Friends of the Ghetto(2024)

Heavy Heart(sk)

Documentary film Heavy Heart arose as a part of ethnomusicological research Silalo panori / Cold water (2014 – 2017) of ancient Roma songs. These songs are usually connected with memories and experiences of their interprets. Documentary in a mosaic-like way traces the way of the original Roma music transport to the next generation or also how it ceases to exist under the influence of social changes.

Helping Mihaela(fi)

A Roma beggar on his knees raises many extreme emotions: guilt, rage, sympathy and frustration. Most people just walk on by, but there is always someone willing to help. In this film, the director follows the confrontations between the Roma beggars from Romania and Finnish people, and is forced to question, over and over again, her own ideas about helping.

O Baripen(sk)

The TV biopic maps the fate of Roma writer Elena Lackova in an intimately personal way. As viewers, thanks to the author's authentic voiceover and preserved archive footage, we delve into her memories of the Holocaust and the communist dictatorship in the context of the play Burning Gypsy Camp. We uncover the circumstances of growing up in a gypsy settlement, her first literary achievements, and her struggle to combine her personal and professional life. We also get to know her life story through her great-granddaughter and actress Alžbeta Ferencova, known as Zea or the serial Iveta (dir. Jan Hřebejk, 2022). The parallel between the life of the writer and that of her great-granddaughter, who also embarked on an artistic career and broke down stereotypes about the role of Roma women in society, creates a timely and transferable story. A crucial motif of the poetic film is also the unprecedented emancipation of the writer for the time.

The Third End of the Stick(sk)

Otherness in otherness. What does it mean to be different in a community that is itself excluded from society? The documentary follows the fate of Roma who have become a minority in a minority society. Roma gays and transvestite search for their living space and dream of working abroad. A legless father of five longs for a wheelchair. A Roma grandmother sacrifices her life for the health of her beloved grandson. Will Emil, a Roma man who has found faith in God, be able to save his son from alcohol? Four stories from the poorest Roma settlements in Slovakia aim to break down prejudices between the Roma community and the white majority.

Roma Boys – The Love Story(cs)

The film explores the taboo subject of homosexuality within the Roma community through the personal story of a Roma activist who happens to be gay. Though his job has earned him respect among his peers, by coming out his status is in jeopardy. However, the desire to share his complex story prompted him to write a screenplay based on his life. Partly a documentary about his autobiographical script, the film switches between documentary and narrative storytelling. Owing to its distinctive style, the film offers a glimpse into the protagonist's world as he faces triple discrimination: as a Roma, as a gay man, and as a gay man in the Roma community.

Acasă, My Home(ro)

In the wilderness of the Bucharest Delta, nine children and their parents lived in perfect harmony with nature for 20 years – until they are chased out and forced to adapt to life in the big city.

Citizen Miko(cs)

Miko is a truck driver, his father is Romani, and above all he is a man who wanted to help those in need. When the Czech government was looking for reasons not to take in a few dozen children from Greek refugee camps after the chemical attacks on Syrian civilians in 2018, Miko took justice into his own hands and, together with the Czechs Helping initiative, prepared facilities for child refugees. However, government officials gave priority to political interests. Will parliamentary elections and a change of ministries save the situation? An unflattering but accurately portrayal of the Czech Republic as a country that will only offer a helping hand when it is worthwhile.

Leaving to Remain(sk)

With the UK’s hardening immigration policy in the background, director Mira Erdevički follows the lives of three Roma: Petr Torák, Denisa Gannon and Ondrej Oláh. Settled in the UK over 20 years ago, the trio still feel attached to their native Slovakia and the Czech Republic. As the country goes into lockdown, they film their lives throughout the Covid pandemic and the aftermath of Brexit.

Flames of God(en)

Muzafer Bislim comes up with some of his most insightful songs while sitting on the floor, recording lyrics into a cassette recorder bought at a flea market. A poet and songwriter who collaborates with the biggest names in Romani music, the 54-year old lives a life of modest means with his family in Shutka, Macedonia. Stored in the corner of his one-room house is a tottering, ceiling-high stack of handwritten, 25,000-word, multi-dialect dictionary of the oldest and most obscure words in the Romani language, which he has painstakingly collected over 35 years. When he's invited to the International Biennial of Poets held in Paris, he sees the trip as an opportunity to have his dictionary published. A testament to the endurance of a people who have been scattered across Europe, the dictionary is not only a work of art but also a rare link to a divided past.

Carmen(fi)

A documentary about a young Finnish Romany Carmen, 11, who lives with her grandmother and aunt in the suburb of a small town in Northern Finland.

The Unpromised Land(sv)

Sabina has traveled from Romania to the small Swedish town Holmsund with her Roma brothers. They work in a garage and Sabina is looking for a job. Elin, born and raised in Holmsund, is in the church singing at the graduation ceremony. A summer is about to start and Sabina will get to know Elin. Together they will revolt against the old ways and find something new in each other. At the same time the society around them collapses in fear and Elin’s dad becomes insane by sorrow. Because there is a madness in the Swedish idyll.

The Gypsy Camp Vanishes Into the Blue(ru)

This colourful, music-filled and sensual melodrama based on early stories by Maxim Gorky tells the fatal love story between the beautiful and rebellious girl Rada and the handsome horse thief Zobar. The story is set in early 20th century Bessarabia, now part of Moldova, then belonging to the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Kto si bez viny...(sk)

The Garbage Helicopter(sv)

Somewhere in Sweden, a gigantic dumpster breaks free from a heavy chain suspended underneath a big helicopter. The dumpster hits the ground with a formidable crash and the garbage spouts out into the surroundings. Meanwhile, an aging Roma woman wakes up in her house with an extremely strong desire to get her old wall clock back.

The Marco Effect(da)

When a homeless Romani boy is arrested at the Danish border for possession of a missing public servant's passport, police inspector Carl Mørck and Department Q are tasked with finding the connection.

Good Heart(cs)

The first film ever broadcasted in Roma language on Czech public TV without Czech subtitles. Good Heart is an adaptation of a Roma folk tale recounting an evening in a little cottage house in the countryside.

Shaft - A Wakeboarding Incident(en)

Just in time for the early-summer thaw comes Shaft, a 45-minute wakeboard video "incident" that features some of the top riders in wakeboarding, both on and off the water. You may have seen parts of this video already: You know, the one with Shaun and Parks dressed up like Beastie Boys'-style undercover cops a la "Sabotage" video. Well, the cops are back with more riders playing undercover including Darin, Brannan, Tara, the Heaneys and more. It almost seems as though way more time was spent making the "cops" scenes than actually filming the riding. Shot entirely on 16-mm film, Shaft has a smooth, fluid look. It was filmed on location in Oregon, northern California and Florida, providing a variety of backdrops. Although it boasts a long list of riders, it mainly features Necrason, Murray, Shapiro, Bonifay, Lavelle, Johnson and Siebring with a cameo by Randy Harris and a nice introduction to Shawn Watson.

Shafted - The Saga Continues(en)

Bump Films followed up Shaft, with another 16mm wakeboard masterpiece called "SHAFTED - The Saga Continues." Bringing you the top pro riders from around the world, with helicopters, 25 foot sliders, double-ups and triple-ups, along with groundbreaking technical tricks. SHAFTED contains one of the most memorable segments of all time as Parks Bonifay blows up your screen not once, but twice with an amazing technical display of including 900s, Double Half Cab Rolls, and more handle-pass inverts than you can shake a wakeboard rope at! FEATURED RIDERS Shaun Murray Parks Bonifay Darin Shapiro Rob Struharik Shawn Watson Brannan Johnson Shane Bonifay.

Tiny: The Life of Erin Blackwell(en)

Filmmaker Martin Bell chronicles the life of Erin Blackwell, mother of 10 children, from the time she was a 14-year-old prostitute through her battle with drug addiction, poverty and parenting.

Free 4 All(en)

Free4All may be the best video yet to come out of the editing bay of Mark Bame and his crew at Bump Films. This release, shot almost entirely on 16mm film, features today's best riders doing some of the most technical riding seen to date. Almost every section was solid from beginning to end, with crisp, clean images leaping off the screen. Memorable moments come from Brian Grubb's wakeskating section, Parks Bonifay's always impressive wakeboarding section, and the craziest and most dangerous wakeboard stunt performed to date; the U-Haul gap where a few riders gap a road by riding on top of a huge U-Haul truck! That section alone is worth the price of buying this DVD! This gap was so nasty Kyle Schmidt tore his knee upon impact to the water after jumping off the roof of the truck!