Picture of the movie Tetri Karavani ( The White Caravan ) © National Archives of Georgia
Karavan, as seen by Zuzana Kirchnerova
Zuzana Kirchnerova’s Karavan (Caravan), presented at Certain Regard, is an intimate first feature inspired by her mother’s experience. The Czech director and screenwriter is no stranger to the Festival: in 2009, she won first prize in the Cinéfondation (La Cinef) with her short film Bába, a cruel closed-door story about illness.
What inspired you to begin work on this film?
Caravan is a deeply personal film based on my own experience as a parent. When I started writing it, I was a single mother with two small children, one of whom has a disability. I had an overwhelming desire to escape — just for a moment, to breathe. That longing became the foundation for Caravan.
Please describe your working method and the atmosphere on set. Anecdotes welcome.
The entire shoot revolved around our main actor, David, who wanted not only to act, but also to direct, operate the camera, handle sound, and even pull focus. Filming was extremely challenging — we had to deal with major floods in Emilia Romagna, which dramatically affected our locations, there were Covid restrictions in place, and more. But David’s energy and enthusiasm carried us through and made the film better. He keeps asking me when we are going to make Caravan 2.
Please share a few words about your actors.
My cast is a wonderfully chaotic mix: one of the best Czech actors in the lead role, an adolescent boy with intellectual disability, emerging Slovak and Italian talents, and a wild group of mostly Calabrian non-actors. That raw, unpredictable blend is what brings Caravan to life.
What did you learn during the course of making this film?
I learned to stay open — to everything that comes. And above all, to trust my film instincts and my intuition.
What would you like people to remember from your film?
I hope people walk away with the feeling that there is always a way forward — even when it feels like there isn’’t.
What are your influences?
If I had to mention just one film that deeply marked me — both as a filmmaker and as a woman — it would be Vagabond by Agnès Varda (1985). For many years, I’have been fascinated by its courage, its free-spirited protagonist, the beautiful mix of actors and non-actors, and its poetic yet unpretentious language. It has the refined sensibility of cinema but also the playful lightness of a documentary.
Can you tell us about your next project?
I’m currently in the middle of shooting a TV miniseries about domestic violence, and I’m also writing a new feature film called Bodies. Which explores a theme of a mothers/ daughter relationship, and how aging changes your body, your place in the family, and in the world.
