Green Border

Legendary filmmaker Agnieszka Holland (“Europa Europa,” “The Secret Garden”) won the Golden Lion at the 2023 Venice Film Festival with this ground-level examination of the refugee crisis at the titular exclusion zone between Belarus and Poland, as seen through the eyes of a Syrian family fleeing their war-torn home.From master filmmaker and Academy Award® nominee Agnieszka Holland, and winner of the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival, GREEN BORDER dramatizes the recent history of the refugee crisis to galvanizing effect. Set in 2021 as groups of refugees attempt to enter Europe for safety, the densely forested border between Belarus and Poland becomes a trap as Poland builds a barbed wire wall and prevents humanitarian escort. Alternating perspectives between the fleeing refugees, the violent border guards, and citizens’ groups attempting to provide assistance, the film finds the cruel indifference and hypocrisy at the root of a continent’s response to a humanitarian crisis. Condemned by right wing Polish political figures and the subject of major national controversy, including death threats toward Holland, the film remains a damning portrayal of both the Belarusian and Polish governments’ actions and motives. —C.F. Content Warning: This film contains material that may be difficult for some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised.