Girl America Pressures Czech Lawmakers to Reform Orphanage Legislation

With his new feature Girl America (Amerikánka), set to premiere in Official Competition at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, Czech director-producer Viktor Tauš aims to revolutionize legislation surrounding children’s orphanages in his country. A compelling detail is that a part of the over 300 children in the film consists of real orphans. Nearly 30 of them will join Tauš for the premiere in Tallinn.

November 15, 2024

The number of children living outside family care has been steadily increasing in the Czech Republic. According to Tauš, children are primarily removed from parental care due to issues with parental competence amid unstable social, economic, and housing conditions. “Over 8,000 children are currently growing up in institutional care, despite clear evidence of the negative impact of collective upbringing on their development,” he notes.

Tauš explains that current orphanage legislation is fragmented, with regulations scattered across three ministries, resulting in a lack of accountability. Rules for placing and caring for children vary among institutions, contravening the principle of equal rights. Additionally, the legislation conflates institutional care (a family law measure) with protective custody (a criminal justice measure), creating a regimented environment in most facilities. “As a result, these children face significantly reduced access to education, especially at higher levels.”

“Over 8,000 children are currently growing up in institutional care, despite clear evidence of the negative impact of collective upbringing on their development” Viktor Tauš

With Girl America, Tauš hopes to prompt changes to outdated laws rooted in concepts from the 1950s and 1970s that have seen little progress since.

"First, we need to support families. Currently, our system only intervenes when a crisis has reached its peak. If a child breaks a leg, you go to a doctor. But if a parent is struggling with unemployment or addiction, there's no one to call. The state doesn’t provide social workers who can support children with their homework while parents seek help. We need measures to prevent children from ending up in orphanages simply because their families are struggling," Tauš asserts.

“Second, we need to transform Czech orphanages into smaller, urban residential units housing no more than four children each, bringing them closer to individualized care," he continues. “Every child needs one person to give them individual attention, someone to learn the basics from and observe different patterns of behavior”

About Girl America

Girl America is the poignant tale of a forsaken girl raised in totalitarian Czechoslovakia, blending surreal visuals with the reality in her fight for redemption. They call her Girl America (Amerikánka). Once a girl, now a woman. How many times can you be knocked down and yet rise again? An orphan under communism. Foster care. Juvenile detention. And then, the Velvet Revolution. It is more than just a story of perseverance; it‘s an emotional journey that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the transformative power of hope.

Scripted by David Jařab, Girl America draws inspiration from true events. The story is based on a girl the director met during his time being homeless in Prague after the Velvet Revolution. “We were both living among the first generation of freedom’s casualties, made up of tens of thousands of kids from communist orphanages. We shared our stories, sometimes inventing details as we went along, until we could no longer distinguish fact from fiction,” Tauš recalls.

On an archetypal level, Tauš describes Girl America as the Czech equivalent of Oliver Twist, Mowgli, or Matilda. "It's about a girl who possesses an unshakeable belief in a father living in America and harbours the hope of joining him one day, overcoming every obstacle life throws at her. It’s a tale of the transformative power of hope and, ultimately, what it takes to lead a happy life without depending on fairy-tale endings."

Children from orphanages

Children from orphanages play in the film. A diverse community of children from various socioeconomic backgrounds, actors, and production staff was built around them, rehearsing together three days a week for seven months. After filming, this integrated group continued working together in a live show now playing in Prague. Nearly 30 of the children will accompany Tauš to the film’s premiere in Tallinn.

Girl America is produced by Viktor Tauš through Heaven’s Gate (Czech Republic) and co-produced by Barrandov Studio (CZ), Axman Production (CZ), B Film (Slovakia) and K Film Swiss (Switzerland). Coccinelle Film Sales, the Rome based international sales agency known for its revolutionary business model represents international rights to the film.

WATCH THE TRAILER

Girl America at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival

Black Nights/Tallinn Press & Industry screening:

15 November, 09:00, Apollo Kino Coca-Cola Plaza, Hall 8

Black Nights/Tallinn Public screenings:

15 November, 18:00, Apollo Kino Coca-Cola Plaza, 1^st Lux Hall (with Q&A)

16 November, 16:30, Hall Electric Cinema, Tartu

21 November, 17:00, Kino Artis, Hall 1

Press screener link: Unable to attend one of these screenings? Please contact christian@hypepark.be for a press screener link, the full press kit and interview requests.