“The Green Border” was appreciated during the 80th Venice International Film Festival. The film received a special award from the jury. Although the production will not hit Polish cinemas until September 22, many people already have extreme opinions about the film.
Will Ziobro respond to his comment about the “Green Border”? The co-creator of the film sent him a letter
The film is inspired by the tragic fate of people on the Polish-Belarusian border. Polish politicians, without having read Holland’s work, began to warn against the production in crude terms. Krystyna Pawłowicz, a former Law and Justice MP, thundered on X (formerly Twitter) that the director was “harassing Poles” using “vile and lying” arguments. In turn, Sebastian Kaleta, Deputy Minister of Justice, called “The Green Border” “a film slandering the Polish uniform.” Zbigniew Ziobro reached the heights of creativity in his criticism, comparing Holland’s picture to propaganda films in the Third Reich.
The cruel reference by the Minister of Justice did not go unnoticed. Foreign pop culture media, artists and activists reacted. “The Hollywood Reporter” noted that comparing the film to Nazi propaganda is extremely ironic, because the situation of refugees is easily compared to the Holocaust. Agnieszka Holland expects Ziobro to make amends for his words, otherwise she will go to court.
“This disgusting statement by Ziobro unnerved me”
Maciej Pisuk, co-writer of “The Green Border”, sent a letter to Zbigniew Ziobro regarding his inappropriate statement. In an interview with “Gazeta Wyborcza”, the creator explained why the magazine was created at all. “I thought I was prepared for anything. Nevertheless, Ziobro’s disgusting statement unsettled me. The authorities reverse the concepts – they call criminals patriots, outstanding creators agents, and honest people thieves.” At the same time, Pisuk emphasizes that Holland’s film is not an attack on Poland. The words seem to be shared by the reviews of those present at the Venice festival, who, unlike the Polish right, saw the film.
A fragment of the letter is thought-provoking, in which Pisuk emphasizes that the Polish authorities themselves contributed to its creation. “You personally, your political camp, the people ruling Poland today contributed a lot to the creation of ‘The Green Border’. If you had shown at least a minimum of decency in solving the ‘border crisis’, this film would probably never have been made,” writes the creator. “First stigmatization – then dehumanization – and finally deportation. People in Polish uniforms, acting on your orders, did this shameful job. You are co-responsible for the death of at least several dozen refugees,” he adds.
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.
