Daleká Cesta (Distant Journey)

Jewish ophthalmologist Hana (Blanka Waleská) marries her colleague Toník (Otomar Krejča) shortly before the mass deportations of the Jewish population begin. Daleká Cesta is based on the experiences of screenwriter Erik Kolár, who was imprisoned in Theresienstadt during the war. Kolár and Radok's original intention was not only to expose the anti-Semitism of the Nazi Germans, but also to thematise the ‘tradition’ of anti-Semitism and anti-Judaism in Czechoslovakia. The plot, which is enriched with historical newsreels, thus condenses into a never-ending nightmare. Today, fundamental values such as humanism and peace are being denigrated and massively threatened by demagogues such as Trump, Le Pen and Meloni. This tendency obliges us to oppose it every day so that the slogan ‘Never again fascism’ does not degenerate into a hollow phrase. (Elisabeth Streit)

Introduction Elisabeth Streit
Photo: Austrian Film Museum

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