
Advocacy, Artistic Freedom, FERA Statement, News
European Filmmakers in support of Agnieszka Holland

The Federation of European Screen Directors congratulates Agnieszka Holland on the success of her new film ZIELONCA GRANICA (THE GREEN BORDER). We are full of admiration for her strength and courage in the face of the appalling attacks against her and the film in Poland. We stand squarely behind Agnieszka and we fully endorse the European Film Academy’s recent statement condemning Polish Minister of Justice Zbigniew Ziobro’s declarations comparing the filmmaker to Third Reich propagandists.
Mr Ziobro made these remarks without watching the film, making such comments not only slanderous and unfounded, but cloaked in the trappings of a government minister his words become an insidious form of propaganda.
European Ministers of Justice inherently understand and respect the function and value of juries. The jury of the Venice Film Festival has just awarded its Special Jury Prize to Agnieszka’s film. This jury assessed the evidence before making their decision – they watched the film. All of it.
We invite the people of Poland, Europe and the world to judge for themselves, by watching ZIELONCA GRANICA (THE GREEN BORDER).
We urge engagement in honest, informed, and civil debate on this film and all cultural works – particularly as European culture ministers set out to discuss “Culture as an essential public good, as a global public good” during their informal September 26 meeting in Cáceres, Spain under the Spanish presidency of the EU.
Contact: Pauline Durand-Vialle, CEO – pdv@filmdirectors.eu – +32 2 551 08 94
Background information
September 6 – https://variety.com/2023/film/global/venice-agnieszka-holland-green-border-poland-nazi-propaganda-1235714540/
September 8 – https://www.sfp.org.pl/wydarzenia,5,34849,1,1,Bromski-do-Ziobry-To-haniebna-wypowiedz.html
September 8 – https://wyborcza.pl/7,101707,30168712,bromski-do-ziobry-nawet-putin-nie-wypowiadal-sie-w-tym-tonie.html
September 8 – https://film.wp.pl/skierowal-list-otwarty-do-ziobry-skandal-i-hanba-6939430254533248a
September 12 – https://www.europeanfilmacademy.org/academy-stands-agnieszka-holland/
September 14 – https://variety.com/2023/film/global/agnieszka-holland-green-border-buyers-poland-backlash-1235723671/
Download the PDF version of the statement here.
Picture credit: copyright Agata Kubis