Ghetto No.1

Colour, DIGIBETA
Czech Republic, Germany, 2007, 91 min
IP – International premiere
Section: Documentary Films - Out of Competition

Synopsis

This documentary film about the notorious Chánov housing estate in Most, inhabited exclusively by Romanies, does not attempt to indict those responsible for its current state, nor does it offer enlightened formulas to resolve this problem; instead it presents authentic images of life in Chánov which speak for themselves.

About the director

Ivan Pokorný (b. 1952) is an experienced television director. In 1975 he graduated from acting studies at DAMU. After emigrating to Austria in 1983 he was appointed senior lecturer at the Vienna Conservatoire and worked as a director in Austrian and German theatres until 1994. After returning to his native country in 1995 he made a number of television films, chiefly centred on family life. He is known for his work for children, in particular, the spooky children’s series Phantoms among Us (Přízraky mezi námi, 2000). His first film for the big screen came in 2002 with the psychological adventure story Home Abduction (Únos domů), based on the story by Iva Procházková.