Circusboy Zirkuskind

story
Eleven-year-old Santino is a child of the circus. He loves to spend time with his eighty-year-old great-grandfather, one of Europe‘s last great circus directors, who has become his best friend. Together, they share heartwarming stories: tales of a friendship with an elephant, of farewells, new beginnings, and life on the road.
Circusboy chronicles the lives of these modern nomads, capturing a young boy‘s experience growing up among an extended family and animals—a life without a safety net, as free as a bird. This documentary road movie for children and families portrays circus life in all its reality and magic.

"When we think of the circus, images come to mind that have hardly changed in many years. Circus wagons traveling across the country, setting up their tents one plane today, another tomorrow. Ponies with feat- hers, clowns with red noses, and acrobats spinning high up in the dome of the tent. These images have remained the same for almost 200 years, yet the world around them has changed. The days when people would flock to the streets because the circus was coming to town are long gone."

"The people who keep the circus alive are still here, and they can‘t imagine living any other way—just as little as their children and grandchildren can. In “ZIRKUSKIND” the focus is put on these people and their kind of living. The hostility towards them and their way of life is as old as the circus itself. This is no diffe- rent today than it was 200 years ago. As a result, circus people have developed a thick skin. But within, the traveling extended families stick together like glue. The preservation of their tradition and their freedom is their highest value, and everyone submits to this goal."

"At Circus Arena, we found a sense of connectedness that deeply impressed us. The web of this bond cat- ches everyone, and the strong words set a clear framework. The children are raised like in a village, within the warmth of the community. They hear the stories of their ancestors and are part of a greater whole. Their lives have meaning."

"That doesn’t mean that everything is always harmonious on the circus grounds. Quite the opposite. There are clashes and loud arguments, but that doesn‘t lead to relationships being questioned. “You have to let them all be,” is Grandpa Ehe‘s motto, and as simple as it sounds, this attitude is deeply inspiring for us today. This sense of connectedness and community has been lost in many places in our world. In a time when society is increasingly drifting apart and we often don’t even speak to people who think and live dif- ferently, it is important to see that there are communities that resist this development. Here, in this small setting, something is being lived that is vitally important for all of us today."
- Julia Lemke & Anna Koch