Marta Balaga World War I spy drama “Davos 1917” was inspired by real stories, says head writer and creative producer Adrian Illien. As well as real women. “There were all these Swiss nurses who would go abroad during the war.
21.09.2023 - 18:31 / variety.com
Christopher Vourlias Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland has remained defiant despite a wave of vicious political attacks and online hate speech as she prepares to release her Venice Special Jury Prize-winning refugee drama “Green Border” in Poland on Sept. 22.
“I find the orchestrated hatred organized by the highest Polish officials abominable and dangerous,” the three-time Academy Award nominee tells Variety. “It proves only how deeply true and important is our film, and that we’re showing the things and giving faces to people they wanted to hide by the lies and propaganda.” “Green Border” explores the injustice and terror perpetrated along the border between Poland and Belarus from the perspective of refugees, activists and border guards, painting a damning portrait of the right-wing, anti-migrant Polish government’s response to the refugee crisis.
In a glowing review from Venice, where the film was widely praised, Variety‘s Jessica Kiang described Holland’s “intense, intelligent broadside against frontier injustice and terror” as “a gripping account of the inhumanity and depravity that ensues when those fleeing persecution are made political pawns.” The backlash from the Polish government, however, was immediate. On Sept.
4, even before the film’s world premiere, Poland’s hard-right justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter): “In the Third Reich, the Germans produced propaganda films showing Poles as bandits and murderers. Today they have Agnieszka Holland for that.” Since then, the inflammatory rhetoric from the right-wing ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, which is running for re-election on Oct.
15, has only escalated. Mike Downey, a producer on “Green Border” and chairman of the
.Marta Balaga World War I spy drama “Davos 1917” was inspired by real stories, says head writer and creative producer Adrian Illien. As well as real women. “There were all these Swiss nurses who would go abroad during the war.
Marta Balaga Warsaw Film Festival sets out to spotlight a slew of new local releases, from “Anxiety” by Sławomir Fabicki – Oscar-nominated for his short “A Man Thing” – to this year’s opener “Song of Goats” by Andrzej Jakimowski. The latter, featuring “EO” star Mateusz Kościukiewicz and set in Greece, will show characters living close to an active volcano, exploring the question of how “each of us is responsible for maintaining our fragile heritage,” says the director.
Naman Ramachandran A total of 39 European companies, surpassing 2022, will promote and sell films from the continent at Busan International Film Festival‘s accompanying Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM). Of these, 32 will be onsite while seven more will participate online.
Agnieszka Holland is headed to the Vatican for a screening of her migrant crisis drama Green Border, following its selection for its 27th Tertio Millenio Film Festival in November.
Agnieszka Holland’s migrant crisis drama Green Border has achieved the best opening weekend in Poland for a Polish film in 2023 in spite of a fierce political backlash from the country’s right-wing government.
EXCLUSIVE: Poland will submit animated feature drama The Peasants for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.
John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent SAN SEBASTIAN — Paris-based Luxbox has clinched major territory pre-sales on anticipated San Sebastian competition title “Puan,” an original attempt by its writer-directors, María Alche (“A Family Submerged”) and Benjamín Naishtat (“Rojo”) to deliver a state of the nation take on Argentina – and any country in thrall of European ideas – but in a notably lighter tone than most Latin American arthouse fare. Key first major territory buyers take in Condor for France, whose release lineup has featured major auteurs such as Kelly Reichardt, Casey Affleck, Agnieszka Holland, Paul Schrader, Denis Villeneuve, Michel Franco and Ira Sachs.
Director Agnieszka Holland has been forced to take 24-hour security protection as she returns to her native Poland for the theatrical release of migrant drama Green Border on Friday (September 22) in the face of a fierce political backlash and online hate campaign.
Jonathan Glazer’s Cannes-winning Holocaust drama The Zone Of Interest has been selected as the UK’s entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 2024 Oscars.
Ozzy Osbourne provided an update on his health during a recent podcast appearance.
Ezra Collective have been experiencing a nearly 900 per cent increase in album sales and streams since winning the 2023 Mercury Prize.The London-based jazz group – consisting of drummer and bandleader Femi Koleoso, bassist TJ Koleoso, keyboardist Joe Armon-Jones, trumpeter Ife Ogunjobi, and tenor saxophonist James Mollison – won the award with their second LP ‘Where I’m Meant To Be’, beating Loyle Carner, Olivia Dean, RAYE, Shygirl, Jockstrap and more.As The Line of Best Fit reports, according to BPI analysis of Official Charts Company data, ‘Where I’m Meant To Be’ has seen 859 per cent increase in its combined sales and streams. The jump occurred between September 8 -10.A post shared by Ezra Collective (@ezracollective)Physical album sales and downloads also saw an impressive jump with 6,012 per cent hike compared to the same three day period the week before and audio streams seeing a 1,960 per cent increase.Following the band’s win, Koleoso gave a passionate speech while accepting the award.“Most importantly, Ezra Collective represents something really special because we met in a youth club.
Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent The political backlash surrounding Agnieszka Holland’s Venice Special Jury Prize-winning refugee drama “Green Border” hasn’t kept the movie from being a hot seller. The film explores the injustice and terror perpetrated at the Polish-Belarusian border from the perspective of refugees, Polish activists and border guards.
Veteran Polish director Agnieszka Holland’s Venice Special Jury Prize-winning refugee drama Green Border will release as planned in Poland on September 22 in defiance of a political backlash and wave of online hate talk.
Love Island star Montana Brown has revealed she is undergoing surgery after sharing a clip from her hospital bed on social media.The 28 year old, who appeared on the third season of the hit ITV2 dating show, took to her Instagram Stories on Tuesday to share an update with fans, revealing she was currently in hospital preparing to have surgery. Montana shared an adorable clip of her lying down her with baby son Jude, who was born in June, lying on her chest, along with the caption: "What a lovely massage ahead of surgery.Thank you Jude".
Addie Morfoot Contributor In Polish actor-turned-filmmaker Kasia Smutniak’s documentary “Walls,” she undertakes an uncertain and risky journey into the red zone — a dangerous strip of land in Poland that runs parallel to the Belarus border. Crossing the long border is a 115-mile steel barricade built to repel migrants from entering the European Union in search of refuge. Inside the red zone is Poland’s dense Białowieża Forest, known for its swamps, wolf packs, and desperate migrants trapped in political limbo.
A family of Syrian refugees and an English teacher from Afghanistan receive about five minutes of joy in veteran Polish auteur Agnieszka Holland’s otherwise grim and harrowing refugee drama, “Green Border.” As they land in a plane to Belarus, hoping to cross into Poland and eventually Sweden for asylum where refugee status awaits, their eyes beam with optimism as a new land of promise reflects on their smiling faces.
Layton Williams has said farewell to his BBC role as he prepares to make his debut on Strictly Come Dancing. The 28-year old actor has signed up to star in the 21st series of the popular dance contest in a bid to take home the Glitterball trophy.
Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Paris-based leading distribution company ARP Selection has bought a pair of U.S. indie gems from the fall festival circuit, Shane Atkinson’s feature debut “LaRoy” and Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla.” “LaRoy,” a neo-noir Western comedy with Coen brothers influences, just won three major prizes at the Deauville Film Festival, including the Grand Prize, Audience Award and Critics Prize; while “Priscilla” world premiered at the Venice Film Festival and won best actress for Cailee Spaeny.
Speaking at the Venice Film Film Festival winners’ press conference, Poor Things director Yorgos Lanthimos said he was “personally very disappointed” that his lead actress Emma Stone couldn’t be with him to enjoy the film’s Golden Lion win, but that he also “understands the cause”, referring to the SAG-AFTRA strike which has kept the actress away.
There’s no doubt that, at this very moment, scores of documentary filmmakers, both those new to the game and more wizened veterans of the genre, are kicking around ideas for their next great project, one that will hopefully capture the minds of audiences, open eyes to a subject previously untouched and/or inspire society into making some sort of cultural change. It can be difficult to find that balance, as is the case with any narrative feature.