Shutka Book of Records

Welcome to Shutka, a small town where everyone is champion of something. With the largest Roma population in the world, Shutka hasn't the richest of economies, but what it lacks in infrastructure, it makes up for in character. There is the man with the most suits, the richest man, and the best vampire hunter–just to name a few. In a town full of winners and losers, even the ganders and canaries are in competition. The fiercest of all competitions revolves around music, especially the battle of the largest collection of cassette tapes. Narrator Dr. Koljo (champion fisherman) takes the audience on a walking tour of the city, interviewing Shutka's heroes for a rare and hilarious glimpse of humanity at its best. The documentary consists of unforgettable people and moments almost too quirky to be real, but too genuine to be dismissed as fiction. Whether or not Shutka can be found on a map is irrelevant; the strength of the tiny Balkan town is in its inhabitants who, surely, would not choose to live anywhere else. (In Czech and Romany with English Subtitles) –J.B.H.