Elephant Wars
Africa. We dream about it as kids, as adults we see it in the TV as something exotic and dangerous. Some of us are not afraid to make our dreams come true, some of us are not afraid to leave safe old Europe and to seek an adventure in the lands, that are for common Europeans still new and mysterious. And sometimes our goals are more noble. "I go there to help, to save the elephants, people, planet! It´s something I have to do," we say. But is it about helping Africa?
Pepik the Czech Goes to Poland In a Quest for Love of God
In the middle of Europe, two nations coexist side by side, close to one another in many ways and yet worlds apart. The Czechs are dedicated atheists, while the Poles are born as baptized Catholics. Czechs shake their heads in disbelief at Polish piety, while Poles hold Czechs in contempt for living without God. A Czech documentary crew sets out on a summertime pilgrimage across Poland in order to investigate through the camera the concrete situation regarding the notion of Czech atheism vs. Polish religion.
Do Magic
My family believes there´s a curse casted on us by our mean ancestor. I don't know if the curse is real, but I'm sure there´s a trauma, transmitted in our family for generations - during the Second World War, my great-grandfather was a partisan the whole his family, including small children was shot by Gestapo, there was a lot of violence around my family, but also inside the family. Sometimes I wonder if being Roma is a curse or a blessing. I´m wondering if some magic can help to heal it. That´s why I want to find a real Roma witch who can help to break this curse, because I want to save my three-years old daughter who is supposed to be the fifth and the last victim of it.
Magical rituals and fortune – telling have fascinated me since I was a little girl, thanks to my aunt Marcela, who is a fortune teller. I realise, Marcela sinks into deep depression and I wonder if she is affected by curse too, that´s why we embark on the way together, encouraged by two friends, Anastasia and Michaela, who seek for help themselves, we try to immerse in a fairy tale world, the traditional way of passing on knowledge among Roma people. In a playful, self-ironic way, we hope to find a recipe to help us.
In encounters with the old, traditional Romani witch Elena, the eclectic Vanda with an university degree, and the healer Marta, a former workaholic in retirement, they discover step by step new perspectives on our various problems: Anastasia, Russian in Czech exile, struggles with fear, guilt and loneliness due to the war in Ukraine; Michaela, Slovakian dance teacher, seeks to make contact with her boyfriend who committed suicide four years ago; and I and Marcela want to escape the trauma of repeated experiences of violence in their family history.
If I will be able to break the curse is still open. However, the premise is probably that people must first discover the magic within themselves so that they can be helped.
Magical rituals and fortune – telling have fascinated me since I was a little girl, thanks to my aunt Marcela, who is a fortune teller. I realise, Marcela sinks into deep depression and I wonder if she is affected by curse too, that´s why we embark on the way together, encouraged by two friends, Anastasia and Michaela, who seek for help themselves, we try to immerse in a fairy tale world, the traditional way of passing on knowledge among Roma people. In a playful, self-ironic way, we hope to find a recipe to help us.
In encounters with the old, traditional Romani witch Elena, the eclectic Vanda with an university degree, and the healer Marta, a former workaholic in retirement, they discover step by step new perspectives on our various problems: Anastasia, Russian in Czech exile, struggles with fear, guilt and loneliness due to the war in Ukraine; Michaela, Slovakian dance teacher, seeks to make contact with her boyfriend who committed suicide four years ago; and I and Marcela want to escape the trauma of repeated experiences of violence in their family history.
If I will be able to break the curse is still open. However, the premise is probably that people must first discover the magic within themselves so that they can be helped.
Always Far Away
When a person grows up in a marginalized community of traveling circus performers, the important period of adolescence in which one's personal identity is formed can be difficult. Even a small child is already seen as a professional athlete, who is expected to perform challenging tricks at great heights or with flying knives. This is the specific reality of our protagonists - Vojta and his brothers Nikolas and Venca.
The nomadic way of life of the Lánik family also determines their relationships. Since they are in a different city every week, they see a bit of the world, but friends come and go. Long-term deeper relationships are impossible to maintain, but circus performers try anyway, at least through social networks. Vojta is a bit of a celebrity on those, but he honestly doesn't have much to talk to. Part of his growing up is getting used to involuntary solitude.
One of the few constant things in Vojta’s circus life is his immediate family, to which he is, therefore, all the more attached. In an effort to please his parents, Vojta initially submits to their will and trains as they command him.
Tradition is a burden that is sold from generation to generation. The highest imperative is: You have to play! Over the years, however, Vojta gradually defines himself in relation to his parents. He doesn't want to end up as a provincial artist, in fact, the whole nomadic way of life is gradually starting to oppose him.
We follow the process of creating Vojta's multi-layered identity. His maturation into a young man, artist, or circus performer will take place during the acquisition of new experiences and knowledge, but also under the influence of demanding trainings that force artists to go to the limit of their physical abilities. The film will be 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.
The nomadic way of life of the Lánik family also determines their relationships. Since they are in a different city every week, they see a bit of the world, but friends come and go. Long-term deeper relationships are impossible to maintain, but circus performers try anyway, at least through social networks. Vojta is a bit of a celebrity on those, but he honestly doesn't have much to talk to. Part of his growing up is getting used to involuntary solitude.
One of the few constant things in Vojta’s circus life is his immediate family, to which he is, therefore, all the more attached. In an effort to please his parents, Vojta initially submits to their will and trains as they command him.
Tradition is a burden that is sold from generation to generation. The highest imperative is: You have to play! Over the years, however, Vojta gradually defines himself in relation to his parents. He doesn't want to end up as a provincial artist, in fact, the whole nomadic way of life is gradually starting to oppose him.
We follow the process of creating Vojta's multi-layered identity. His maturation into a young man, artist, or circus performer will take place during the acquisition of new experiences and knowledge, but also under the influence of demanding trainings that force artists to go to the limit of their physical abilities. The film will be 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.