Poland’s interior minister, Mariusz Kaminski, has taken a strong stance against director Agnieszka Holland’s latest film, ‘Green Border,’ igniting a robust debate about the portrayal of the migration crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border.
‘Green Border,’ shown at this year’s Venice Film Festival, tells the story of a fictional group of refugees attempting to enter Poland from Belarus. Once they reach the Polish border, they are promptly returned by the Polish Border Guards, creating a depiction that critics argue is indifferent to their plight.
In a recent interview on Polish Radio, Minister Kaminski voiced his strong disapproval, stating, “The film, unfortunately, has already been made and is being showcased at international festivals, but it is far from a real portrayal; it is, in fact, false.” He accused Agnieszka Holland of manipulating emotions and criticized the film’s representation of the actions of the Polish Border Guard.
The crux of the controversy lies in the portrayal of the refugees in ‘Green Border.’ Kaminski asserts that these individuals are not war refugees but rather illegal migrants seeking to improve their lives. He argues that these migrants are being exploited by the Belarusian regime, in cooperation with Moscow, to destabilize neighbouring countries such as Poland, and consequently, the European Union.
Minister Kaminski’s sentiments were preceded by Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro, who drew comparisons between the film and Nazi propaganda. Ziobro pointed out parallels between Agnieszka Holland’s work and the propaganda films produced during the Third Reich, which depicted Poles as bandits and murderers.