Among the Night's Silence: Jan Holoubek's new series on the 1976 Połaniec crime arrives on HBO Max on 13 November

Premiere and cast

The series Wśród nocnej ciszy will debut on HBO Max on 13 November 2026. The production has six episodes and is inspired by real events.

Jan Holoubek directs the series and handled episodes 1–4 and 6. Maciej Kowalewski directed the fifth episode and wrote the screenplay. Holoubek is also known for Wielka woda and Rojst.

Łukasz Simlat plays the village head Lech Wojda, and Jędrzej Hycnar plays investigator Henryk Maczek. Magdalena Biegańska plays the mother of the victims. The cast also includes Nel Kaczmarek, Artur Paczesny and Kacper Sasin.

Background to the story

The story begins on Christmas Day 1976. Three young people, a pregnant woman, her husband and her younger brother, are killed under a bus on their way back from midnight mass. The case was initially treated as an accident, but the victims' mother and a young officer do not believe that version.

The series draws on the Połaniec crime, which shook Poland during the communist era. The screenplay is based on Wiesław Łuka's reportage Nie oświadczam się.

Anniversary and trailers

The premiere falls on the 50th anniversary of the events. HBO Max has released a first teaser and a full trailer. The promotional material highlights themes of a conspiracy of silence and difficult questions about the truth in a closed community, where fear can outweigh the wish to expose the facts.

What this means for you

The sources used for this article do not say whether the series will be available in the United Kingdom or under which HBO Max package. Viewers interested in watching should check the platform's offer in the UK before the premiere.