Zone of Interest: Day of Reconciliation

synopsis

The documentary follows three parallel personal stories, offering three perspectives on a traumatic past that intersect during the first-ever Sudeten German gathering in the Czech Republic, held in Brno in late May 2026. The past comes alive, becoming the subject of heated debate. While opponents see the gathering as a cause for moral outrage, German participants see it as a chance to visit their hometown, perhaps for the last time.

biography

Jan Gebert (born 1981) studied history and Ibero-American studies at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University. He spent part of his studies at universities in the United States, Mexico, and Spain. His medium-length debut, Hra o kámen (2012), won the Special Jury Prize at the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival. His feature-length debut, Až přijde válka (2018), premiered at the Berlinale, where it opened the Panorama Dokumente section, and won the Czech Film Critics’ Award for Best Documentary. He has worked as a script consultant on films by Adam Martinec and Tomáš Bojar. He collaborates with ARTE, the Associated Press, Czech Television, and France 24.

film details

director:	Jan Gebert
producer:	Martina Šantavá
script:	Jan Gebert
photography:	Jan Gebert
editing:	Josef Krajbich
sound:	Jan Mesany, Michal Gábor