Agnieszka Holland speaks about the political urgency of ‘green borders’ at New York International Film Festival – The Hollywood Reporter

“Green Border”

venice film festival

polish movies green border By the time the drama premiered at the New York Film Festival this week, it had already stirred up a lot of international controversy. The film, which depicts the dire conditions faced by migrants attempting to cross from Belarus to Poland, was a huge hit after its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in August, where it won the Special Jury Prize. , which broke box office records in its home country. A government-approved warning video was released before the film was shown, downplaying criticism of the Polish government’s handling of the border crisis.

Director Agnieszka Holland, along with cinematographer Tomasz Naumiuk and actresses Behi Janati-Atai and Joely Mbundu, said in a post-screening Q&A on Thursday night, “I believe that Poland is the biggest threat to national security.” It became,” he said. Shortly before its Venice premiere, Poland’s Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro and President Andrzej Duda likened the film’s negative portrayal of Polish guards to “Nazi propaganda”, and Poland’s Oscar committee said the animated film was selected. farmers Nevertheless, as an official Oscar entry, green borderrave reviews.

Holland, who subsequently sued Ziobro for defamation, spoke of the film’s urgency in his foreword. green border on Thursday. The film began development in late 2021, but green border ), funding proved to be a challenge. After a year and a half of fundraising, the film went into production in March 2023 and premiered in Venice within months. “This was the fastest delivery for me,” Holland said.

Director Naumiuk also opined about the speed of the production, saying that because of its subject matter, the black and white film’s aesthetic was designed to focus on those affected by the border crisis: not only refugees, but also Polish border guards. Activists risk their own safety to deliver aid to migrants. And average Poles living near the border are forced to either blindly support the government or acknowledge the abuses occurring in their own backyard.

Naumiuk said his visual representation was inspired by a small number of photojournalists who sought to document the crisis, despite the Polish president’s efforts to ban media outlets from reporting on what was happening at the border. However, the Netherlands itself emphasized that: green border It was her own attempt to raise awareness. “I had to make my own images,” she said of her response to the government’s media blackout.

Speaking to the New York audience, Holland also said: green borderinternational relevance. The director noted that Poland was voting for a populist national government long before the United States elected Donald Trump as president, and quipped, “We were in the avant-garde.” When asked what Americans should know about Poland, Holland replied:[Our countries] They’re like sisters. What’s happening there is also happening here. ”