Blind Loves (Slepe lasky)

Documentary filmmaker Juraj Lehotsky upends many people's assumptions and expectations of the handicapped in the film Slepe Lasky (aka Blind Loves), which introduces viewers to four very different people with one thing in common -- they all lack the ability to see. Markjo is of Romany heritage and has to deal with ethnic stereotypes as well as the challenges of being blind; he is also struggling with an often rocky relationship with his girlfriend Monika, who is partially sightless. Peter makes his living teaching music, and enjoys a placid home life with his wife, who devotes most of her spare time to knitting. Zuzana is a teenager who keeps in touch with her friends through constant text messaging and is trying to catch the attention of a certain boy she knows. And Elena is expecting her first child and has been teaching herself to care for the baby while facing anxieties about the challenges of parenthood. Blind Loves was screened as part of the Directors' Fortnight series at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.