The Luxembourgish co-production, which premiered earlier this year at the Toronto Film Festival (TIFF), had its grand ducal debut on Wednesday at the 18th Central and Eastern European Film Festival. 

Based on the short story "Professor Andrews Goes to Warsaw" by Nobel Prize winner Olga Tokarczuk, the film follows psychiatry professor Joan Andrews (played by Lesley Manville) on a trip from London to Warsaw, where she’s scheduled to give a lecture.

Manville's character guides viewers through the split reality of 1980s Poland, in the midst of the Cold War, as she becomes entangled in the life of Polish student Alina (played by Zofia Wichlacz), just as martial law is declared.

Winter of the Crow does not aim to be a perfectly accurate depiction of communist-era Poland. Director Katarzyna Adamik explained during a Q&A following the screening that her goal was not to recreate reality, but to capture the feeling of living under a totalitarian regime.

The film is a co-production between Luxembourg, Poland, and the United Kingdom. Scenes of the hyper-realist thriller were partially shot in Luxembourg, including at the Château de Meysembourg, which appears as the ambassador’s reception in the movie. Adamik joked that, despite her affection for Luxembourg, the country doesn’t resemble 1980s Warsaw, which is why only interior scenes were filmed in the Grand Duchy.

This year's edition of the festival highlights the Polish film scene, following last year’s focus on Croatia’s movie industry. While the award ceremony will be held on Saturday, October 25, screenings continue through to Sunday, October 26.

Those wishing to catch a screening can still purchase tickets for the final showings on the festival’s website.