Director of migration drama denounced by right-wing leaders as film opens in Poland

By VANESSA GERA
Associated Press

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s right-wing leaders have amplified their denunciations of a new feature film by Polish director Agnieszka Holland before its premiere in the country. “Green Border” is a harrowing exploration of human suffering in the border zone between Belarus and Poland. Its fictional characters include Polish security officials who mistreat migrants. The film won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival and premieres in Poland on Friday. The head of Poland’s ruling party called a news conference to condemn “Green Border.” He accused Holland of “oikophobia,” an aversion to one’s homeland, and called the film “simply shameful, repulsive and disgusting.” The director says her movie doesn’t make a collective assessment of Poland’s uniformed services.