Jarosław Kaczyński made the statement at a news conference in Warsaw on Friday, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
The Law and Justice leader said that The Green Border, which centres around the migrant crisis on Poland’s frontier with Belarus, “paves the way for the dismantling of Poland’s wall along the border with Belarus,” designed to stop illegal migration.
He added the film was also designed to prepare ground “for the acceptance of the relocation of migrants” among member states of the European Union.
Kaczyński, who also serves as deputy prime minister, said that Holland’s new movie “seeks to convince at least some viewers that the defence of the Polish border is in fact a big crime.”
He added that The Green Border was hitting cinemas at a time when Russia continued its aggression against Ukraine and there was “hybrid warfare” being waged against Poland.
Poland’s deputy prime minister said: “Serving the plans of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and [Belarusian leader Alexander] Lukashenko is unbelievable and must be condemned.”
The Federation of European Screen Directors on Monday came out in support of Holland, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The group, which represents over 20,000 European film and TV directors, said in an open letter it was “full of admiration” for Holland for her “strength and courage in the face of the appalling attacks against her and the film in Poland.”
“We stand squarely behind Agnieszka,” the federation added.
Holland has also received backing from the European Film Academy, other international organisations and from Poland’s Women in Film Association, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The Green Border premiered on September 5 at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, winning a special jury prize, the PAP news agency reported.
“The film dramatizes the situation of migrants from North Africa and the Middle East who were lured to the Belarus-Poland border by propaganda promising easy passage into the European Union,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Holland told reporters in Venice that the movie sought “to capture this issue in all its complexity,” showing how “politicians, the armed forces, refugees, activists and the residents of the region responded to this challenge.”
She added that The Green Border aimed “to give voice to those who are deprived of it” and to “reflect how difficult are the choices we make,” the PAP news agency reported.
The Green Border is set to be released in Poland this weekend.
Friday is day 576 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.
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Source: PAP, Interia.pl