A new film, "Green Border," by Polish film director Agnieszka Holland, looks at events in 2021 that took place along the Polish-Belarusian border, when Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko opened a new migratory route into Europe by providing flights and visas to migrants through Belarus.

At the time, EU states, including Poland accused him of weaponizing migrants and fighting a "hybrid war" by forcing them across the border with Poland and the Baltic states. Back then, Poland was goverened by the Law and Justice (PiS) party, which later legislated for the possibility of pushing those who crossed the border wall to be pushed back to Belarus.

Until the end of 2023, Poland was led by the Law and Justice party (PiS). That party built a series of fences and barriers on the border with Belarus in response, and legislated for the possibility of immediate returns for anyone found to have entered Polish territory without permission.

Shot in black and white, the film is fast-paced, infused with nervous energy. The camera often jerks back and forth, as if to convey a migrant's potential sense of dislocation as they repeatedly shuttle across national boundaries.

While the action of the film is centered around a group of migrants trying to reach Europe, it also shows the altruism of Polish humanitarian workers and other actors on the ground who try to counter their country's migration policy by providing food, blankets and rudimentary medical aid to those they find in the forest.

Behi Djanati Ataï, a French actor who was born in Tehran, Iran, starred in the drama playing Afghan English teacher Leila. She recently sat down with InfoMigrants to discuss the role she played and the impact she hopes "Green Border" might have.

In "Green Border," you play the role of Leila, an Afghan teacher and asylum seeker who joins a group of Syrian refugees and eventually becomes their unofficial leader, as they try to reach Europe by crossing the border between Belarus and Poland. How did you prepare for this role?

Agnieszka [the film’s director] was sending us links to videos, reports and different articles on the situation along the border. I also worked extensively with an Afghan friend, a refugee who recently moved to France. I asked him many questions and we worked on the language, which is very close to Persian. It is like the difference between Canadian French and French - you have a different accent and different words that you use in one language, but not in the other, and vice-versa.

What was it like shooting the film in just 24 days [in March 2023]?

The conditions were very stressful. We were not really "allowed" to shoot the film and I was aware of this. The Polish government thought the movie was against Polish people, but it was not. The movie is about the whole world, not only about the Polish-Belarusian border. The weather in the places we were shooting was another factor - it was raining, snowing and cold. We were shooting very early in the morning or late at night in a private forest half an hour away from Warsaw.

At one point in the film, we see you stuck in a swamp with water up to your neck, as the Syrian boy in your care slowly slips under the surface and drowns. Is this a real event?

So many adults and children trying to reach the European Union experience this kind of situation. As I already mentioned, the entire movie is based on factual information and real events from what is happening along the Polish-Belarusian border. Refugees played certain roles in the film and activists involved in the situation along the border helped us make the film. Certain border guards also provided anonymous testimonies for the film. All of this helped us depict the reality of the situation.

What was the most difficult part of the movie for you to play?

The one you just mentioned. The team used planks to move across the marsh, as well as an engine to warm the water. After a few hours, the water became very cold. I had a wet suit but the water was seeping inside. It was hard for the team to pull me out of the water when we finished filming the scene. There was the psychological aspect as well. Part of you knows that you are not in the real situation, but another part of you is really living the situation. You know that people around you can help, but so many people do not have that. We were in the water for several hours, and when I got out, everyone was applauding. They came with hot soup; they were hugging us; telling us, "wonderful," "well done." Yet, you think, "Oh my God, real people don’t get help."

What do you think of the experience of female refugees, are they especially vulnerable?

I think they are. Even if everyone is saying women are equal to men, you know that physically you are not the same. In addition, with men around, it could be dangerous for female refugees traveling alone. That is why my character of an Afghan woman traveling alone has to be very brave. She decided to leave by herself, and she comes from Afghanistan, which is a hard place to leave. Something I wanted to put in my character was that even after she loses all her money and belongings, she keeps her dignity to the end.

I think it is very important to underline that refugees don't all come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. They can also be very educated and well off, before being forced to leave. In addition, you never know- maybe one day because of climate change, we will also have to go somewhere else and go through this situation. (We!..I mean, I have already lived through this situation [laughing]).

Is "Green Border" a universal film?

Of course. You can see these kinds of scenes everywhere. Between the United States and Mexico, in the Mediterranean, in Italy. Even between Afghanistan and Iran and Pakistan and Afghanistan. I mean, everywhere! Everywhere you have refugees trying to go elsewhere- they have difficulties at the borders. This film is universal and I hope it can change how people look at refugees, as well as their way of helping them and welcoming them.