Student film maker’s personal story highlights challenges Roma people face in the UK

A proud Coventry University student who helped create a unique film featuring his pioneering mother is thrilled at the reception the project has received.

Hynek Psenicka, 20, is a second-year film production student who recently worked on a documentary film called Leaving to Remain.

The movie, which has been shown in cinemas and at film festivals this year, chronicles the experiences of three Roma people living in the UK and the challenges their communities have experienced due to Brexit and Covid-19.

One of those featured is Denisa Gannon, Hynek’s mum, who is the first Roma person to qualify as a solicitor in England and Wales.

Since gaining her qualification in 2018, Denisa has worked hard to support victims of domestic abuse and provide assistance to Roma people.

For Leaving to Remain, Hynek filmed his mum as she used her legal expertise to assist members of the Roma community, providing his footage to filmmakers in Czechia to create the finished movie.

Hynek said: “I know the film has got quite a political message but my main reason for getting involved was the chance to film my mum and tell her story. She’s one of the subjects of Leaving to Remain and I’m proud of her achievements, becoming the first Roma person to qualify as a lawyer in the UK and the hard work she’s doing to support Roma people.

“The reception to the film has been really good. I’ve been to a couple of the showings, including in Czechia and there have been some reviews which is really cool. It’s nice that there have been discussion panels at these showings too to talk about the film.

“My ambition is to write and direct. I’m really enjoying the course, my lecturers are really helpful and the equipment is great. It makes such a difference being able to loan the equipment, it’s one of the best things about my studies at Coventry University.”

Dr Annabelle Waller, Head of School at Coventry University’s School of Media and Performing Arts, said: “Being able to showcase your work in front of an audience is an amazing experience for our student film makers, while the opportunity to work with professionals within the industry on projects such as these offers enormous benefits in gaining employment in industry.

“We do everything we can to support our Film Production students, giving them access to specialist professional equipment, fantastic technical and creative advice and a very hands-on, collaborative learning experience that helps them realise their ambitions.”

To find out more about Coventry University’s Film Production BA course, visit https://www.coventry.ac.uk/course-structure/ug/fah/film-production-ba-hons/

About Coventry University

Coventry University is a global, modern university with a mission of Creating Better Futures. We were founded by entrepreneurs and industrialists in 1843 as the Coventry School of Design and we continue to have strong links with the public and private sector, providing job-ready graduates with the skills and creative thinking to improve their communities.

With a proud tradition of innovative teaching and learning, Coventry University has world-class campus facilities, the UK’s first standalone 5G network and a digital community of learning. Our students are part of a global network that has 50,000 learners studying Coventry University degrees in more than 40 different countries and partnerships with 140 higher education providers worldwide.

We have greatly increased our research capacity and capability with a focus on impactful research, delivered for and with partners to address real-world challenges and support business and communities to grow. The depth and breadth of rapidly growing research portfolio was validated by the latest UK research assessment, which saw us jump 22 places in the research power rankings.

Over two centuries, we have flourished in Coventry and Coventry University Group now also delivers access to our range of high-quality services and partnerships through bases in London, Scarborough, Belgium, Poland, Egypt, Dubai, Singapore and Africa. We will be teaching students at a new campus in China in a joint institute with the Communication University of China in the near future.

In April 2022, we were honoured with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the category of International Trade, the UK’s most prestigious business award. In recent years, we have won many awards and vastly improved our rankings in the league tables that matter to students – but what matters to us is delivering transformational change for our students, partners and communities around the world as we continue to evolve into a global education group.