Leave No Traces

Żeby nie było śladów

poland
Directed by: Jan P. Matuszyński

Set in Poland in 1983 and based on actual events, Leave No Traces concerns the case of Grzegorz Przemyk, a high school student beaten to death by authorities in a Warsaw police station. In order to prevent news of this incident reaching the public, the government moves quickly to cover it up. Consequently, Jurek, a close friend of Grzegorz and the only eyewitness to the beating, becomes the number one enemy of the state. Soon the regime invokes its entire power and security apparatus—the secret service, militia, the media, and the courts—to intimidate into silence Jurek and others close to the case, including his parents and Grzegorz’s mother. Jurek must fight to preserve the truth, but the odds are stacked against him. Matuszyński’s powerful film debuted in competition at the 2021 Venice Film Festival.

“Leave No Traces presents a veritable litany of institutional rot … Kacper Fertacz’s cinematography paints the airless, oppressive political climate of the ’80s in smudgy shadows and tea-stained browns.”

Guy Lodge, Variety

Language:
In Polish with English subtitles
Genre:
Historical Drama
Runtime:
160 min
YEAR:
2021
Get Tickets

Awards:

  • Bulgarian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards 2018
  • Golden Rose Festival of Bulgarian film: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Critics Gild Award and Audience Award
Presented By:
Co-Presented By: