Pongo Calling: An online fight for Roma rights
A Manchester-based, Czech-born truck driver turns into a social media star and Roma rights campaigner.
Stefan Pongo is a hardworking Roma truck driver living in Manchester. He emigrated with his family from the Czech Republic to the United Kingdom in 2006, to protect them from racial discrimination.
His children have since graduated from university and his family is doing well. But the echoes of hate carry over from his homeland.
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When the Czech president claims that the Roma are work-shy, Pongo issues an appeal on social media asking for photos of Roma working. He receives thousands of images and becomes a well-known media figure, and soon a voice for Roma communities in Europe.
His journey takes him from a world of social media notoriety to starting his own aid charity. But all that comes at the cost of lost time with his family.
Pongo Calling is a film by Tomas Kratochvil.
Published On 13 Apr 2023