Czech project offers Romani youth an opportunity to learn film production
The Offcity platform based in Pardubice, Czech Republic and the Romani community Tuke. TV online television channel based in Brno are organizing a project to offer film workshops and discussions to Romani youth and others. Participation this year is free of charge.
Alica Sigmund Heráková, the founder of Tuke. TV, told the Czech Press Agency that the budget for the project is approximately USD 70 000. About USD 48 000 of that come from an American grant.
The aims of the project, called “Overcoming Obstacles” (Přes překážky) are to connect artists and students with filmmakers in order to cultivate the public space in the common interest, to build mutual comprehension, and to break down invisible barriers in society. Its activities will happen in Brno and Pardubice.
In Brno the events will take place at the Museum of Romani Culture, with whom the television company collaborates, as well as at the Divadlo Husa na provázku (“Goose on a String” Theater). Four filmmaking workshops are planned on the subjects of Storytelling, Artistic Perspective, Dance for the Camera and Docu-View.
Those interested will study artistic creation in film under the guidance of lecturers. The poet Ondřej Buddeus and Slovak visual artist Daniela Krajčová will be among the instructors.
Three public discussions will also be livestreamed, and Maria Topolčanská, the recently-elected Rector of the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, has already agreed to be the guest in one of them. Other plans include two arts events in public spaces and the production of four videos that will reflect on urban public spaces.
Those interested can find more information on Facebook. “Those who complete the workshops will acquire broader knowledge about the filmic image,” said Šárka Zahálková of the Offcity platform.
Robin Stria, a film director at Tuke.TV, said a certain interconnection will be initiated between the interested parties and the lecturers, from which collaborations could also happen. He sees many Romani community members whose talents could be developed.
“We want to give them an opportunity and room for self-realization. The entire project is about their being about to overcome the obstacle of their social exclusion and the lack of education and money that entails,” Stria said.
“We work with Romani youth who, for different reasons, never access arts education formally. Our aim is inclusion in the area of the creative industries, because disadvantaged groups have people with potential in them too,” Heráková said.
Tuke.TV is a platform of Czech and Romani arts and media professionals that runs a television channel online. The Offcity project promotes artistic productions in public spaces.
