Beata Pozniak

Beata Pozniak is best known for her portrayal of Marina Oswald in Oliver Stone’s eight time Oscar nominated film “JFK.” This role led to over 30 film and television projects internationally, including the starring role as a female president of the world on “Babylon 5”, and a fiery revolutionary in George Lucas’ “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.” Beata was the recipient of the Croatian Heart Award (with Michael York and John Savage) for her heartfelt performance in the film “Freedom From Despair”, as well as for her dedication to humanitarian causes.

She works extensively advocating for human rights and women’s issues. Pozniak spearheaded the introduction of the first bill in the history of the U.S. Congress (H.J. Res. 316) to recognize International Women's Day in the United States. She also received official recognition from the Los Angeles City Council, which commended her for her efforts in establishing International Women’s Day as a day to be celebrated in the United States. Pozniak received special recognition from Mayor Richard Riordan for her vision in creating International Women's Day, and from Mayor Tom Bradley for bringing the idea to Los Angeles. She was also recognized on the Floor of the House and efforts acknowledged by the VP Kamala Harris. To commemorate the introduction of the first bill, she painted “Mnemosyne - International Women’s Day” - an art piece that celebrates and depicts a community of all races of the world in a female form. It evokes the achievements of women along their struggle for peace and equality in the face of discrimination and war. Pozniak’s artwork has been widely exhibited and acquired by the Cedar’s Sinai Art Council.

She often uses her artwork in experimental films created by her. Inspired by Nietzsche’s observation that “out of chaos comes order,” Pozniak founded Discordia Media to write, direct and stage performance art shows that have been a part of the Los Angeles arts scene for more than two decades, including “Poeticus Umbilicus,” “Poetry Discordia” and “Return of Umbilicus.” Beata has also created multimedia experimental film projects, notably “Mnemosyne” based on her Women’s Day art piece and the acclaimed film poem “Cremation of Time” inspired by first responders and  “People on the Bridge,” based on a Nobel Prize winner’s work, which she produced and also narrated. She describes her works as “visual journeys of the human race that explore where we have been and what we can become.” She narrated Nobel Prize winning author’s work “Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead” for which she won an Earphones Award for Best Narration (Random House Audio) and another Earphones Award for narrating “The Light in Hidden Places” (Scholastic Audio) and a compilation of short stories “The Tsar of Love and Techno” which was rated in the Top Five Audiobooks of the Year by Washington Post. 

Pozniak stars as Skarlet opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone in Mortal Kombat and is the first actor in the 30-year history of the franchise to receive an award for Outstanding Video Game Character - Best Performance.  Beata frequently sits on judging panels for the Television Academy Primetime Emmy Awards and has been a presenter for the IFP (Independent Feature Project West) "Independent Spirit Awards," and the “Annual Women’s Leadership Awards” for the National Women’s Political Caucus of California. She was privileged to present a posthumous award to Audrey Hepburn at the Human Rights Film Festival, supported by the United Nations. Pozniak is also a former Chair of Women in Film International. 

Her recent film “Wake Up” was selected by Easterseals Film Challenge Film festival for directing space pioneer, Eric Ingram for whom she also wrote a part in her new series…. “They’ll Love It”’.