24-06-2025
Cannes Premiere ‘Caravan' Sparks Push for ‘More Open,' ‘Attentive,' ‘Inclusive' Society for Czechs With Disabilities
When Czech filmmaker Zuzana Kirchnerová began working on the script for her feature debut, 'Caravan,' which premiered in the Cannes Film Festival's Un Certain Regard section, she says she never intended to start a movement.
A deeply personal and emotional story inspired by her own experiences raising a son with an intellectual disability, the film's Riviera premiere struck a chord in the Czech Republic — and also sparked a broader conversation around accessibility and visibility for people with disabilities. 'My main aim was to make a film,' Kirchnerová tells Variety. 'I didn't aim to change the system.'
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'Caravan' follows Ester (Anna Geislerová), a woman in her forties who is emotionally and physically worn out after years of sole caregiving for a son with autism and Down syndrome. Overwhelmed by the demands of motherhood, she steals an aging caravan and sets off on a road trip across southern Italy with her son David (David Vodstrčil) by her side, embarking together on a life-altering journey.
The film — the first majority Czech production to play in the Cannes festival's official selection in more than 30 years — marked an emotional bookend to Kirchnerová's last trip to the Croisette, where her graduation short film 'Bába' won the top prize in Cannes' Cinéfondation in 2009.
Speaking to Variety a day after returning to her home in Prague, the director opened up about the difficult balancing act for a single mother raising a child with disabilities while also pursuing a career in film. 'When my son was born, I was told that I would ruin my life if I don't abandon him, or that I would never film again,' she says.
Kirchnerová concedes 'it has been a difficult journey,' though she recalls the triumphant moment when her 'Caravan' star, Vodstrčil — an actor with Down syndrome — took her by the arm to accompany her up the stairs of Cannes' Lumière Theater. 'I was in a trance,' she says, comparing the dapper, black tie-clad leading man to James Bond. The tears didn't arrive until later that night.
Kirchnerová and producer Dagmar Sedláčková are now launching a campaign in the Czech Republic to raise awareness for people with disabilities, centered on her film. 'I really hope that this will help to change the life of my son, but also of other disabled people,' the director says, adding that she wants to urge others 'to try and be more open and attentive and inclusive.'
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