PLAY, SING, AND SMILE!

 

A Feature-Length Docudrama About the Power of Talent, Difference, and the Determination to Begin Again

 

He was captivated by the music of Louis Armstrong. By his unmistakable voice. By his life story. Through Armstrong’s music, Peter Ondria, from a small village in eastern Slovakia, found a new purpose in life.

Peter was born different. He grew to be shorter than his peers. Throughout his life, he struggled to find his place in a world that can be unforgiving toward those who are different. He hid his fear, pain, and loneliness behind his performances. He joked so he wouldn’t have to talk about what truly troubled him. And yet, he found his way – to music, to an audience, and to the world.

Who is Peter? An impersonator, a clown, an amusing attraction for an audience – or an exceptional performer of Louis Armstrong’s songs, with a much deeper story behind him?

As he puts it: “God took something away from me, but gave me a gift for music in return.”

On stage, he is happy. Until life deals him another devastating blow. Sudden and cruel, it shakes everything he has built up to that point. Peter must once again face the situation head-on, find the strength to carry on, and overcome what may be the greatest challenge of his life. Will he succeed?

The docudrama "Play, Sing, and Smile!" is more than the story of one man. It is also a portrait of the quiet yet enduring strength of the community of people with disabilities – people who face prejudice every day and prove that they are capable of achieving just as much, and often more, than those who do not have to contend with similar obstacles every day.

 

Director: Ladislav Kaboš

Producer MEDIA FILM

Project development supported by the Audiovisual Fund