Operation Hyacinth () is a 2021 Polish film directed by Piotr Domalewski, written by Marcin Ciastoà  and starring Tomasz ZiÃÂtek, Hubert Mià Âkowski, and Marek Kalita. The drama is based on the Operation Hyacinth (Polish: Akcja "Hiacynt"), which was a secret mass operation of the Polish communist police, carried out in the years 1985âÂÂ87. Its purpose was to create a national database of all Polish homosexuals and people who were in touch with them. The film was well received by critics.
Robert is in his mid-twenties and new to the Citizens' Militia (MO). His father Edward holds a senior position and is keen for his son to follow in his footsteps. Robert and his partner, Wojtek, investigate a case in which a serial murderer has been targeting gay men in Warsaw. Robert befriends a German-language student Arek in order to infiltrate the local gay scene for the investigation. As he does so, he discovers a tangle of lies, blackmail, and cover-ups.
Director Piotr Domalewski was born in 1983 and grew up in à Âomà ¼a. After completing his secondary education, he enrolled at the Aleksander-Zelwerowicz Academy for Drama in Biaà Âystok and began his study of puppet shows. After his exams, he continued his education until 2009 at the Faculty for Drama at the AST National Academy of Theatre Arts in Kraków. As an actor, he appeared in the Wybrzeà ¼e Theatre and worked with directors such as Anna Augustynowicz, Grzegorz Wià Âniewski and Ewelina Marciniak. At this time he shot the short film Stranger, an adaptation of Robert Musil's The Man Without Qualities. His feature film debut Silent Night () received multiple awards including best film at the Polish Film Festival. Domalewski's second feature film I Never Cry (original title: ; translates to: As Far Away From Here as Possible) premiered in September 2020.
Marcin Ciastoà  drew inspiration for the screenplay from Operation Hyacinth, an action undertaken by the Polish secret services in the 1980s. The operation targeted the country's gay community, and the material gathered was used to extort men and to enforce their cooperation. Launched under the pretext of tackling the AIDS epidemic and prostitution, Operation Hyacinth saw a significant number of homosexuals imprisoned, arrested, or otherwise persecuted.