In the treacherous and swampy forests that make up the so called “green border” between Belarus and Poland, refugees from the Middle East and Africa trying to reach the European Union are trapped in a geopolitical crisis cynically engineered by Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko. In an attempt to provoke Europe, refugees are lured to the border by propaganda promising easy passage to the EU. Pawns in this hidden war, the lives of Julia, a newly minted activist who has given up her comfortable life, Jan, a young border guard, and a Syrian family intertwine.
30 years after “Europa, Europa”, three-time Oscar Nominee Agnieszka Holland’s poignant new feature “Green Border” opens our eyes, speaks to the heart, and challenges us to reflect on the moral choices that fall to ordinary people every day.
AWARDS AND NOMINATIONS
Venice ’23 – Special Jury Prize
Chicago ’23 – Best International Feature
Agnieszka Holland
Agnieszka Holland was born 28 of November 1948 in Warsaw. She went to Czechoslovakia to study film directing at FAMU in Prague. She began her film career working in Poland with Krzysztof Zanussi as assistant director, and Andrzej Wajda as her mentor. She wrote several scripts with Wajda before directing her own films, which were soon winning international acclaim and awards at festivals – in Cannes (FIPRESCI Prize for “Provincial Actors” in1978), Berlin (nomination for “Golden Bear” for “Fever” in 1981), Montreal (nomination for the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury for “Angry Harvest” in 1985), Venice (nomination for “Golden Lion” for “Julie Walking Home” in 2002). “Angry Harvest” received a nomination for an Academy Award in the Best Foreign Film category in 1986 and “Copying Beethoven” was nominated for the Golden Seashell award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival in 2006. Holland also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Writing (screenplay based on material previously produced or published) for “Europa Europa”. “In Darkness” was once again nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Foreign Film category and received 3 awards (from a total of 10 nominations) at the Polish Film Awards in 2012.
1979 Provincial Actors
1985 Angry Harvest
1988 To Kill a Priest
1990 Europa, Europa
2011 In Darkness
2019 Mr Jones
2020 Charlatan
2023 Green Border
2025 Franz
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