Fakir

synopsis

Dalibor, a Romani youth, returns home after two years in prison, but is forced to face a family crisis. In order to protect his younger brother Kevin from the harsh upbringing of his alcoholic father, who isn’t afraid to use physical violence, he spends all his strength helping his mother win a court case for custody of Kevin. To cope with the traumas of the past and the challenges of the present, he escapes into the magical world of a travelling circus, for it is there that he can shed all his worries and transform himself into a fearless fakir, who breathes and swallows fire. Roman Ďuriš' feature debut is a visually captivating introspection into a resilient yet fragile young man, hardened by experience and living on the fringes of society, who is determined to change his fate for the better.

“I met Dalibor at the beginning of the pandemic, when we visited a small traveling circus with cinematographer Michaela Hošková. What really impressed me about him was his demeanour, a mixture of kindness and childlike naivety contrasted with pretend boyish roughness. It's amazing that despite all the traumas, he didn't become bitter, but found his own specific way to cope with the pain.” — Roman Ďuriš

Source: Film New Europe

biography

Roman Ďuriš (1988) studied film and television directing at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava. His short graduation film Something Is Happening premiered at the 41st Cairo International Film Festival. Fakir, which he presented at the Ex Oriente workshop and IDFA Project Space, is his feature documentary debut. He is currently completing his second film, Children of the Moon Country.

more about film

director:	Roman Ďuriš
producer:	Simona Bago Móciková, Michal Sikora, Adriana Rędzia
script:	Roman Ďuriš, Michaela Hošková
photography:	Michaela Hošková
editing:	Jakub Fišer
music:	Vladislav Šarišský
sound design:	Michal Horváth
Line Producer:	Jana Struhárová Gerthoferová

contact

Michal Sikora / Lonely Production michal@lonelypro.cz