This film screening is curated by School of Social Science Member Leszek Koczanowicz and Visitor Dorota Koczanowicz.

Caught in the Belarus-European Union border crisis, migrants from Africa and the Middle East face humanitarian challenges and political exploitation while trying to enter the EU through Belarus. The story, told from the perspective of a Syrian family and a Polish border guard, was shot in a quasi-documentary style inspired by actual events in 2021. Belarus's leader Alexander Lukashenko had invited migrants to use an unofficial route into Europe through Belarus and then threatened to use them as political pawns. It was Lukashenko's intention to flood the EU with migrants and with drugs. This left the migrants in limbo in hazardous conditions. The film narrates the challenges encountered by the migrants and the dangerous obstacles faced by humanitarian aid workers.

The screening will be followed by Q&A with the director of the film Agnieszka Holland. 

Holland's film has been the subject of right-wing attacks in Poland, but despite this was among the top films screened in Poland and has won numerous international awards. The film was on the New York Times's list of the 10 best films of 2024 and in The Guardian's top 20.

Assistive listening devices are available on site. Please see a member of our staff should you wish to use one during the event.

Register below to attend.