Children of the Open Road
Children of the Open Road | |
---|---|
Cinematography | Lukas Strebel |
Editor | Barbara Hennings |
Running time | 117 minutes |
Original release | |
Release | 1992 |
Children of the Open Road (German: Kinder der Landstrasse) is a Swiss feature/drama film that was produced in 1992.
Its topic is the
Plot
The
Jana becomes the ward of Dr. Schönefeld, the director of the agency. But the system is not able to 'break' the young woman, and instead of to preempt a new generation's caravans from following their nomadic traditions along Switzerland's country lanes.
Though grown sad-eyed, tough and wary after years as a ward of the state, imprisoned and stigmatized as crazy and unteachable and even declared insane for the same claimed 'reasons' by officials, Jana struggles to unloose the bonds of the system and starts to search for her mother and father. Experienced with foster families and homes, Jana is convinced that she will always, in the eyes of others, be a
As a young adult Jana falls in love with a farmer's son, Franz, and they plan for the future reunion with her parents; in the beginning ignoring that her family has been destroyed by Schönefeld. At the request of her guardian Jana is arrested again and imprisoned by the so-called administrative care, but Franz helps her to escape. The luck (/happiness?) of the young pair is soon overshadowed by Jana's pregnancy.
Cast
- Jasmin Tabatabai as Jana Kessel
- Andrea Eckert as Theresa Kessel
- Martina Strässler as 5 year old Jana
- Herbert Leiser as Paul Kessel
- Jara Weiss as 9 year old Jana
- Hans-Peter Korffas Dr. Schoenefeld
- Nina Petri as Ms Roth
- Mathias Gnädinger as Roger Kessel
- Noemi Steuer as Andrina Kessel
- Andreas Schindelholz as Django
- Andreas Löffel as Nino
- Paul Schirmer as Yeniche man
- Arnold Barri as Yeniche man
- Felix Amsler as Yeniche man
- Johanna Karl-Lory as fortune teller
Background
From 1926 to 1973, the Swiss government had, according to the final report Unabhängige Expertenkommission Schweiz – Zweiter Weltkrieg (Volume 23) of the Swiss parliamentary commission of that name, a semi-official policy of institutionalizing Yeniche parents and having their children adopted by more "normal" Swiss citizens, in an effort to eliminate Yeniche culture.[1] The name of this program, provided by the Swiss children-oriented Pro Juventute foundation, was Kinder der Landstrasse (literally "children of the country road"). In all, about 590 children were taken from their parents and institutionalized in orphanages, mental institutions and even prisons.
Production
The film was produced by Lichtblick Film - und Fernsehproduktion, Panorama Films, Schweizer Fernsehen (SRF), Wega Film and Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF) in 1992 on locations in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. As of 1992, Kinder der Landstrasse was the most expensive Swiss film production. It was also the first official co-production of the three German-speaking countries Switzerland, Germany and Austria.
Cinema and television
The film premiered at a public audition in May 1992 in Zürich-
Critical response
Lexikon des Internationalen Films (LIF) said, "on the fate of a vagrant family and her daughter in the period 1939–1972, the youth and social welfare of a Swiss charity is denounced, the exercise ideological abuse of power of the demon National Socialist ideas... postponed action that encourages social and social conscience and provides fundamental issues of our Western social system."[4]
The
Awards
- 1992: Amiens International Film Festivalgave the OCIC Award to Urs Egger
- 1992: Fort Lauderdale International Film Festivalgave the International Film Guide Award for "Best Foreign Picture" and "Spirit of the Independent Award'" to Johannes Bösiger
Home media
The film was released on DVD in German language.[5]
See also
- Kinder der Landstrasse foundation (1926–1973)
- Yeniche people § Switzerland
External links
- Kinder der Landstrasse at IMDb
References
- ^ Thomas Huonker, Regula Ludi (2001). "Roma, Sinti und Jenische. Schweizerische Zigeunerpolitik zur Zeit des Nationalsozialismus. Beitrag zur Forschung (Veröffentlichungen der UEK, Band 23)" (PDF) (in German). UEK, Swiss Government. Retrieved 2014-11-13.
- ^ Guests were the director, members of the film crew, no officials, but representants of the Yeniche people's Radgenossenschaft society.
- ^ San Francisco Film Festival. Retrieved 2014-11-13.
- ^ "Akte-Grüninger. Geschichte eines Grenzgängers" (in German). zweitausendeins.de (former LIF). Retrieved 2014-11-13.
- ^ amazon.de