Always Far Away
Growing up in a marginalized community of traveling circus performers, adolescence is anything but ordinary. For Vojta and his brothers Nikolas and Venca, childhood means being seen not as kids, but as professional performers expected to master dangerous stunts, from aerial tricks to knife-throwing acts. Their nomadic lifestyle shapes every relationship. Constantly on the move, they catch fleeting glimpses of the world but struggle to form lasting connections. Friends come and go, replaced by online followers.
Despite his rising popularity on social media, Vojta often finds himself alone, learning early on to live with involuntary solitude. The one stable force in his life is his immediate family, to whom he clings tightly. Desperate for approval, he
initially follows their path, training hard to meet their expectations. But tradition can be a heavy inheritance.
In the Lánik family, the rule is simple: “You have to act”. Yet as Vojta grows, so does his resistance. He starts questioning not only his future as a circus performer but the entire nomadic life he was born into. The film captures seven years of Vojta’s coming-of-age as he carves out a sense of self in tension with his roots. Through intense training, fleeting friendships, and internal rebellion, he begins to understand what it means to live for yourself, not just for the applause of others.
We follow the process of Vojta’s multi-layered identity taking shape. His maturation into a young man, artist, and circus performer unfolds not only through new experiences and knowledge, but also under the pressure of demanding training that pushes artists to the limits of their physical abilities. The film is a reflection on to what extent a person‘s environment determines them, and to what extent they can be happy in the role they play for others.
Despite his rising popularity on social media, Vojta often finds himself alone, learning early on to live with involuntary solitude. The one stable force in his life is his immediate family, to whom he clings tightly. Desperate for approval, he
initially follows their path, training hard to meet their expectations. But tradition can be a heavy inheritance.
In the Lánik family, the rule is simple: “You have to act”. Yet as Vojta grows, so does his resistance. He starts questioning not only his future as a circus performer but the entire nomadic life he was born into. The film captures seven years of Vojta’s coming-of-age as he carves out a sense of self in tension with his roots. Through intense training, fleeting friendships, and internal rebellion, he begins to understand what it means to live for yourself, not just for the applause of others.
We follow the process of Vojta’s multi-layered identity taking shape. His maturation into a young man, artist, and circus performer unfolds not only through new experiences and knowledge, but also under the pressure of demanding training that pushes artists to the limits of their physical abilities. The film is a reflection on to what extent a person‘s environment determines them, and to what extent they can be happy in the role they play for others.
Children of the Moon Land
A group of six Romani children from Jelšava spend their days outside, where they created their own safe space. They play among the dilapidated buildings and in noxious magnesite dust that floats in the air. They build their forts and chase each other. They no longer go swimming to the local lake like they used to. The water is cloudy and a dead bird lies on the shore. They wonder what happened to it. When they dip their hands and feet in the water, rashes appear on their skin. They agree that the water is poisoned. After school, they sneak through abandoned places where adults do not interfere. They meet at an abandoned train station, where they sit on benches and talk about where they would like to go. Everyone agrees that they would like to live somewhere else. The magnesite mines turned their environment into a moonscape and the situation grows more serious by the day. The children’s households plagued by existential problems are holding them back, anchoring them in their hometown. However, Karolína(14), Alex(14), Kevin(13), Aleš(12), Kiara(13) and little Matias(9) refuse to accept a hopeless future. When they are together they feel like they can achieve anything. For them, their imagination and friendship are their refuge, following their dreams is an act of resistance. However, a time is coming that will further test the children’s bond of fellowship.