Tsjechisch kerstfeest

Tsjechisch kerstfeest opens with two women on a cemetery, looking for their father's grave. When one puts some holly on the tomb, the other says: 'I thought father hated Christmas?' This slight irritation grows in intensity in the course of the documentary. It always amazed director Simonka de Jong that her mother and aunt were so different. The rational Zuzanka, De Jong's mother, fulfilled her parents' expectations, while her rebellious, eight years older sister Daniela often took a beating. In 1968, they fled Prague together. Shortly after Daniela's birth, their father also intended to, but his wife refused. He had to pay for it with five years in Auschwitz. Incorporating interviews and preserved photographs, film excerpts and a tape recording of her grandfather telling about his years in camp, the director depicts her impressive family history.