Camera Buff

1979 1h 52m PL

🙌

7.5

BANGER

★7.5TMDB · 198

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Filip buys an 8mm movie camera when his first child is born. Because it's the first camera in town, he's named official photographer by the local Party boss. His horizons widen when he is sent to regional film festivals with his first works but his focus on movie making also leads to domestic strife and philosophical dilemmas.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Jerzy Stuhr
Filip Mosz
Małgorzata Ząbkowska
Irka Mosz
Ewa Pokas
Anna Włodarczyk
Stefan Czyżewski
Director
Jerzy Nowak
Stanisław Osuch
Tadeusz Bradecki
Witek Jachowicz
Marek Litewka
Piotrek Krawczyk
Bogusław Sobczuk
Kędzierski

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Krzysztof Kieślowski
Writers: Krzysztof Kieślowski
Languages: Polish
Countries: Poland

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

ERA

Did you know

47 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski, shot by Jacek Petrycki. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Krzysztof Knittel. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Halina Nawrocka shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Jerzy Stuhr and Małgorzata Ząbkowska and Ewa Pokas carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0078763 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Krzysztof Kieślowski directs. Jacek Petrycki behind the camera. Krzysztof Knittel scores. Halina Nawrocka cuts. Produced in Poland. Dialogue in Polish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

147 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski, shot by Jacek Petrycki. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Krzysztof Knittel. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Halina Nawrocka shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Jerzy Stuhr and Małgorzata Ząbkowska and Ewa Pokas carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0078763 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Classified under 16 themes, including "factory worker", "factory", "camera", "poland".
8Released under 15 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Jacek Petrycki
Original score: Krzysztof Knittel
Editing: Halina Nawrocka
Production design: Andrzej Rafał Waltenberger
Costume design: Gabriela Star-Tyszkiewicz
Makeup / hair: Zdzislawa Namyslaw
Sound: Michał Żarnecki
Runtime: 112 min · 1h 52m
Status: Released
Original language: PL
IMDB: Camera Buff (1979)

Also by

Krzysztof Kieślowski

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

badelf2022-09-19
★ 7/10
An early Kieslowski with all the trademarks that he refined later in life and that made him one of the greatest filmmakers ever: the politics, the moral dilemmas, the existential questions - that are, of course, not resolved. It's put together well, although his later greats are much tighter. While watching, I couldn't help but wonder how much of this is actually autobiographical.

Production companies