Expression of Support for Director Agnieszka Holland

Monday, 25th September, 2023

Polish film director Agnieszka Holland has faced unprecedented attacks in recent months from Poland’s right-wing ruling party, led by the Minister of Justice. He has described her work as modern Nazi propaganda. This sickening campaign concerns the director’s latest film, Hranice (Borders), which was supported by the Czech Film Fund and co-produced by Czech Television in the Czech Republic, and which won an award at the Venice Film Festival. In recent days, this campaign has resulted in threats of physical violence against the director. The situation has escalated to the point where she is now forced to pay for security while in Poland.

We want to express our emphatic support for Agnieszka Holland, whose film work has spoken out against hatred for decades, exposing the roots of evil in society and fighting for the ideals of humanism, for interpersonal empathy and freedom, and opening often painful social issues. One of the important tasks of cinema is to express itself freely on social issues, often critically and uncomfortably. It seems that a significant part of the Polish political leadership is leaning towards rejection of this social dialogue. What’s more, it is using means that we haven’t seen in democratic Europe for several decades. It is not just an attack on individuals, it is an attack on the independence of culture and freedom of speech.

The Czech Film and Television Academy condemns this behaviour and considers it absolutely unacceptable. We call for an immediate end to the campaign of denigration and personal insults against Agnieszka Holland. This is a dangerous attack not only against her as a person, but against free artistic expression, one of the pillars of European culture and an important means of social dialogue.