VIDEO: Czech documentary "Dajori" tells the story of a Romani family and touches on rarely-discussed subjects
Last week the documentary film "Dajori", which recently won a prize at the Ji.hlava International Festival of Documentary Film, opened in cinemas in the Czech Republic. The film by directors Martin Páv and Nicolas Kourek is a time-lapse view of the life of the Hučko family, Romani people living in Varnsdorf who are taking care of two children of a homeless relative. The film touches on subjects such as the housing crisis, prejudice against Romani people, and trafficking in poverty.
Marie Hučková with two-year-old Anabel in the documentary film “Dajori”. (PHOTO: Artcam Films)
“Dajori” follows the story of Enrico Hučko and Marie Hučková, who provide a home and love to two-year-old Anabel and nine-year-old Samuel, the children of Marie’s sister, who had ended up on the street with all nine of her children. The filmmakers visited the family over the course of three years, capturing not just their everyday lives, but also the basic challenges they faced.
“We wanted to capture the intimacy of life in an ordinary Romani family, not anything sensationalistic. It was a big challenge to do the filming because we are both gadje [non-Roma]. After the first screenings, though, we see that Romani audiences are receiving the film quite positively,” Nicolas Kourek, a co-director of the film, said in an interview for ROMEA TV.
According to cameraman and director Martin Páv, what aided them with establishing a close relationship with the family was their openness about their own identity: “As a gay couple we were beautifully received by the Hučko family. All of the barriers were removed by that acceptance. Maruška started seeing us as two boys of her own and wanted us to be part of the household,” explains Páv.
“Dajori” has been given auspices by the President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, and by Czech Government Commissioner for Roma Minority Affairs Lucie Fuková. The film not only introduces the family’s story, but also raises fundamental subjects such as foster care among relatives. “We are showing how important it is to support foster care by relatives and that there is nothing wrong with it. On the contrary, it is a way to make sure that such children are in a loving home,” Páv says.
Distributors are describing “Dajori” as a story full of humanity that opens the eyes and the heart. We follow Marie’s efforts to raise these children with both discipline and love as Samuel enters the difficult time of puberty. The family relationships are dynamic, moving and often complicated.
