Along the treacherous forests (“green border”) between Belarus and Poland, refugees from the Middle East and Africa are lured by government propaganda promising easy passage to the European Union. Instead, they find themselves trapped in an escalating geopolitical standoff.

In this acclaimed drama, Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland captures the migrant crisis in stark black-and-white, from multiple perspectives: a Syrian family fleeing ISIS; young guards instructed to brutalize and reject the migrants; and activists who aid the refugees at great personal risk. Green Border won the Special Jury Prize at the 2023 Venice Film Festival.