Łukasz Żal (Polish pronunciation: [ˈwukaʂ ˈʐal]; born 24 June 1981)^[1][2] is a Polish cinematographer, best known for his work on the films Ida (2014), Loving Vincent (2017), Cold War (2018) and The Zone of Interest (2023).^[3]

Żal has said that he "fell in love" with cinema at the age of 16, when he attended a course on filmmaking held at a local gymnasium in his home town of Koszalin, Poland. His interest in photography was sparked by a friend, who asked to use him as a subject and also showed him how to use a camera. He went on to study photography at the Leon Schiller National Film, Television and Theatre School in Łódź, from which he graduated in 2007. Whilst there, he watched many films and decided to pursue a career as a cinematographer because of the "stronger emotional content" he observed in movies.^[3]

When preparing to work on a film, Żal has stated that he reads though the script and tries "to find part of [him]self in the movie".^[3]

In 2019 he was made an Honorary Fellow of the British Royal Photographic Society, from which he also received the annual Lumière Award.^[3]

He has been named as the recipient of the Variety Artisan Award at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.^[4]

Short film

Feature film

Documentary

• Cinema of Poland
• List of Polish Academy Award winners and nominees
• List of Poles