Czech Journal: Life and Death in Tanvald

synopsis

On the night of New Year's Eve, which continued into the New Year 2012, a young Romani man died in Tanvald. He was shot by a white fellow citizen in alleged self-defence under circumstances that remain unclear to this day. The events preceding the fatal encounter, as well as its bleak aftermath, are revealed in a documentary that goes straight to the heart of Czech racism. In a city gripped by noticeable economic and social problems, the edges of coexistence between Roma and white residents are sharpening. And instead of mourning the loss of human life, unveiled calls emerge for new-age segregation or even the elimination of “inadaptables”.

“The consequences of the absence of association are evident in Tanvald in the strict division of the town into Roma and the white majority.”

Source: Romea

biography

Vít Klusák (1980) is a Czech director and producer. He attracted public and critical attention with his feature debut Czech Dream (2004), which he made with his regular collaborator Filip Remunda. For his documentary film Caught in the Net (2020), which he co-directed with Barbora Chalupová, he received the Czech Lion and the Czech Film Critics Award.

Filip Remunda (1973) is a Czech director and producer. The duo he forms with Vít Klusák has significantly influenced the local documentary landscape and the shape of public debate. His films include Czech Dream (2004), Czech Peace (2010), and especially the series Czech Journal (2013–2020), which was broadcast by Czech Television.

more about film

director:	Filip Remunda, Vít Klusák
producer:	Petr Kubica
script:	Vít Klusák, Filip Remunda
photography:	Vít Klusák, Filip Remunda
editing:	Vít Klusák
sound:	Michal Gábor, David Nagy