“Green Border” director Agnieszka Holland on giving back the “voice to the voiceless”

July 3, 2024

July 2, 2024

In the Holocaust drama of 1990 Europe EuropeOscar-nominated Polish author Agnieszka Holland tells of life under a fascist fortress and the horrors one must endure just to survive. More than 30 years later, she has produced an equally fearless call to action: Green bordera powerful and timely drama set against the backdrop of the refugee crisis in Europe.

“There was an urgent need not only to show what was going on, but also to give face and voice back to the voiceless and faceless,” Holland said after a screening of Green border. “We didn’t want to show our political agenda or whatever; we wanted to take the point of view of these specific people, precisely because they are people and because they are specific.”

The factual film is set on the “green border” between Belarus and Poland, where refugees from the Middle East and Africa are trapped in a geopolitical crisis brought about by Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko. Green border is told from multiple perspectives, including border guards, activists, and a Syrian family fleeing ISIS and trying to enter the European Union.

Green border It premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival, where it won a Special Jury Prize. In her native Poland, Holland and her film have since been denounced by the country’s right-wing government; Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro compared the film to Nazi propaganda, while President Andrzej Duda quoted the World War II slogan: “There are only pigs in the cinema.”

“It was actually great advertising for the film,” Holland responds good-naturedly today, “even though I received death threats and had to hire bodyguards for a few weeks.” For the filmmaker, it was worth seeing the film: “The audience’s reaction was so emotional and liberating.”

Watch the full Academy conversation below to hear more from Holland about her hopes for the impact that Green border will have: “My film may not change the world, but at least I can talk to one person.”