This article compares the dramaturgic construction and the visual layer of two Polish documentaries: The Portraitist (directed by Ireneusz Dobrowolski) and Photographer (directed by Dariusz Jabłoński). These productions use archival photographs taken during the Second World War. In the film Photographer they provide a source for discussion on the reproductive nature of photographic art, whereas in The Portraitist they help illustrate the fate of concentration camp prisoners.
Keywords: Dariusz Jabłoński, Ireneusz Dobrowolski, documentary, Polish documentary, found footage film