Green Border

Zielona granica

Director: Agnieszka Holland
Country: Poland, France, Czech Republic, Belgium

2023 | 152 min. | Polish, Arabic, English, French
Subtitles: German, English
FSK 12

Cast_ Jalal Altawil, Maja Ostaszewska, Behi Djanati Ataï, Mohamad Al Rashi, Dalia Naous Screenplay_ Maciej Pisuk, Gabriela Łazarkiewicz-Sieczko, Agnieszka Holland Camera_ Tomasz Naumiuk Producer_ Marcin Wierzchosłąwski, Fred Bernstein, Agnieszka Holland Rights_ Piffl Medien

Honored in Venice, vilified in the Polish election campaign: one of the most politically relevant films of recent years returns to the big screen.

The “green border” is a forest area between Belarus and Poland. On the run from war and terror, Bashir’s family and the teacher Leila, respectively from Syria and Afghanistan, believe they can reach the EU through here. Instead, they become the victims of political scheming and propaganda. Their fates are intertwined with those of characters on the Polish side: Julia, who becomes an activist on impulse, and Jan, a young border guard.

A tender and angry film, told with profound humanity. In crystalline black-and-white, reminiscent of many major works of Polish cinema, Holland lays bare the drama of our present.

Director

Agnieszka Holland's life has repeatedly intersected with historical turning points. Born in Warsaw in 1948, she was a student in Prague in 1968. Around 1980, during the rise of the Solidarność movement, she made her first feature films - and subsequently became one of the most important voices in European cinema. Her latest film ›Green Border‹ won several prizes in Venice, but was subjected to a state smear campaign in her home country. It is clear, therefore, that Agnieszka Holland's fight for the past, present and future of Europe is far from over.

Trailer

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