HIGH WATER (Polish: Wielka Woda) is a 2022 disaster drama series directed by Jan Holoubek and Bartłomiej Ignaciuk, based on a script by Kasper Bajon and Kinga Krzemińska. Produced by Netflix and Telemark, the series was created and produced by Anna Kępińska. It premiered on Netflix on October 5, 2022.

The story is set in July 1997, when a massive flood wave is approaching the city of Wrocław. The production is inspired by the real events of the Millennium Flood of 1997, which affected Wrocław and surrounding areas. Hydrologist Jaśmina Tremer (Agnieszka Żulewska) returns to Wrocław after years away to join the crisis management team. There, she reconnects with her former friend, Deputy Voivode Jakub Marczak (Tomasz Schuchardt). As the flood threatens the city, the characters must face both bureaucratic incompetence and their personal histories.

Several characters were inspired by real-life figures. The fictional mayor of Wrocław (played by Tomasz Kot) was modeled on Bogdan Zdrojewski, the city’s actual mayor during the 1997 flood. The journalist Ewa (Marta Nieradkiewicz) was partly inspired by Magda Mołek, who reported on the flood in 1997 for local TV.

While Wrocław is a real setting, many of the surrounding towns in the series are fictional. For example, the village of Kęty, shown protesting the demolition of flood levees, represents multiple real villages—especially Łany. The Gierżoniów reservoir is also fictional and portrayed in the series by Lake Nyskie.

Cast: Agnieszka Żulewska, Tomasz Schuchardt, Ireneusz Czop, Marta Nieradkiewicz, Katarzyna Pośpiech, Blanka Kot

Filming locations: Wrocław, Osina Wielka, Nysa, Srebrna Góra, Byczeń, Legnica (PKP Railway Station)

Awards:
– Polish Film Award (Orzeł) – Best Narrative Series
– Telekamera – Netfilm Magazine Award

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