|
Netflix Announces 'Stiffs,' a New Series Directed by Jan Holoubek and Kasper Bajon, Inspired by One of Poland's Most Notorious Criminal Scandals
Netflix has announced Skóry, a new scripted series from the creative duo of Jan Holoubek and Kasper Bajon. This time, the filmmakers turn their attention to the "Skin Hunters" case, which shocked Poland in the early 2000s. Filming is now underway, with the series set to premiere in 2028.
Following the success of High Water and Heweliusz, Jan Holoubek and Kasper Bajon once again draw inspiration from true events to explore human choices and their consequences. Skóry is a story of unchecked greed, trust ruthlessly betrayed and murder becoming routine. It is about people crossing one line after another - and institutions failing those they were meant to protect.
At the heart of the series is Bundzior, a fictional character created for the story. A former convict and failed wrestler, he takes a job with the Łódź ambulance service. His new role draws him into a world where a patient's death means money - and the arrival of an ambulance does not always mean rescue. Pulled into a web of corruption and ruthless dealings, Bundzior faces a choice: continue profiting from the scheme or risk everything to expose the truth.
"What interests us is how greed can drive someone to commit a crime. What drove these people? Why couldn't they stop, even when human lives were the price? The lure of easy money and the expectation of instant rewards are not confined to the past - they are impulses we still recognise today," explains Kasper Bajon, director and writer of Skóry.
"This is not only one of the most notorious criminal scandals in Poland's recent history, but also an extreme example of the moral collapse of a public service. And yet, I still feel that this story has never been fully told. It is difficult to comprehend its scale or understand how it could have happened. I believe, however, that revisiting it may offer a way of reckoning with the past and paying tribute both to those who lost their lives and to those who suffered for years because of these atrocities. It is also our responsibility to show the broader social and economic realities of Poland's transformation - a context that cannot be separated from these crimes," says Jan Holoubek, director of the series.
In 2002, an investigative report revealed that ambulance service employees had been selling funeral homes information about patients' deaths. Over time, an even more horrifying truth emerged: instead of saving lives, some of them had deliberately caused patients to die.
Tomasz Patora, author of the nonfiction book Skin Hunters: Secrets of the Crimes at the Łódź Ambulance Service, served as a consultant during the development of the scripts. Although the series is inspired by true events, it remains a work of fiction and the creators' own interpretation - not a journalistic reconstruction of the case.
"I do not believe in a simple division between good and evil, nor that anyone is predestined to commit a crime. I am interested in how much responsibility we bear for our own choices - and how strongly those choices are shaped by circumstance. Fictional characters allow us to explore these dilemmas in a more universal way," Bajon explains." Bajon adds.
The six-episode series is directed by Jan Holoubek and Kasper Bajon, who is also one of its writers. Fremantle Polska is producing. Filming will continue through April 2027 in Łódź, Warsaw and across Silesia.
Skóry premieres in 2028, only on Netflix.
About Stiffs
After leaving prison, Bundzior - a failed wrestler convicted of drug trafficking - takes a job with the Łódź ambulance service. There, he uncovers an illegal trade in information about patients' deaths and a scheme involving the deliberate killing of patients. Drawn into a web of corruption and ruthless dealings, he must decide whether to continue profiting from the operation or risk everything to expose the truth.
Genre: Psychological thriller
Episodes: 6
Directors: Jan Holoubek, Kasper Bajon
Producers: Julita Brutus, Maria Gołoś, Monika Matuszewska
Production company: Fremantle Polska
Writers: Kasper Bajon, Kinga Krzemińska, Łukasz Czapski, Ksawery Bajon
Director of photography: Bartłomiej Kaczmarek
Production designer: Maciej Fajst
Costume designers: Weronika Orlińska, Magdalena Bem
Make-up: Mirela Zawiszewska, Justyna Osińska
Editor: Rafał Listopad
Sound: Jerzy Murawski, Kacper Habisiak MPSE
Music: Jan Komar
Casting director: Żywia Kosińska-Wdowiak
Production manager: Weronika Pacewicz
Line producer: Paweł Przywara
Cast: To be announced at a later date
Filming locations: Łódź, Warsaw, Katowice, Chorzów, Sosnowiec and others
|
