Reporter Mirek Gosney’s new documentary to premiere at Czech Embassy cinema in London

Newbury Weekly News reporter, Mirek Gosney, followed in his great-grandfather’s footsteps to document the story that affected his own family.

And now his new film, Building Hitler’s Empire, will premiere at the Czech Embassy Cinema in London on Friday, October 27.

The screening will be a single 50-minute programme, combining three separate episodes. After the screening, it will be published on his website: www.mirek-gosney.com

Born at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, Mirek’s lived in Thatcham just about all his life.

A former Kennet School pupil, he studied for a BA in Film and History at the University of Southampton, where his passion for filmmaking began.

As NWN readers will know from his various published features, his other interest is history, specifically 20th-century history – mainly the World Wars and the Cold War.

“It’s hard to pinpoint when exactly this interest started,” said Mirek. “Like most boys, I grew up playing soldiers and my parents always took us on trips to National Trust and English Heritage sites all over the country.

“I suppose a big moment for me was studying the Norman Conquest and the Battle of 1066 in Year 7.

“ I found the political manoeuvering surrounding this event and how the battle itself was fought fascinating.”

He released his first documentary Britain’s Forgotten Frontier in July 2022, exploring Britain’s forgotten home defences in the Second World War in the context of West Berkshire, “thankfully never used,” he said.

His latest documentary draws on family history and his Czech roots on his maternal side – namely the story of his great-grandfather from Stěžery, Hradec Králové in the Czech Republic.

“I knew bits and pieces about my family history, particularly on my mother’s side, but it wasn’t until the pandemic that I started to look into this more seriously.

“Starting with just a musty box of old family photographs from my grandmother’s cellar, I was able to piece together the story of my great-grandfather, Miroslav Jeřábek, who was among millions of Europeans forced to work for the Nazis.

“I published this online and in the parish newsletter of my great-grandfather’s hometown.

“It was a good starting point, but I felt there was so much to his story and the wider narrative of European forced and slave labour left to explore.”

So last summer, he and his brother Milos Gosney visited the picturesque East German town of Saalfeld where their great-grandfather was sent and, literally, retraced his steps.

“I had reservations about going out to cover this story, fearing this subject could still be an uncomfortable one in Central Europe. But everyone we met was very supportive and enthusiastic about our family story.”

Through a combination of photographs, postcards, Czech and German archival material, interviewing former workers' families, academic articles and visiting the “excellent” Nazi Forced Labour Documentation Centre in Berlin, Mirek wrote, narrated and edited a three-part mini-series called Building Hitler’s Empire.

He may seem like a one-man band, but “I didn’t write the theme tune!” he joked.

“Outside of academia, little is known about these serious human rights abuses – possibly the biggest example of human exploitation in European history.

“The subject is often confused and understandably overshadowed by the Holocaust. But while heavily linked, the two are separate Nazi crimes.

“I found this whole story so tragic. Just the scale of it and how it took 40 years after the war ended for people to acknowledge the victims’ suffering is bewildering.

“I wanted to raise awareness for the millions of workers and their families who never received justice.

“Forced labour, concentration camps, human trafficking and modern slavery are not issues confined to the past, as we are so often reminded.”

He decided from the outset that, given the sensitive subject matter and his personal connection, he wouldn’t profit from this project and won’t enter the documentary into film festivals.

“But I also realised a live premiere would provide great closure for me and everyone who was involved and supported the project.”

So he contacted the Embassy of the Czech Republic, which instantly recognised the project’s value and agreed to host the screening in its refurbished cinema.

Tickets are available by way of voluntary donation to the Ukraine Relief Fund, organised by the British Red Cross.

“I chose this charity as all of Europe is still being affected by what is happening in Ukraine, plus the theme of Russo-Ukrainian relations does emerge in my documentary.”

Visit https://rb.gy/oim61 to view the film’s trailer and to book tickets.

In terms of future projects, Mirek is planning to make further documentaries, both for the NWN and independently.

“Another big one has been in the pipeline for at least two years now and demands a lot of research – exploring the experiences of German and Italian prisoners of war in Britain during the Second World War, specifically in Berkshire.”

He has already published a short article on this for the NWN and Out & About magazine.

Longer term, Mirek will continue to pursue his passion and is on the lookout for any opportunities related to writing and filming history content.