THE PHOTOGRAPHER is a 2014 Polish psychological thriller directed by Waldemar Krzystek.

The film tells the story of an investigation led by Russian militiaman Mikhail Bazylev, who is trying to catch a serial killer known as the Photographer. The murderer leaves photographs next to the victims as his signature and a clue leading back to a past rooted in the Soviet era. The trail leads to Legnica, the former headquarters of the Soviet Army in Poland. As the story unfolds, the investigation reveals deeply hidden secrets from the Cold War period.

The Photographer is a tale about memory, guilt, and punishment, weaving thriller elements with dramatic recollections from history. The director skillfully combines the thriller genre with a reckoning of the Soviet Army’s presence in Poland.

Cast: Tomasz Kot, Adam Woronowicz, Sonia Bohosiewicz, Agata Buzek, Aleksey Gorbunov, Elena Babenko

Locations: Wrocław (including Main Railway Station, Świdnicka Street, Opera Square, Grunwaldzki Bridge), Legnica (streets and interiors of tenement houses), Moscow (outdoor and aerial shots), surroundings of Wałbrzych and outskirts of Wrocław

Awards: Nominated for the Golden Lions at the 2014 Gdynia Film Festival, special screening at the Moscow International Film Festival

The film was co-produced by the Lower Silesian Film Centre.