado – Hearing the Silence. Sketches for a Portrait" (Best Portrait, FIFA; Grand Premier Prix, Festival International du Film d’Art, Paris), "Entre-Quatre-z-Yeux" , "Maestros in Democracy" , "Multiple Identities - Encounters with Daniel Barenboim" (Special Jury Prize, Vienna TV Awards 2002), "Knowledge is the Beginning – Daniel Barenboim and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra” (among others International Emmy Award 2006/Best Arts Documentary; FIPA D'OR Grand Prize 2007; 2007 Banff World Television Festival/Best Arts Documentary) and “El Sistema” (among others Grand Prix Golden Prague, Temps d’Images Portugal Film Award).
As of 1995, Paul was in charge of the production sector of the EuroArts Music company, where he was managing director from 2000 to 2009. He enjoys international renown as the producer of many documentaries and a whole range of international concert, opera and ballet films that have preserved for posterity some of the most important musical events of the last 15 years. Among the outstanding productions he has masterminded and produced are "24 hours Bach", "24 hours Mozart" and the recordings of the concerts by the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra in Ramallah and the New York Philharmonic in Pyongyang, North Korea.