Director Tomasz Wolski is available for interviews.

THE BIG CHIEF (Wielki szef) by writer-director Tomasz Wolski is celebrating its world premiere at Visions du Réel – International Film Festival Nyon 2025 in the Burning Lights Competition. The documentary is a timely meditation on how quickly one can end up on the wrong side of history when the narrative is owned by totalitarian regimes.

THE BIG CHIEF is a character-driven immersive spy film about an unknown, yet captivating historical figure against the backdrop of tumultuous historic events of 20th century Europe. The extensive archival footage from various parts of the world, gradually reveals another mystery of the 20th century.

SYNOPSIS
In the 1960s and 1970s in Poland, Leopold Trepper found himself caught in a Kafkaesque struggle to leave the only country he had ever known. Trepper, a legendary figure in the annals of espionage, had masterminded the most significant spy network during World War II, the „Red Orchestra.” But now, his once-celebrated status made him a target for the opposite side, the communists.
Stripped of his job, Trepper’s every move was put under constant surveillance. His mundane existence was meticulously documented, his conversations recorded, and his image was captured in classified photographs. He desperately sought a passport permit to leave the country which was repeatedly denied. The USSR, his former ally, saw him as a burden.
News of his plight reached France, where Trepper’s allies formed a committee pressuring Polish authorities for his release. But the attempts to document his story turned out to be futile. The French film crew faced confiscation of their film footage. Further accusations of espionage against the USSR and against his Red Orchestra comrades have complicated the process.
Finally, after a hunger strike and mounting international pressure, Poland relented. Trepper could leave and eventually settle in Israel. His personal story combines espionage, betrayal, and the unwavering will to survive.

Director, screenwriter, cinematographer, and editor Tomasz Wolski graduated from Wajda School, and received his Ph.D. at the Lodz Film School. He participated in Berlinale Talents and is a member of the Polish Filmmakers Association, the Polish Film Academy, and the European Film Academy. Since 2024, he is also a member of the Council of the Polish Film Institute. His feature-length documentary, “In Ukraine” premiered at Berlinale 2023, and his previous film, „1970,” has been screened at over 50 international festivals worldwide and won numerous awards (Visions du Réel, Krakow Film Festival, Zagrebdox, Festival Film Dokumenter, Batumi International Art House Film Festival). He also edited the films “Babi Yar. Context” and “The Kiev Trial” by Sergei Loznitsa and “Horse Riders” by Anna Gawlita.

THE BIG CHIEF is produced by Kijora Film, Anna Gawlita, in co-production with Polish Television TVP S.A., INA, Atoms & Void, KBF, The Mazovia Institute of Culture.
Co-Financed by the Polish Film Institute.

86 min. / Poland, Netherlands, France 2025 / feature documentary

Production Company:
Kijora Film
Anna Gawlita
kijora@gmail.com

©/CREDITS:

Stills: © Kijora Film