Mateusz Wichłacz, PSC, "Kaboul", directed by Kasia Adamik and Olga Chajdas

Kabul, August 15, 2021. As American troops withdraw, the Taliban enter Kabul. The Nazany family is forced to leave the country, like many other civilians, fearing retaliation. In this desperate and chaotic situation, with the looming threat of an ISIS attack, French police officers, Italian diplomats, German soldiers, and American intelligence services must somehow coordinate to manage the influx of civilians. How will each of them manage to save their lives ? The countdown has begun.

The first thing that stands out when watching "Kaboul" is the international aspect of the project… How was it to shoot such an ambitious series ?

Mateusz Wichłacz : Although I had previously worked with Olga on a European co-production in Germany—where a small amount of Polish funding allowed me to bring some of my team—this time, I had to go in completely alone, without anyone from Poland. In the end, I must admit it wasn’t so bad ! It forced me to step out of my comfort zone and question certain methods that I might have relied on too easily at home.
By the end of each day, I often realized how intense and enriching this experience was for me. It was also thanks to the incredible international cast we gathered—truly exceptional actors from different countries, which, in hindsight, was an incredible opportunity.

How was the shooting schedule structured ?

MW : The main shoot lasted 68 days in Athens between early April and early July 2024, covering six episodes. Additionally, there were about five or six extra days for the second unit, led by Leo Arvanitis, my second camera operator, working in parallel with the main team on set pieces like the airport scenes, which were reconstructed in a large abandoned factory.
One of the biggest challenges was making the suburbs of Athens look like Kabul. Here, I must congratulate our production designer Kostas Papas, who did an incredible job. He even took the bold step of traveling to Kabul himself to scout authentic locations, bringing back tons of valuable references. Among the most challenging sets was the French Embassy, which had to be reconstructed in two different locations : one for interiors, featuring a corridor built with concrete blocks, and another for exteriors, including the gate and surrounding streets. Since characters frequently moved between the two, ensuring seamless continuity—especially with the sun’s position—was quite stressful !

The airport also required a lot of digital compositing for wide shots, blending two different locations. In hindsight, making this series was like assembling an incredibly complex puzzle. Thankfully, Athens offers a great variety of locations, allowing us to create something that closely resembles Kabul.

Many American films have explored modern warfare… Black Hawk Down , by Ridley Scott ( shot by Slawomir Idziak) comes to mind. Did it influence you ?

MW : You might think of films like that, but our series is far more focused on character relationships rather than action. My main reference was not Hollywood movies but documentaries on these events.

The producers specifically requested that we avoid over-stylizing the image—no unnecessary beauty in the shots or aestheticized storytelling. The idea was to stay as immersive and immediate as possible, blending a documentary-like realism with a cinematic touch where needed. Some films did stay in my mind, like the "Jason Bourne" series and Paul Greengrass’ dynamic handheld style, or Alejandro Inarritu’s Babel... but my main inspiration came from real-world footage and photography of the American intervention and withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The series has a very raw, sunlit, and dusty look.

MW : Yes ! I wanted the audience to feel the ever-present dust, which I observed in my research on Kabul, with the help of Kostas Pappas. We couldn’t achieve this effect in every scene due to time and budget constraints—not to mention the nightmare of shooting in 40°C (104°F) heat in Greece in June ! People on set hated me for insisting on adding more dust all the time.
But actually, it wasn’t real dust—it was finely ground dried cornflower. Not very pleasant, as it gets everywhere (in your eyes, in the camera), but on screen, the texture was perfect !
One of my favorite sequences using this effect is the Taliban checkpoint in Episode 2, where a family desperately tries to cross. You can really feel the dust particles in the air, intensified by the sharp sunlight, which we never tried to soften. I deliberately embraced harsh lighting, even directly on actors’ faces, going against traditional cinematographic rules. I applied this approach to interiors as well, relying mostly on natural light and occasionally redirecting it with mirrors or diffusers.
Athens is a city that offers plenty of sunlight, so I learned not to fear it !

In Episode 1, when the first Taliban enter Kabul, there’s a dramatic execution scene in a stairwell. The camera style shifts throughout the scene…

MW :This sequence is a good example of our hybrid documentary-cinematic approach. It starts with a raw, handheld style, then gradually transitions into more composed and stylized shots as the tension builds.
The final execution shot is a highly graphic overhead angle in the stairwell. This method was used throughout the series—the last episode (Episode 6) is much more cinematic than the rest, as the different storylines converge. I think this is one of Kabul’s strengths : it draws the audience in with a realistic tone before subtly shifting into something more dramatic and emotional.

Tell us a bit about your work with the camera and framing…

MW : Usually, even though the tight shooting schedule often forces me to work differently, I try to shoot with a single camera whenever the director agrees with me. But on Kabul, that was simply out of the question—too many actors, too many extras, and too many complex recreations to manage. So, we constantly worked with two cameras, with Leo Arvanitis handling the second camera, often using a Ronin.
Having a second camera also allowed us to frequently use a Dolly or even a crane. Well, not a crane with a remote head—just a simple 5-meter arm that allowed us to make basic ascending or descending movements with automatic vertical pan compensation.
Among the more unconventional things I tried, there’s a sequence I really like right after the big explosion. For that shot, we simply attached a photo lens to the Arri Mini LF using gaffer tape because the lens mount wasn’t PL. It created a very strange swing-and-tilt effect, which I think works really well after the explosion. I don’t even remember exactly which lens it was—Leo had just removed it from his personal camera, which he occasionally used to take behind-the-scenes photos

Episode 4 is also a bit unique for you… it’s the only one set entirely at night.

MW : Yes, for this episode, I decided to switch to a Sony Venice instead of the Alexa Mini LF, which we used for the rest of the series. With the dual native ISO mode, I was able to better capture the night skies and work with the very low light levels we had for all these scenes.
For these sequences, as with the rest of the series, we used Leitz Summilux-C lenses. I really love working with very low light levels on set, and these lenses are perfect for that.

You were the only cinematographer, working with two directors to complete the entire project… That’s quite unusual !

MW : You know, TV series have really become a major industry, and you can’t always go against the production logic and the constraints imposed by the schedule or talents. But as a cinematographer, I think it’s very important to be able to shoot an entire project from start to finish.
I was lucky enough to do that on Kabul, which was also one of the most ambitious and significant projects of my career. It was probably a mix of luck and the fact that I already knew both directors well, and I really have to thank them—and the production—for their trust.
Committing to a series is such a huge investment, both in time and personal dedication, that leaving halfway through would feel to me like abandoning your own child . That’s my advise to any cinematographer : if you have the choice, try to shoot the entire series. If the project means something to you, completing it will be an immense source of satisfaction, just as "Kabul" was for me..

And did this opportunity allow you to push further your work ?

MW : I think it took us about a month to find our rhythm and settle into the series. Many of us had never worked together before, we came from different countries, with sometimes very different approaches on set… Then, as the process unfolds, a rhythm naturally develops with your camera team. Every day, you receive stills from each scene, quickly color grade them on your computer at night, and then send them to the directors the next day. Gradually—after a week, a month—you start to see the visual identity of the show clearly take shape in your mind.
One key organizational factor was having both directors present simultaneously during the first month. This allowed us to constantly communicate as a team and be sure we were perfectly aligned on every creative and technical decision. Given the complexity of the project, I think we really needed that time at the start to make sure everything flowed smoothly afterward and that the entire series had a strong visual consistency.

(Interview by François Reumont for the AFC)