Director: Tom Radford Location: Edmonton, Alberta In his wonderful film, "Má Vlast, My Homeland", Tom Radford tells the story of one family as they struggle to escape the stifling Soviet-controlled repression of their homeland of Czechoslovakia. It was a society in which freedom of speech, movement, and association were controlled by the communist party. It was a time in which neighbours eavesdropped on neighbours. When trust was rare and conversation guarded even in the family home. For a brief period in the Spring of 1968, under the auspices of a new Party Secretary, Alexander Dubcek, a thaw took place in Czechoslovakia. He brought in reforms which allowed for some long-sought freedoms. On August 21, 1968, however, the thaw was over as Soviet tanks took over the streets of Prague. Unwilling to return to the oppression of the previous twenty years, many people fled seeking asylum in other countries. Amongst them were Michael and Renata Jiranek, who sought refugee status in Canada after defecting from a dance troop while in Germany. The film follows their journey as they settle near Red Deer Lake, Alberta, raise cattle and begin to teach figure-skating in Canada. Amongst those they taught to perform on the ice and live life off the ice, was a young farm boy, Kurt Browning. Kurt who would go on to achieve the incredible and become a four-time world figure-skating champion. "Má Vlast, My Homeland", is a story of the human spirit as it rises up against adversity to find freedom. Top of page.