A film by Toby Gorniak MBE & Michał P. Garapich

That Boy

A conversation about hate and healing

A Roma refugee and a former neo-Nazi revisit pain, hate and forgiveness. Face to face, they go back to being boys and talk about the choices that led them to two very different lives.

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That Boy poster: two men in silhouette facing each other across a wooden table

Premiere, awards and selections

Official premiereEuropean ParliamentBrussels · Roma Week 2025
WinnerAudience Choice AwardAke Dikhea? · Berlin 2025
Official selectionLatcho Dives Roma FestivalLeipzig · 2026
Official selectionEASA 2026 Film ProgrammePoznań · 2026
Research filmESRC fundedLondon Metropolitan University
By invitationBritish Ambassador's ResidenceBratislava · 2025

The film

Uncomfortable. Human. Healing.

At eleven, Toby was beaten into a coma by skinheads in Poland. Decades later he sat down across a table from Mirek, a former neo-Nazi and football hooligan who now speaks out against extremism.

That Boy captures their unedited conversation: where hate comes from, what it costs, and whether reconciliation is possible. Initiated by London Metropolitan University research, it is used as an educational tool against extremism and anti-Gypsyism.

It is never streamed. It is shown only in private settings, by invitation and with purpose, to rooms ready to have real conversations.

Toby Gorniak at a panel table in front of a screen showing the That Boy poster
Panel after the screening · photo Anna Jochymek, London Metropolitan University

On tour

Shown where it matters.

Never streamed. Taken from room to room across Europe, and now to the Gulf.

  1. Apr 2025European ParliamentBrusselsPremiere
  2. 2025British Ambassador's residenceBratislava, SlovakiaPrivate screening
  3. 2025British embassiesEuropePrivate screenings
  4. Mar 2026UCLLondonScreening & Q&A
  5. 2026University of SheffieldSheffieldMigration Research Group
  6. 2026Latcho Dives Roma FestivalLeipzigFestival selection
  7. 2026KrakówPolandScreening, panel and Radio Kraków
  8. May 2026Pilecki InstituteBerlinScreening with Beyond the Divide
  9. 2026EASA 2026PoznańConference film programme
  10. Oct 2026Remembrance MuseumOświęcim, PolandPrivate screening

By invitation

At the British Ambassador's residence.

Toby was welcomed by the British Ambassador at his residence in Bratislava, Slovakia, for a private screening of That Boy.

A film made to start difficult conversations, shown in the room where diplomacy happens: Toby and Mirek at one table, talking about hate and healing.

By invitationBritish Ambassador's ResidenceBratislava · 2025
Host a private screening
Toby Gorniak MBE with the British Ambassador at his residence in Bratislava
With the AmbassadorThe residence, Bratislava
Guests watching Toby on screen during the private screening of That Boy
The screeningThat Boy
Toby Gorniak MBE smiling with a cup of tea at the reception
The receptionBefore the film

The experience

From discomfort to clarity.

More than a film. A three-part experience designed to move people from fear to leadership, tailored to your audience.

Private screening

The never-publicly-shown film: a real conversation between a Roma man and a former neo-Nazi about identity, trauma and choice.

Live keynote

Toby shares his own story, from refugee to MBE, and how pain can be turned into purpose.

Gorniak Method session

Practical tools to build confidence, heal wounds around identity and belonging, and step into authentic leadership.

Ways to use it

Built for your room.

From a single screening to a multi-week programme combining film, creative arts and leadership development. Pick a format and we will take it from there.

A That Boy screening followed by a panel Q&A in KrakówUniversities · organisations

Screening & Q&A

A private screening followed by a live or virtual Q&A with Toby, creating a safe space for honest dialogue.

Enquire about this format Toby Gorniak MBE with a group of young people in a school gymSchools · communities

From conversation to change

Facilitated workshops on conflict resolution, identity and building inclusive communities.

Enquire about this format Toby Gorniak MBE in a filmed panel conversationWorkplaces · public sector

Equity & inclusion training

The film as a case study for staff and leaders building more inclusive practice and understanding complex social dynamics.

Enquire about this format Young people celebrating on stage after a Street Factory showcaseYoung people

Creative youth programme

Young people use the film's themes to create spoken word, dance or theatre, ending in a showcase for peers and family.

Enquire about this format

Photographs

Inside the rooms.

The That Boy team outside the European Parliament
Premiere dayRoma Week · Brussels
An audience watching That Boy in a darkened room
The screeningEuropean Parliament
Toby on the panel after the screening
The panelAfter the film
Toby Gorniak speaking on the panel
Toby Gorniak MBEOn the panel
Toby Gorniak MBE speaking with a microphone on the documentary tour in Kosovo
The conversationDocumentary tour · Kosovo
Toby Gorniak MBE speaking on the panel after the That Boy screening in Kraków
KrakówPanel after the screening

Brussels and behind-the-scenes photos: Anna Jochymek, London Metropolitan University.

Credits

The team

  • Film conceptMichał P. Garapich
  • Directed byMichał P. Garapich, co-directed and filmed by New Vandal Media
  • Executive producersMichał P. Garapich · Toby Gorniak MBE
  • Video productionNew Vandal Media
  • Academic supervisionAnna Jochymek · Rafał Soborski · Michał P. Garapich
  • Funding & supportEconomic and Social Research Council · London Metropolitan University
  • ConsultationFiyaz Mughal OBE, Faith Matters
An audience watching That Boy in a darkened room

By invitation

Host a screening.

For universities, schools, councils, police, workplaces and community organisations ready for an honest conversation.

Request a screening Pair it with a keynote