The movie is a harrowing account of refugees trapped between Belarus and Poland over the past two years while also a reminder that many are still dying on Europe’s borders.
It portrays a humanitarian crisis telling the entangled stories of a Syrian family, an Afghan teacher and a young border guard.
“It was a struggle but it was a duty,” said Holland, 74, when accepting the award, referring to the challenges of filming this unique work.
"While we're sitting here tonight, the situation is still going on," she added.
"People are still hiding in forests, deprived of their dignity, from their human rights... Some of them will lose their lives here in Europe not because we don't have the resources to help but because we don't want to,” she elaborated.
Green Border was one of the most talked about films of the festival with many seeing it winning the top prize. And while the Golden Lion ultimately went to "Poor Things" by Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos, the third-place Special Jury Prize is considered a prestigious recognition for directors.
Critics were impressed, with The Guardian calling it a "brutal, angry, gruelling drama, in sombre black and white.”
In Poland, however, the movie triggered an angry response from the government with officials comparing it to Nazi propaganda because it looks critically at the way the country’s security services pushed back migrants who were lured to the border by Belarus, an ally of Russia.
Green Border is a co-production between Poland, the Czech Republic, France and Belgium.
(mo)
Source: PAP
