The Green Border

media release: In anticipation of the 2023 Madison Polish Film Festival, UW-Madison Polish Studies presents a free and open-to-the-public screening of Green Border (2023), Agnieszka Holland's latest—and perhaps most controversial yet—film. The Polish-Czech-French-Belgian co-production, which won the 2023 Special Jury prize at the Venice Film Festival, takes a closer look at the ongoing border crisis between Poland and Belarus in four languages: Polish, English, French, and Arabic. While recently released, the film caused much political controversy in Poland, with government officials openly criticizing it for negatively portraying the country and accusing the director of an attack on uniformed border officers. This special event will take place on Sunday, November 5, 2023.

Film synopsis:

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 caught in a geopolitical crisis triggered 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 refugee family intertwine.