DIRECTOR
Miroslav Janek
DIRECTOR
Miroslav Janek
SCREENPLAY
Miroslav Janek
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Miroslav Janek
EDITING
Tonička Janková
PRODUCER
Jan Macola
PRODUCTION
Mimesis Film
CO-PRODUCTION
Česká televize
Mat Film Resort
Direct and thoughtful, Lukáš has a distinctive sense of humor; he loves movies and he writes his own screenplays. Piano virtuoso Denis is able to play demanding classical pieces; he is also incredibly intelligent and well-read. He adores The Little Prince so much that he keeps rereading it. Majda likes to rap and isn’t shy about it; her bold lyrics expose the surrounding world with disarming accuracy. Marjamka is able to tell long stories in English, while her tireless brother Ahmed is uncommonly friendly. Five remarkable children that society has consistently and unflatteringly labeled “autistic.”
The documentary challenges us once and for all to stop perceiving autism as a medical diagnosis and try to understand it as a fascinating way of thinking that’s often maddeningly difficult to decipher. Because who’s to determine what’s normal – living in a constant rush while disregarding the absurdity of modern life, or wistfully seeking order, peace and tranquility in the world?
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
DOK Leipzig
Camerimage
Munich International
Documentary Festival
Krakow Film Festival
Punto de Vista
Miroslav Janek (born 1954) has been making films since he was fifteen. He emigrated to Germany in 1979 and then lived in Minneapolis, USA, where he worked as an editor and cameraman. In the 1980s he worked on Godfrey Reggio's famous Qatsi trilogy. Since his return to the Czech Republic in 1995, he has made dozens of documentary films. Since 1998 he has been a teacher at the Department of Documentary Film at FAMU. In 2007, he completed the film Citizen Havel using material shot by the late director Pavel Koutecki. His wife Tonička Janková often collaborates with him as an editor of his films.
