Seven Days Before the Funeral

“And the light is diminishing and the light is diminishing and the light is diminishing more and more... I’m one of two, I'm one of two, I'm one of two halves,” she sings to herself in the car in which the family is heading to Litomyšl.

Together with the author Eva Lammelová, we experience the preparations for the ceremony, which will be only for the immediate family due to the pandemic. The family is gradually figuring out how the final farewell will take place, and is trying to cope with the fact that they were unable to be with their grandmother in her last moments in the long-term care hospital due to coronavirus measures.

“My grandmother Dana died alone in a long-term care hospital on the eve of the Day of the Dead. Abandoned in autumn quarantine, like many others. I still haven’t come to terms with it. I have an image of her before my eyes: lying alone on a hospital bed, where I could have stroked her hair and kissed her wrinkled face once more. I stood by her, all disinfected and covered up, and I suspected it was the last time. Then all I could do was phone her and hope that she would register me.”

COVID-19 brought us all a lot of pain and abandonment. However, the audio documentary Seven Days to the Funeral is not just a sad story. It also tells us that every difficult situation brings something new. During the coronavirus quarantine, we had a funeral that was meaningful, personal and intimate. It’s important to experience the last goodbye. It’s just a matter of habit. We’re not used to being online at funeral-type events yet.

Listen the document at Prix Bohemia Radio festival!

When: Monday 10^th October 2022 | 10:00 – 10:30 | listening session
Where: Theatre hall, Arts Centre UP
Entrance: Free admission with accreditation

Look at the detailed program of the listening session.

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