Cinematographer Piotr Sobocinski Creates Trapped Characters in Murder Story ‘Hyacinth’ – Camerimage

In setting the frame for the Cold War Poland thriller “Operation Hyacinth” – which plays in the Polish Films Competition section of this week’s EnergaCamerimage Film Festival – cinematographer Piotr Sobocinski says he found himself in a race against time.The Dp, who’s filmed dark stories in critical successes such as “Corpus Christi” and “Hatred,” is not referring to the constraints of the low-budget film’s 27-day shoot when he says he felt his location options were fading fast.Instead, Sobocinski says, he was shocked to learn that some 90% of the Warsaw locations that looked right for a communist-era setting during his 2014 film “Gods” have now been either torn down or developed into modern facilities.He and director Piotr Domalewski wanted as many authentic backgrounds as possible for their fact-based story of a secret police operation targeting gay men, Sobocinski says. What’s more, to help convey the sense of...