The voices behind the portraits

Filmed alongside the photographic sessions, the documentary follows Slovaks and Czechs who left home and built new lives in Britain. Through personal stories, family memories and everyday moments, it explores what brought them here, what they found on arrival and how their sense of identity has changed over time.

The film brings together different generations, professions and migration experiences. It also looks at the communities people created around them, from schools and cultural organisations to folklore groups, friendships and traditions carried across borders.

One of its main inspirations is Zuzana Slobodová’s book The Streets of London Are Paved with Gold, which captured the experiences of Slovaks and Czechs living in Britain. The documentary continues that story for a new generation and returns to the question behind the title: did Britain live up to the hopes people brought with them?

Featuring many of the personalities from the exhibition, as well as descendants born in Britain, the film is told in Slovak, Czech and English. It is directed by Simona Vrabcová, with co-direction by Rebeka Jurčacková. Cinematography is led by Slovak-Spanish filmmaker Isabel Morales-Detková, with original music by London-based Slovak composer Jakub Mikušinec.