CEIJA STOJKA
Karin Berger | Austria 1999 | 85 min
A biographical portrait of the Romani Ceija Stojka, who was a traveller as a child and has long been living in Vienna. Today, she is a well-known artist and committed to opening up the Sinti and Roma to the world of the “Gadje”, the non-Roma.
ERZÄHLTE BUCHSTABEN / TALKING LETTERS
Pavel Braila, Angelika Herta | Romania, Moldova 2013 | 53 min
A multifaceted portrayal of the history and present of the Romani language that has been banned and prosecuted time and again, from Maria Theresia to Hitler. Contemporary witnesses and language researchers shed light on a little known oral culture. The film will be preceded by three shorts, including RASTPLATZ by Damien Le Bas.
GYPSY SPIRIT: HARRI STOJKA - EINE REISE
Klaus Hundsbichler | Austria, India 2010 | 91 min
To explore the origins of Roma music, the world musician Harri Stojka travels to India and discovers that the mysterious melodies unite people throughout the world. A spirited travel documentary on the magic of playing music together that won the Austrian Film Award.
THE GYPSY VOTE / CIGÁNI IDÚ DO VOLIEB
Jaroslav Vojtek | Slovakia, Czech Republic 2012 | 72 min
Vlado Sendrei is the first Roma candidate in local elections in Slovakia. He also wants to win over the hearts of the “whites”. This does not find favour with his wife Jana. A documentary film on the election campaign of an unusual politician – with ironic sideswipes at married life.
LIEBE IST LIEBE / LÁSKA JE LÁSKA
Milan Cieslar | Czech Republic 2012 | 95 min
Blind Maruška dreams of great love and a family of her own. Her husband-to-be is supposed to be tall with curly blond hair and blue eyes. Instead, she falls in love with the Romani Marek. A charming comedy about a teenage love with obstacles.
LEBEN UND STERBEN IN TANNWALD / ŽIVOT A SMRT V TANVALDU
Vít Klusák, Filip Remunda | Czech Republic 2013 | 60 min
The northern Bohemian town of Tannwald made the headlines in 2012: A young father of Romani descent was shot dead. Was it self-defence or murder? The documentary confronts the audience with the population’s prejudices and open racism. The director seeks the truth by raising uneasy questions.
LOLI KALI SHUBA/ TABIR (LOLI KALI SHUBA)
Aleksandr Balagura | Ukraine 2013 | 52 min
“Loli Kali Shuba” is a Romani children’s song. After twenty years, the documentary film-maker returns to a Roma settlement where a little girl once sang this song to him. What has happened since then? He compares his old black-and-white shots with the present.
MAO CE DUN
Besnik Bisha | Albania 2007 | 91 min
When the patriarch of a Roma community wants to name his ninth child after the Chinese chief of state, it provokes the communist party. A dark comedy set in 1970s Albania with quirky, heart-warming characters.
MY DOG KILLER / MÔJ PES KILLER
Mira Fornay | Czech Republic, Slovakia | 87 min
Marek lives with his father and fighting dog Killer in the province. His stepbrother is of Romani descent and admires his “big brother”, who hangs around with extreme right-wing hooligans. The director skilfully mixes a moody cocktail of racism, “no future” attitude and latent violence.
THE WHITE PICKET FENCE PROJECT
Marla Altschuler, Tamarin Kaplan | USA, Great Britain, South Africa 2012 | 105 min
Loyiso lives in a South African slum, the young Roma Valon in post-war Kosovo. Both are fighting against poverty and racist prejudices that are making it hard for them to gain a better future. The film emphatically accompanies the young men on their journey through life.
ROM QUIJOTE / ROM KIHOT
Petya Nakova, Nina Pehlivanova | Bulgaria 2013 | 61 min
The Romani Valery moderates a radio show on the situation of his compatriots. He has a pile of debts and his wife is working far away in Greece. In an ironic and poetic manner, the feature film gives an account of everyday life in a Roma quarter in Bulgaria between ignorance and unfulfilled dreams.
VOJTA LAVIĆKA: HÖHEN UND TIEFEN / VOJTA LAVIĆKA: NAHORU A DOLŮ
Helena Třeštíková | Czech Republic 2013 | 88 min
For a period of 16 years, the director accompanied the Romani Vojta Lavićka, member of the band Gipsy.cz and fighter for the rights of his people. The complex documentary shows the highs and lows of his commitment and simultaneously sheds light on the situation of the Roma in the Czech Republic.
11 short films will be screened in the Focus programme:
ANGRY MEN
BEFORE THE FOILIAGE FALLS
BLOODY BOYS
DER SCHUHPUTZER
DING DING LAPTOP
IRFC-OMNIBUSFILM
LIKE SMOKE
MANGAVA DISCO PUNK
OUT OF ROUND: WHAT IS BEHIND
STOPPING PLACE
TOXIC FUN
In addition, 12 contributions of the “Mundi Romani” series will be shown.
