“The worst thing about authoritarian regimes is that people get used to them.”

The scandal that erupted with the release of the film “Green Border” by Polish director Agnieszka Holland has not subsided for almost a month. And as the presidential elections in Poland approach, the topic of mass migration raised in the film and the criticism it contains of the actions of the authorities during the humanitarian crisis on the Belarusian-Polish border are increasingly becoming a reason for accusations against Ms. Holland from politicians and the Polish government that she denigrates the country. The director herself, in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, said that she made the film to “see to what extent society will support all these violations of the law (by the government.— “Ъ”) and restrictions on freedom,” and hopes for the audience’s understanding.

Agnieszka Holland’s film “Green Border” was presented in the main program of the 80th Venice Film Festival and received the Special Jury Prize. This film was talked about a lot during the festival and was praised by many film critics.

The plot centers on a family of Syrian refugees and an English teacher from Afghanistan who are trying to cross the border with Belarus into Poland. The authors of the film, as critics note, managed to convincingly and objectively show the tragedy of refugees to whom Belarus promised the opportunity to get to Europe, but Poland refuses to accept.

The film was released at a difficult moment for Polish political life – parliamentary elections will be held in the country on October 15. And the topic of immigration is one of the most pressing and discussed in the election campaign. The coalition of far-right political parties, the Confederation of Freedom and Independence, is earning points for itself on this topic, and the ruling party is trying to win over the votes of supporters of the far right.

Poland’s political leadership has sharply criticized the Green Border, accusing Agnieszka Holland of undermining the country’s reputation. Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak called the film “indecent” because it defames the Polish military guarding the country’s borders. The chairman of the ruling Law and Justice party and one of the most influential Polish politicians, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, called the film “disgusting,” and Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro even said that Agnieszka Holland was engaged in “Nazi propaganda.”

The director herself is amazed that her film was at the center of a cultural and political scandal. “I didn’t expect such rage,” she said in interview WSJ.—I was shocked by the amount of hate and threats online.”

Several screenings of Green Border were accompanied by street protests outside cinemas in Poland.

Activists of the nationalist All-Polish Youth movement staged a protest in Krakow during a film screening, calling the Green Border propaganda in favor of migration. Members of the National Security Council of Poland considered it necessary to hold a discussion of the film, which took place in a village near the border with Belarus. Following the discussion, Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak announced to reporters a resolution on full support for the Polish border guards.

Agnieszka Holland explained her desire to make a film on this topic: “I wanted to make a film as soon as I realized that the authorities had decided to create a laboratory of cruelty and lies, and to see to what extent society would support all these violations of the law and restrictions on freedom.”

According to the director, she does not understand how she can be accused of Nazi propaganda – as Justice Minister Söbro did. “My father’s entire family died in the Holocaust. My mother took part in the Warsaw Uprising,” says Ms. Holland, who has already sued the justice minister for refusing to apologize.

Meanwhile, the director does not lose hope for understanding from the audience. She took part in a special screening of “Green Border”, which took place in Bialystok, a city located near the border with Belarus. After the screening, Ms. Holland answered questions from the audience from the stage, where four security officers were also present just in case. There were many questions, and the event lasted until midnight. Many people asked about the symbolism in the film, about the role of the inhabitants of the Polish border village of Michalowo, as well as about the role of one of the main characters – a Polish border guard who drives illegal immigrants back into the forest and has doubts about this.

“He’s actually a good person, he’s sensitive. And there are so many wonderful people serving there,” the director told the audience.

In a conversation with WSJ, Ms. Holland emphasized that it is very important to pay attention to a person’s inclination towards goodness and not forget about the horrors that happened. According to the director, she worries that the memory of the Holocaust is gradually fading and being replaced by intolerance and indifference.

“The worst thing about authoritarian regimes is that people get used to them and they stop resenting them,” she says.

Alena Miklashevskaya