Kaľi čercheň

Documentary footage of the summer workshop for talented Roma youth at castle Svojanov in 2007 (2007, director: Janek Růžička)

"While working with the talented Romani children and teenagers, both Ida Kelarová and me had a feeling that these moments should be recorded.  Ida traveled around Czech and Slovak cities for a year searching for talented children who were offered this creative workshop free of charge. For two weeks we worked hard on preparing their concert performance which was the opening concert of the Romani festival GYPSY CELEBRATION 2007 at castle Svojanov. The Czech Television produced several documentary films about this project, but we felt there was a need for a film of a more musical and poetic nature to present this project - a film which would capture the work and opinions of young Romani people. Besides children who sing and dance, we also invited the young Romani writer Michal Mižigár. His task was to write a small part of a story on the Black Star theme each day, and every evening he would read this part to all participants. And it wasn't just him. Other teenagers showed interest in writing and the Black Star became the main topic of their debates and also the leading theme of the film. Over a few days, presence of the camera became almost natural, therefore the film Black Star offers a very unique testimony about music, the journey into it, and the world of today's young Roma people."