Warsaw Film Festival to Celebrate New Polish Films, ‘EO’ Director Jerzy Skolimowski as ‘Green Border’ Controversy Rages On
05.10.2023 - 21:05
/ variety.com
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.
“We are witnessing a war in a neighboring country [Ukraine], threats from a barbarian empire and rapidly growing populism that is devastating politics. It’s a dreadfully worrying mixture.” As Poland braces for parliamentary elections on Oct.
15 and the controversy over Agnieszka Holland’s “Green Border” refuses to die down, emotions run high. “What happened went beyond the accepted framework.
There was no shortage of absurdity, like the attempt to force cinema managers to screen propaganda material before the film,” says fest’s director Stefan Laudyn. “I don’t know what can and should be done, but I called Agnieszka Holland, expressing my support.
I should also add that I was not on the Oscar committee this year.” Despite Holland’s recent win in Venice, animation “The Peasants” was selected as Poland’s Oscar submission. “The sheer hate unleashed by this government on an individual is reminiscent of the bully-boy tactics of the Communist thugs that did the same in the pre-Solidarity days,” adds Mike Downey, one of the producers on “Green Border” and “Song of Goats.” “It becomes a bit excessive when a president, prime minister and minister of justice feel they must speak out against freedom of expression and attempt to intimidate artists, public and civil
.
The website popstar.one is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can
send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.