Ghetto No. 1 (2007)

Overview

Ghetto No. 1 is Chanov. Chanov is a Roma ghetto. It is synonymous with helplessness, powerlessness, a mixture of hypocrisy and well-intentioned efforts to solve the so-called Roma question. Chanov, our nightmare, our remorse, our guilty conscience. But also narrow-mindedness, aggression, hopelessness. If someone says they live in Chanov, they are automatically placed at the bottom of the social ladder. It is an indelible stigma. Chanov is a very hot spot – a place with above-average crime rates, 95% unemployment, and nearly $80 million in rent debt. The images that Chanov offers speak for themselves. In the film, I do not want to accuse anyone (to be honest, I don't know whom), nor do I offer enlightened solutions (I doubt that any exist). The purpose of the documentary is to look behind and allow others to look behind an invisible but painfully tangible border in the heart of a borderless Europe.