Agnieszka Holland returns with this devastating Venice Special Jury Prize–winning drama that follows Middle Eastern and North African refugees trapped as pawns in a political game.

Lured by propaganda promising passage into the European Union, swathes of Middle Eastern and North African refugees attempt to cross the border from Belarus into Poland. Instead, they’re met by border-patrol officers who push them back, stripping them of their belongings and their humanity. Stranded in the forest between nations, the migrants are caught in a geopolitical war, while humanitarian groups and activists struggle to help them in their plight. The film follows one Syrian family, an Afghan teacher, a Polish border guard and a Polish therapist, whose stories intertwine in this escalating crisis.

Shooting in black-and-white, the multi-Oscar-nominated Polish filmmaker (who was the subject of a Director in Focus retrospective at MIFF 2019) applies her characteristic passion and empathy in this harrowing yet starkly beautiful account of the heart-rending desperation that pushes many to take insurmountable risks. Sobering and profoundly moving, Green Border is an unflinching critique of intolerance and exclusion. It’s also a testament to Holland’s undiminished command of her craft, and to her unswerving commitment to turning the lens on lives and stories that society often overlooks.

“Holland has lost none of her passion – or compassion – and this is a brutal, angry, gruelling drama … A vital bearing of cinematic witness to what is happening in Europe right now.” – The Guardian