Polanski 's next film , An Officer and a Spy , centers on the notorious 19th century Dreyfus affair , The film stars Jean Dujardin as French officer Georges Picquart and follows his struggle from 1896-1906 to expose the truth about the doctored evidence that led to Alfred Dreyfus , one of the few Jewish members of the French Army 's general staff , being wrongly convicted of passing military secrets to the German Empire and sent to Devil 's Island .