“Avalanche of shit” aroused applause on Campus Polska. Agnieszka Holland with a new film

When director Agnieszka Holland appeared on a panel devoted to the condition of Polish cinema, many people expected that sooner or later the topic of politics would also appear. This time, the artist, eager to speak out on current affairs, did not shy away from answering difficult questions.

Holland: You can’t pretend it’s raining when it’s just an avalanche of shit

She emphasized that in cinema “there is nothing that is only artistic” and there is no non-political cinema. – Especially when politics comes into your bed and tells you what you can and cannot do – she emphasized. She added that every creator should have at least some moral responsibility, and not pretend that politics does not concern him.

She returned to the topic of the migration crisis, which is the subject of her latest film. She repeated her thesis that blocking migrants in Usnar Górny was “a search for political gold on the part of Lukashenko, Putin and our authorities.” In her opinion, in that situation, politicians showed off their lack of basic empathy by ordering a group of people to camp for long weeks in the border area.

– The Holocaust vaccine may stop working if we forget what a Europe of human rights is all about, where every person counts, everyone has the right to a dignified life – she emphasized. It also hit those in power hard. – The authorities use a narrative of lies, hatred and violence – she listed. – You can’t pretend it’s raining when it’s actually an avalanche of shit. You simply can’t, she repeated emphatically. Her words aroused applause that lasted several dozen seconds.

Agnieszka Holland’s new film criticized even before its premiere

Holland also announced that her “Green Border” will be devoted to the problems of migrants, and will premiere at the Venice International Film Festival in September. This spring, when TVP accused her of the fast pace of work and trying to get it done before the elections, the director rejected the idea.

— We work normally, there is nothing unusual about the pace of work. I don’t think I’ll make it before the elections, that’s not our goal. Right-wing media write all sorts of incredible things, I don’t know where they got their information from, because no one contacted us, she told Onet.

During the shooting of the new production, there was a dispute over barbed wire, which was installed on the film set and secured after complaints from residents. “The security guards make sure that no one destroys the fence, which is the setting for a beautiful film about people who destroyed such a fence without scruples,” wrote Maciej Wąsik, deputy head of the Ministry of Interior and Administration, on Twitter.

Stanisław Żaryn, Secretary of State in the Chancellery of the Prime Minister and government plenipotentiary for the Security of the Information Space of the Republic of Poland, was also skeptical about Holland’s film. “There is more and more talk about the film, which is theoretically supposed to show what happened on the border between Poland and Belarus in 2021. Shooting is said to be in progress,” he pointed out. “It is worth using the recordings that are already available,” he added. “There is no point in inventing images that will be manipulative. Poland is still under attack today,” he reminded.