“Green Border” presents the history of the crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border from three perspectives – refugees, activists and border guards. The main character is a psychologist, Julia (Maja Ostaszewska), who, after moving to Podlasie, decides to get involved in real help for refugees who are trying to cross the border illegally.
Agnieszka Holland in the glory of critics and in the fire of criticism of members of the Polish government
Agnieszka Holland’s latest film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, where it caused a great stir. The picture was awarded a 15-minute standing ovation and was written about by the largest pop culture media in the world. Variety calls the production “a suspenseful account of heartlessness and depravity as those fleeing persecution become political pawns.”
In turn, the editors of “The Guardian” point out that “Holland has not lost her passion and compassion”, showing the real drama of refugees dying right on our border. In a similar tone, the text from “Deadline” speaks, where the headline itself speaks of “shattering vision”.
There are quite different reactions to production in Poland, especially among politicians of the United Right. Some time ago, Krystyna Pawłowicz criticized the film before its premiere, calling it “a thoughtless, fake, irresponsible, shameful reptilian”. Two days ago, the Minister of Justice Zbigniew Ziobro joined the group of production haters:
In the Third Reich, the Germans produced propaganda films showing Poles as bandits and murderers. Today they have Agnieszka Holland for this … – he wrote in a post on portal X (formerly ‘Twitter’).
However, his words did not go unheeded. The biggest press titles writing about pop culture, as well as viewers, artists and activists, became interested in them. In “”, which is one of the world’s most recognized cultural magazines, we can read the answer to the words of our minister, whom they called “one of the leading politicians of the Polish right-wing conservative government”:
Comparing Holland and her latest film to Nazis and Nazi propaganda is extremely ironic. The director’s most famous work is her Holocaust film ‘Europa, Europa’ and the Oscar-nominated ‘In Darkness’, dedicated to the fate of Jews hiding in Poland during World War II.
Mike Downey from the European Film Academy, who is also the producer of “Green Border”, wrote a statement in which he praised the voices of support for the director: “Agnieszka Holland’s films often talk about courage and fearlessness in the face of injustice. Agnieszka has become a victim of personal and public attacks in Poland, and it is precisely such acts of solidarity that reflect the extraordinary nature of her work, of what she does to oppose injustice and oppression. We all agree: silence is not an option.”
“Green Border” will be shown in Polish cinemas from September 22. We will know whether the production will hit the big screens in our country as a winner of the Golden Lion on September 10 – then the jury of the festival in Venice will announce the winners of the event. The chairman of the jury is Damien Chazelle (“La La Land”). They are also competing for the award. “The Killer” by David Fincher and “Priscilla” by Sofia Coppola.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
