Dajori

synopsis

The protagonist of Dajori (mother in Romani) is forty-five-year-old Marie Hučková, who lives with her husband in Varnsdorf. After her younger sister Iveta ends up on the streets with her nine children, she decides to take her own fate and theirs firmly into her own hands and attempts to break out of the vicious circle of poverty that characterises their hometown. This sensitive film, which captures three years of a newly formed family's life together, follows the small joys and daily challenges of caring for others and asks whether a mother's love can overcome the dysfunctional system in which socially excluded localities find themselves.

 “We realised that there was a conflict unfolding before our eyes on several levels. Firstly, there was Mary's inner contradiction, where it was unthinkable for her not to help her relatives in need, but at the same time she was aware of the negative effects of the whole situation on her and her close family. Another level of conflict then played out at the level of the city, and consequently the state. The whole event was related to the housing crisis and the business of poverty in socially excluded localities.” — Martin Páv 

biography

Martin Páv (1992) studied directing at FAMU and is pursuing a PhD at the Metropolitan University Prague, where he is researching informal settlements in Nairobi. In his fiction and documentary work, he focuses on themes such as the relationship between man and nature and postcolonial identity. His feature documentary debut Vote for Kibera (2018), for which he won the Audience Award, was screened at the South Head IDFF, as well as his second documentary Wolves at the Borders (2020), which received a Special Jury Mention.

Nicolas Kourek has been a member of the editorial team of A2 Cultural Fortnightly for six years. Together with Martin Páv, he has directed several works for the documentary programmes Queer and Don't Give Up! for Czech Television. In 2023 he co-founded the cultural and community centre Silo Jihlava, which also became a "responsible activity" for 2023. This year he founded and became the director of the literary festival Knihlava, which has had a successful first year. As a producer, he has created or been part of many diverse cultural events. He has been involved in several international Roma days and the Football Against Racism in Vysočina region.

more about film

director:	Martin Páv, Nicolas Kourek
producer:	Jan Bodnár, Jarmila Poláková
photography:	Martin Páv
editing:	Matěj Beran
music:	Adam Bláha
sound:	Adam Bláha
Consultant:	Phil Jandaly
PR:	Lucie Medková , Klára Vorlíčková

contact

Inka Achté / RAINA Films
inka@rainafilms.com