‘Walls’ Director Kasia Smutniak Talks Poland’s Borders and ‘The Green Zone’: ‘We Need to Determine What Side of the Story We Want to Be on.’
variety.comAddie 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.
In “Walls,” which premeired on Sept. 10 at TIFF, Smutniak interviews red zone survivors and activists who describe being beaten and robbed by border guards, mutilated by animals, and barred from claiming asylum.Poland’s red zone is also the topic of Agnieszka Holland’s “The Green Border,” which premiered at the Venice Film Festival earlier this month.
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