If you’re looking for up-and-comers in the cinematography world, Michał Sobocinski tops the list. He is one of the most exciting cinematographers working today in Poland.
He was presented on “Variety's 2017 Artisans Impact Report”. The elite in this report create onscreen magic via practical math plus good old risk-taking. He’s also one of 10 rising stars of cinematography in American Cinematographer magazine. He was awarded the Golden Frog at Camerimage 2017 for cinematography to "The Art of Loving. The Story of Michalina Wislocka" (Polish Films Competition).
Born in Łódź. Graduate of Cinematography Department of the Film School in Lodz. He began his work on film sets in 2005. His short feature film "The Father” was awarded the Bronze Tadpole in the Student Short Films Competition and the Panavision D. Samuelson Special Mention for Best School Short Film at Plus Camerimage International Film Festival. Since then, he stood behind the camera on numerous projects, feature films, television series and documentaries in Poland and abroad, i. a. "Art of loving. Story of Michalina Wisłocka", "Convoy", "Warsaw by night", "Kamchatka", TV series: "Żmijowisko", "Belfer", "Ziuk. Young Piłsudski – Conspirators”, "Belle Epoque", documentaries: "Świętokrzyski Shtetls", "Images from death factory", "I lived 17 Times" and it’s just a small bit of his impressive filmography.
He is the Director of Photography of the feature film "The Disciple", directed by Chaitanya Tamhane and Alfonso Cuaron as the executive producer. Film was in the official selection at many international film festivals with multiple nominees and awards, including prestigious FIPRESCI Award, presented by The International Federation of Film Critics and Best Screenplay Award at the 2020 Venice Film Festival. Michał received a Filmfare Award Marathi for Best Cinematographer which is called " The Indian Oscar". The movie was picked at top of the lists made by all the leading film critics and magazines world wide as one of the best films in the world in 2021 (e.g. "The New York Times", „Los Angeles Times”, "Rolling Stone", "Time", "The New Yorker").
He was appreciated in the pre-Oscar rankings by the most important newspapers in the USA: "New York Times" and "Los Angeles Times". "The Disciple" was among the best candidates for Oscar. Moreover, the "Los Angeles Times" picked Sobociński in the "best cinematography" category as one of their top 5 choice next to Janusz Kamiński for "West Side Story” (dir. Steven Spielberg) and Greig Fraser for "Dune" (dir. Denis Villeneuve) amongst others.
Michał received The Golden Eagle ("Polish Oscar") in 2024, PSC Award (Polish Society of Cinematogrpahers) in 2024 and The Golden Lions Award for Best Cinematography at The Polish Film Festival in Gdynia in 2022 for feature film "Filip" (dir. Michał Kwieciński), based on Leopold Tyrmand novel. Movie also received The Silver Lions Award. The title character is a cosmopolitan and seducer incapable of deeper feelings. The plot is set during the Second World War in Frankfurt. The multi European cast of stars, includes Victor Meutelet, known for "Les innocents" (2018), "Rascals" and "Emily in Paris" (2020), Caroline Hartig "The Privilege” (2022), Zoe Straub "Isi I Ossi” (2020) and Robert Więckiewicz to name a few. "Filip" was number one box office for the whole month after premiere in March this year and wins awards at film festivals. The movie received enthusiastic critics' and viewers' reviews.
Michał worked on Hollywood multimillion premium series for Apple Originals titled "The New Look" – story of Christian Dior’s Life & Coco Channel’s collaboration with Nazi’s during WWII starring Ben Mendelsohn, Juliette Binoche, John Malkovich, Glenn Close and Maisie Williams set in Paris France , produced by the creators of "The Soprano’s", "Bloodline" & "The Transformers".
Michał also shot second season of "The Serpent Queen" Lionsgate Premium Series directed by Justin Haythe, Melanie Mayron, Kate Dennis starring Samantha Morton.
In 2025 and this year Michał shot two seasons of the Lionsgate Premium Series “The Hunting Wives” in North Carolina and Los Angeles, USA, produced by Erwin Stoff, directed by Jennifer Getzinger, Melanie Mayron.
Most recently, Sobociński worked as the director of photography on the biographical drama “Chopin, Chopin!”, directed by Michał Kwieciński. His cinematography on the film earned him the Bronze Frog at the CAMERIMAGE 2025 Main Competition, where he found himself in outstanding company among internationally acclaimed, Oscar-recognized productions such as F1: The Movie (directed by Joseph Kosinski), Nuremberg (directed by James Vanderbilt), Hamnet (directed by Chloé Zhao), and Sinners (directed by Ryan Coogler). He also received a nomination at the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia and nomination to Golden Eagle Polish Film Academy Award (“Polish Oscar”). Filmed across various locations in Poland, France, and Mallorca, the production spanned two years of preparation and a four-month shoot, involving over 260 actors, 5,000 extras, 300 period vehicles, and a 600-person crew—making it one of the largest undertakings in the history of Polish cinema. On set, Michał Sobociński pursued a visually intimate style, often using long takes and wide-angle shots to stay close to the character and experience of Chopin—drawing inspiration from Caravaggio and Rembrandt to sculpt atmospheres rich in chiaroscuro, while avoiding overly romanticized lighting.
Michał comes from the cinematographers’ family – he is the grandson of Witold Sobociński, son of Piotr Sobociński and brother of Piotr Sobociński Jr.
Member of PSC – Polish Society of Cinematographers.
https://filmpolski.pl/fp/index.php?osoba=1151890
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2881680/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
Agent: Agnieszka Wieczorkowska
M: +48 502 200 113 | agnieszka@pointofyou.com.pl