Tornado ‑ One year later

The documentary film by Jana Počtová maps the traces of one of the biggest natural disasters in the modern history of the Czech Republic. The film Tornado ‑ One year later, which was made in collaboration with Czech Television, is based on the stories of people affected by the natural disaster. Due to her creative approach using a black background, Jana Počtová could observe and sensitively organize human emotions. The film also captures the unprecedented wave of solidarity which followed the disaster. Thanks to this support, the effects of this devastating disaster are being repaired. The premiere of the film took place on June 23^rd at 8pm on ČT 2, and is now available to view on Czech Television’s website.

The deadliest and most intense meteorological event in Europe in 2021 (and historically, the strongest registered tornado in the Czech territory) swept through seven villages in southern Moravia on the evening of June 24^th, 2021. On a route 26 kilometers long and 0.5 kilometers wide, it killed six people, damaged approximately 1 600 objects and destroyed 100 000 trees. Property damage was estimated to have reached 15 billion CZK.

The disaster is indelibly inscribed in the collective memory of the inhabitants of Hodonín and Břeclav. The documentary captures how it affected their lives after destroying their homes and significantly and insensitively changed not only their perceptions of security, but also their surroundings. Director Jana Počtová has compiled a mosaic of human stories. She watched what people were doing just before, during, and immediately after the tornado. The experienced creator also addressed the topic of human solidarity.

"The moment when people cry just because others have helped them is, for me personally, the most touching moment of the whole film. It turned out that even such a huge tragedy is accompanied by positive aspects and hopes. Seeing so closely that someone is impressed by simple human solidarity and compassion was the most emotional thing for me while working on the documentary," says Jana Počtová.

The film features People in Need, Adra, Diakonie, the South Moravian Community Foundation and the Karel Komárek Family Foundation. In his philanthropy, Karel Komárek has long devoted himself to the theme of public space, and as a native of Hodonín, he decided to help restore the damaged part of Hodonín's Bažantnice area.

Jana Počtová divided the filming process into several crucial moments. She was fascinated by the day of the tornado as such, when people live a normal life and do not know that everything will change forever, or for a long time. "I remember the story of a lady who said she enjoyed sitting in the garden all day to eat cherries. This was an incredibly tender moment in connection with what came next," Počtová describes, adding that strong stories also arose from the description of the tornado as such. This mainly includes the statements of parents who are more worried about their children than themselves.

"Director Jana Počtová worked with emotions extremely well, in the film. She dealt with the tragic event in a captivating, yet sensitive way. Viewers will get a comprehensive picture of what happened at the end of last June and learn how the money that many of them donated, in what was the most powerful wave of solidarity we’ve seen, has been used," said Jana Škopková, creative producer of Czech Television, and a dramaturgist. She reacted positively to the director's work, which was intended to give a factual report of the tornado and positively inform about the huge wave of solidarity that followed. This showed that Czechs can help each other and that they are not indifferent to what is happening outside their apartments.