GREEN BORDER
DRAMA | Polish, Arabic, English, French | 152 min
WINNER: Special Jury Prize, Venice Film Festival | Best Film, Polish Film Academy Awards
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.
DIRECTOR Agnieszka Holland
CAST Jalal Altawil, Maja Ostaszewska, Behi Djanati Atai, Mohamad Al Rashi, Tomasz Włosok
COUNTRIES OF PRODUCTION Poland, France, Czech Republic, Belgium
UK Release supported by the BFI National Lottery Fund
“Agnieszka Holland’s brutal and timely drama
shines a dark spotlight on the horrors faced by refugees”
★★★★
— The Guardian
“a gripping account of the inhumanity and depravity that ensues when those fleeing persecution are made political pawns.”
— Variety
“Stirring, troubling and at times difficult to watch,
'Green Border' is a powerful film”
— Observer
“Agnieszka Holland’s devastating refugee epic reverberates
with deep empathy and quiet fury”
★★★★★
— Time Out
FESTIVALS + AWARDS
Venice Film Festival
Winner: Special Jury Prize
Toronto International Film Festival
Official Selection
New York Film Festival
Official Selection
European Film Awards
Nominee: European Film
Nominee: European Director
Nominee: European Screenwriter (Maciej Pisuk, Gabriela Łazarkiewicz-Sieczko & Agnieszka Holland for Green Border)
International Film Festival Rotterdam
Winner: Audience Award
The Gotham Awards
Nominee: Best International Feature