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Czechs against Czechs

director: Tomáš Kratochvíl

original title: Češi proti Čechům

country: Czech Republic

year: 2015

running time: 88 min.

synopsis

This cinematic reportage with elements of a personal journal explores xenophobia in Czech society and anti-Nazi activists, but also the filmmaker’s personal experience from living among in an socially excluded Romani neighborhood. Most of the footage was shot by the director using his own camera, and the immediacy of the images is further accentuated by voiceover observations and commentary. In just a few scenes, he adds music for dramatic affect. With his direct questions, he tries to unmask the racist arguments not only of anti-Roma protestors, but also of many ordinary citizens.

DETAIL:
“I’d toss a grenade in there.” “In where?” “Among the gypsies. They reproduce like rats.” “They should be killed?” “Yes. You know what Hitler should have done? Leave the Jews and shoot the gypsies. There’s too many of them.”

biography

A graduate of the Faculty of Humanities, Tomáš Kratochvíl spent just one year studying editing at FAMU. He worked on the 2012 film Hives, a collaborative effort among five European film schools. His breakthrough work, the documentary Gadjo (2014), was a cinematic diary from his time living among Roma in the socially excluded neighborhood of Předlice. Originally an independent project, the film was broadcast as part of the Czech Journal television series. Czechs against Czechs can be considered a loose continuation.

more about film

director:	Tomáš Kratochvíl
producer:	Filip Remunda, Vít Klusák, Petr Kubica
script:	Tomáš Kratochvíl
photography:	Tomáš Kratochvíl
editing:	Tomáš Kratochvíl
sound:	Tomáš Kratochvíl

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