OO! TANDEM

Czech Republic / Germany, 2017
25 minutes

Fallen ill from his many years working in mines, Jožka has devoted his life to the fight for a better, more just society and against the constant discrimination suffered by the Roma people of the Czech Republic, as embodied by the existence of a pig fattening plant on the site of the former concentration camp near Lety. He promised his wife’s grandfather, a survivor, to work to close down the plant and to make a dignified memorial to the Czech victims of the Roma holocaust possible. Alas, his struggle has proven to be akin to tilting at windmills: not a single Czech politician wants to get involved with the issue, and society is still just as unabashedly hostile to the Roma as it always has been. Jožka’s safety is threatened by the neo-Nazi scene and he seems to receive more suspicion from other activists and organisations than real support. Left on his own, he has to face down personal, financial and health problems. Still, he doesn’t give up and even sets his sights on gaining international attention for the debasement of the Lety victims. Even though there is very little hope in his life personally, his devotion is a greater sign of hope for our society.

Supported by Deutsch-Tschechischer Zukunftsfond / Česko-německý fond budoucnosti