12.
09.
2023.
Department
Direction
Direction
The position of the Lodz Film School Senate regarding the attacks against Agnieszka Holland and the creators of the film THE GREEN BORDER.
The position of the Senate of the Polish National Film, Television and Theatre School in Łódź towards the attacks made against Agnieszka Holland and the creators of the film THE GREEN BORDER.
We express our firm opposition to the brutal and defamatory statements made by politicians and publicists against Agnieszka Holland and the creators of the film THE GREEN BORDER.
These personal attacks, unjustified accusations, offensive epithets and comparisons that clearly harm the good name, civil liberties and freedom of artistic expression do not comply with the norms of public debate, and such statements made by persons performing public functions are unacceptable.
What is particularly disturbing in the media attack on Agnieszka Holland and the condemnation of the film THE GREEN BORDER are statements that blur the line between art and propaganda. We are witnessing the restoration of a dangerous and discredited perspective in which art is perceived only as a tool for political agitation, and the value of the work and the intentions of its creators are assessed in terms of whether it is useful or harmful to achieving the goal of promoting a specific way of viewing the world. The presentation of Agnieszka Holland's film and her intentions in such a context arouses astonishment and outrage. All the films she has made illustrate an extremely different understanding of the role of art and the duties of an artist. Her works, in which the director's careful gaze focuses on the drama of individuals entangled in the existential, social and political tensions of their time, were never created with the intention of being used in immediate political struggle. The films she made never met the expectations of culture politicians and ideologists because they were not intended as a tool for influencing, but as a tool for knowledge.
The knowledge offered by art leads to understanding ourselves and others, taking into account the multiple motives and conditions we face. It allows us to show a person as he/she is, as he/she is becoming or can become, confronting the viewer with the truth, which is often a testimony to the discrepancy between our ideas about ourselves and reality. Art understood in this way requires sincerity and courage on the part of both the creator and the viewer. The mission of art is to inquisitively analyze and ask questions about the human condition. Art does not provide solutions but asks questions that each of us should answer for ourselves.
We strongly urge everyone to interpret and evaluate Agnieszka Holland's latest work in this spirit. We express our highest appreciation for her work as a director and respect her fidelity to the values of art and the artist's ethos.
We express our firm opposition to the brutal and defamatory statements made by politicians and publicists against Agnieszka Holland and the creators of the film THE GREEN BORDER.
These personal attacks, unjustified accusations, offensive epithets and comparisons that clearly harm the good name, civil liberties and freedom of artistic expression do not comply with the norms of public debate, and such statements made by persons performing public functions are unacceptable.
What is particularly disturbing in the media attack on Agnieszka Holland and the condemnation of the film THE GREEN BORDER are statements that blur the line between art and propaganda. We are witnessing the restoration of a dangerous and discredited perspective in which art is perceived only as a tool for political agitation, and the value of the work and the intentions of its creators are assessed in terms of whether it is useful or harmful to achieving the goal of promoting a specific way of viewing the world. The presentation of Agnieszka Holland's film and her intentions in such a context arouses astonishment and outrage. All the films she has made illustrate an extremely different understanding of the role of art and the duties of an artist. Her works, in which the director's careful gaze focuses on the drama of individuals entangled in the existential, social and political tensions of their time, were never created with the intention of being used in immediate political struggle. The films she made never met the expectations of culture politicians and ideologists because they were not intended as a tool for influencing, but as a tool for knowledge.
The knowledge offered by art leads to understanding ourselves and others, taking into account the multiple motives and conditions we face. It allows us to show a person as he/she is, as he/she is becoming or can become, confronting the viewer with the truth, which is often a testimony to the discrepancy between our ideas about ourselves and reality. Art understood in this way requires sincerity and courage on the part of both the creator and the viewer. The mission of art is to inquisitively analyze and ask questions about the human condition. Art does not provide solutions but asks questions that each of us should answer for ourselves.
We strongly urge everyone to interpret and evaluate Agnieszka Holland's latest work in this spirit. We express our highest appreciation for her work as a director and respect her fidelity to the values of art and the artist's ethos.