Reviewing Citizen Miko – Screened as part of CineRoma 2.0
This year, during the Govanhill International Festival, the UK’s only Roma Film Festival returned for its second year. Curated by young Roma from Govanhill, this year’s selection delved into themes of self-perception, identity, and resistance. Among the six films showcased was the Czech documentary Citizen Miko, a poignant exploration of one man’s fight against rising nationalism and xenophobia.
CineRoma poster by Romano Lav
By Samar Jamal
Romano Lav and Offline (formerly known as GAMIS) showcased CineRoma 2.0 as part of the Govanhill International Festival and Carnival. The Roma Film Festival, now in its second year, is the UK’s only, showcasing a selection of films exploring themes of self-perception, identity, history, and systems of power.
Each film screened at CineRoma 2.0 was carefully selected by young Roma people from Govanhill through workshops organised by Offline and Romano Lav.
Lydia Honeybone, Co-director of Offline, said: “We came up with a bunch of suggestions, we had a scoring system and watched different films. We talked about them and everyone had post-its where they wrote their thoughts. People gravitated to different films for different reasons. It was really important to ensure that the young people truly authored it. Even though we suggested all the titles, at the end of the day, they had all the power to choose what they wanted and explain why.”
This year’s program featured six unique films, screened at Offline, a former furniture store now turned art space for moving images on Niddrie Road.
I attended the screening of the 2023 Czech documentary Citizen Miko. The documentary follows the co-founder of the Help Initiative, which enables families to express interest in housing Syrian orphans in the Czech Republic from Greek refugee camps. The documentary follows Miko as he works alongside others to advocate for the Czech government to welcome young refugees. Through the story, the film explores themes of resistance and resilience in a country grappling with rising xenophobia and nationalism.
The film opens with a lively celebration of dance and song as Miko enters a party with Roma people who had previously been granted refugee status by the Czech government. It then cuts to Miko driving a massive 16-wheeler, whilst casually making a sandwich and chatting with his wife on a video call about his despondence in the government’s attitudes. At night, he settles into his makeshift bed in a corner of the truck, watching news segments about Greek refugee camps filled with young orphans forced to flee their homes in Syria.
The documentary provides an accurate and often familiar feeling of activism in which an ordinary citizen determined to alter the fate of several dozen Syrian children is faced with a universal feeling of despondency.
The film briefly delves into Miko’s past, revealing that his time in prison gave him insight into how a disadvantaged upbringing can shape a person’s future. Throughout the film, we also see Miko’s determination to teach his young son about the prejudices that exist while encouraging him to remain compassionate toward others.
Throughout the film, Miko faces backlash – from fellow Czechs who call him a “traitor,” and from a government convinced by racist narratives that the young Syrian orphans won’t be able to adapt to the culture. Through this, the film explores the tensions between nationalism and the universal human right of belonging. At times, even his wife doubts his efforts. Despite this, Miko remains persistent throughout the process.
In one notable instance, he organises a concert for the Roma community, who typically have a lower voter turnout. Miko hopes to encourage them to vote in their interest and for other marginalised groups, like the Syrian refugees. His efforts succeed, with more of the Roma community participating in the election and swaying the vote, underscoring the concept of collective support between marginalised groups.
The film ends by explaining that no Syrian refugees had been housed since filming. It leaves viewers with the reality of seeking social justice and the long process of achieving it. However, this also instils a sense of determination and urgency as government policies become more intolerant to those who don’t fit their concept of the right type of refugee.
To find out about future film festivals and projects visit Offline and Romano Lav’s website.