Wielki szef
Tomasz Wolski
Poland, Netherlands, France | 2025 | 86 min
World premiere
Languages : Polish, French, German
Subtitles : English, French
Leopold Trepper, a former Red Army officer and hero of the anti-Nazi resistance, faces a Kafkaesque struggle in 1970s Poland as the demons of anti-Semitism resurface. Stripped of his job and under constant surveillance, Trepper leaves with no hope of return. A gripping portrait of an enigmatic character that rivals the great classics of espionage.
After thwarting the Gestapo, Leopold Trepper—a Polish Jew and mastermind of the Red Orchestra spy ring—must, in the twilight of his life, foil yet another plot, this time orchestrated by his own country’s secret services.
Once a celebrated Resistance hero, Trepper is now a pariah in 1970s Poland, a country still plagued by the deep roots of antisemitism. Branded a conspirator, he becomes a marked man, placed under house arrest and forbidden from leaving the country. In France, a committee rallies to defend his cause and secure his departure for Israel, where he hopes to settle. Star journalist Jean-Pierre Elkabbach films Trepper’s secluded life in Warsaw, but the footage is seized. With no way out, Trepper resorts to his final weapon: a hunger strike.
Like a true spy thriller, The Big Chief delves into the hidden corners of World War II and the upheavals that followed. Drawing from an astonishing wealth of archival material, Tomasz Wolski retraces Trepper’s extraordinary fate—was he an undeniable hero, or a masterful fabricator in the grand narrative of the 20th century?
Katy Léna Ndiaye
Once a celebrated Resistance hero, Trepper is now a pariah in 1970s Poland, a country still plagued by the deep roots of antisemitism. Branded a conspirator, he becomes a marked man, placed under house arrest and forbidden from leaving the country. In France, a committee rallies to defend his cause and secure his departure for Israel, where he hopes to settle. Star journalist Jean-Pierre Elkabbach films Trepper’s secluded life in Warsaw, but the footage is seized. With no way out, Trepper resorts to his final weapon: a hunger strike.
Like a true spy thriller, The Big Chief delves into the hidden corners of World War II and the upheavals that followed. Drawing from an astonishing wealth of archival material, Tomasz Wolski retraces Trepper’s extraordinary fate—was he an undeniable hero, or a masterful fabricator in the grand narrative of the 20th century?
Katy Léna Ndiaye
The Big Chief, 2025
A Year in the Life of a Country, 2024
In Ukraine, 2023
1970, 2021
An Ordinary Country, 2020
A Problem, 2020
The Palace, 2012
The Doctors, 2010
Slowly, 2010
H2O, 2010
The Lucky Ones, 2009
Goldfish, 2008
The Clinic, 2006
A Year in the Life of a Country, 2024
In Ukraine, 2023
1970, 2021
An Ordinary Country, 2020
A Problem, 2020
The Palace, 2012
The Doctors, 2010
Slowly, 2010
H2O, 2010
The Lucky Ones, 2009
Goldfish, 2008
The Clinic, 2006
Screenings and tickets
Saturday 5 April 2025 20:30
Capitole Leone, Nyon
In the presence of the director
Thursday 10 April 2025 16:00
Capitole Leone, Nyon
Screenplay
Tomasz Wolski
Editing
Tomasz Wolski
Sound
Aleksandra LandsmannIgor Kazmirchuk
Production
Anna GawlitaKijora FilmSophie de HijesINAMaria ChoustovaATOMS & VOID
Sales contact
Anna Gawlitakijora@gmail.com+48609421497
