Walls is the first directorial project from actress Kasia Smutniak, and the film will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. Walls, written by Smutniak and Marella Bombini, follows Smutniak through the red zone of Poland following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The film sheds light on the refugee crisis and the construction of Poland’s wall across the border to prevent more refugees from coming over. 

The red zone is the area where the Belarusian border stops people from approaching the wall. As Variety said,

Smutniak undertakes an uncertain and risky journey into the red zone, where access is not allowed to the media… The director’s journey begins and ends with two walls.

 The article goes on to mention that the first wall rejects migrants, while the second, which lies in front of her grandparents’ house, is the wall of a Jewish cemetery. Smutniak has acted for over 20 years, even winning an Italian Golden Globe for In Your Hands. She has several film credits, such as Quiet Chaos, The Passion, From Paris with Love, and Wondrous Boccaccio. 

Walls will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival during the weeks following September 7th. Watch the trailer for the film here: