Filmed in Kujawy and Pomorze: Simlat, Głowacki and Toruń in New HBO Production

The series Zmora, inspired by a crime novel by Toruń-based writer Robert Małecki, will be available on the HBO Max streaming platform from Friday (October 2). The cast also includes, among others, Toruń-born actor Piotr Głowacki and Łukasz Simlat, a recipient of our Film Award.

The series is set in Toruń, both in the present day and in the 1980s and 1990s. Filming took place, among other locations, in Toruń’s Old Town in autumn 2024. Zmora is described as “a dark story about secrets that have survived for decades and a past that refuses to be forgotten.” “Controversial journalist Kama Kossowska returns to her hometown of Toruń. Her return triggers a flood of memories and questions that have remained unanswered for years,” reads the series description. “When Commissioner Tomasz Korcz reopens the case of Piotrek, Kama’s childhood friend who went missing, she becomes involved in the investigation. With every new lead, the line between the past and the present begins to blur, and buried secrets demand the truth.”

Zmora will premiere on HBO Max on October 2. It is an adaptation of the 2021 novel by Toruń writer Robert Małecki, who is also the initiator of the Crime Debut of the Year competition for the Marshal of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region Literary Award. The screenplay was written by Kacper Wysocki and Adam Guziński. The series is directed by Łukasz Jaworski, with cinematography by Maciej Sobieraj.

A star-studded cast

The lead role of journalist Kama is played by Magdalena Cielecka. The cast also features other prominent names, including Łukasz Simlat, Toruń-born Piotr Głowacki, Piotr Żurawski, Aleksander Krupa, Maria Pakulnis, Katarzyna Bujakiewicz and Piotr Jankowski. They are joined by younger-generation actors Oliwia Gołębiowska, Eryk Wróbel and Olgierd Blecharz. Michalina Łabacz and Sławomira Łozińska will also appear in guest roles.

It is worth recalling that Łukasz Simlat is a recipient of the Marshal of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region’s Poli Negri Film Award. He received the award in early July, at the closing of the 24th International Film Festival Tofifest. The actor has fond memories of the festival, having won the Golden Angel Award for creative independence in Toruń in 2020.

Toruń-born Piotr Głowacki has also appeared in productions made with the support of our Kujawy Pomorze Film Fund: Piernikowe serce (Gingerbread Heart), Morderstwo w filharmonii (Murder at the Philharmonic) and Magiczny kwiat paproci (The Magic Fern Flower), which is scheduled to premiere in 2027.

Dariusz Czołgowski
Department of Promotion

October 1, 2026