Green Border

Winner of the Special Jury Prize at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, Green Border immediately drew controversy from the Polish government for its depiction of the European migrant crisis on the Poland-Belarus border. Shot in stark black-and-white, this riveting thriller explores the intractable conflict from multiple perspectives: a Syrian family fleeing ISIS and caught between cruel border guards in both countries; young guards instructed to brutally reject the migrants; and activists who, at great risk, aid the refugees. Three-time Oscar nominee Agnieszka Holland (Europa Europa) brings an unflinching eye and deep compassion to this blistering critique of a humanitarian calamity that continues to unfold. “Holland is not merely depicting a wide range of attitudes and behaviors around the migrant crisis: She is showing us a politically effective and humane way to act. What is most extraordinary about the film is that it insists on hope—not out of sentimentality but as a discipline” (Amy Taubin, Artforum).