In 1946 a small village was abrubtly divided between Czechoslovakia and USSR. Family ties were destroyed forever. See its story during the "In Between?" conference in Warsaw, on 2 December.
"Hranica" (English: The Border) directed by Jaroslav Vojtek tells the story of a village of Velke Slemence. After the Soviet army got to Sub-Carpathian Ukraine – the most eastern part of the former Czechoslovakia – in november 1944 it had already been decided about this part being annexed to the Soviet Union. This had been voted at the communist congress in Uzhorod and shortly after that Sub-Carpathian Ukraine became part of the Soviet Union. On the 29th of June, 1945 pro forma agreement confirming this status was made between the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia.
Despite the fact that Moscow was obliged to respect the inner orders of Czechoslovakia the Soviet soldiers on the Slovak territory acted like violent conquerors.
This political act was a real disaster for the citizens of Velke Slemence. During the night of August 30, 1946, the village was divided by the Red Army into two parts. One part remained in the former Czechoslovakia; the other one became a part of Ukraine (former Soviet Union) and got a new name: Male Slemence.
Barbed wire – mercilessly stretched between houses – has divided cemetery and land, as well as families for several decades. There were even cases when parents were left on one side, and their children on the other. Cultivated land was divided and then confiscated by the relevant states.
In 1949, the three meter high fence was even charged with electric power. Watchtowers were equipped with machine guns and signalling devices. Despite all these measures, families had a vivid communication. Most of them spoke and understood Hungarian, while border police did not. People used to sing while working in the fields divided by the barbed wire, and announce all important information in this way. And thus both sides knew who died, who had a new baby, who got married. Yet they were not allowed to visit each other…
The movie will be shown as a part of the "In Between?" Conference at on 2 December at 7:45 pm in National Audiovisual Institute (ul. Wałbrzyska 3/5) in Warsaw, Poland.
>> See the conference's full program here
The screening was made possible thanks to LEON Productions, the film's production company.
Text after hranica.sk