“I’ve shot feature films, travelled across almost 60 countries, and spent most of my life behind a camera. But everything began with a gift from my grandfather.

I’m Aleksander Krzystyniak, a filmmaker from Poland working as a cinematographer and director of photography. I’ve worked on four feature films that screened in Polish theatres and festivals. My films explore loss, guilt, fear, and the difficult climb back to hope. They aren’t loud blockbusters, but honest stories rooted in human emotion. One of my films is currently in post-production.

I come from a family of doctors, where stability was expected. Cinema meant uncertainty, long hours, and struggle. Yet even as a teenager, I found myself quietly observing strangers, trying to capture moments that felt real.

Getting into Poland’s National Film School was one of the hardest battles of my life. Hundreds apply every year, but only a few are selected. The entrance exam tested vision, not theory—telling stories only through images. When I got selected, it came during a painful phase after a breakup, and film school gave me direction again.

But my journey started much earlier. When I was ten, my grandfather handed me an old Yashica camera loaded with black-and-white film and simply said, ‘Go catch something.’ That camera taught me patience, observation, and respect for moments. I still own it, and even used it during my entrance exams.

Film school meant endless screenings, sleepless nights, and learning how to communicate without words. During one assignment, I shot a documentary using a 60-year-old Soviet-era camera despite my university advising against it. It received the highest grade.

After graduating, I chose movement over comfort. Travel and filmmaking feed each other. The more places you see, the more you realise people everywhere carry the same emotions; only the colours change. Maybe that’s why I continue filming—to preserve stories and fleeting moments before they disappear.

India fascinates me always. Its energy and contradictions feel incredibly cinematic. Cinema taught me this: stay open, observe deeply, and remember that without honesty and emotion, no image truly lasts.”