Saturday 11. 10. 2025
The festival will present European Roma artists through their works, but also through their introductions to the films we will be screening. It is important for us to show the differences but also the parallels between artists of different genders, directors from Germany, Hungary, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
Animation /Screening 10:00 - 11:30
SCREENING
Roma Fairy Tales: The Basket Maker (Cigánymesék - A kosárfonó)
Director: Szoboszlay Eszter
Hungary, 2020, Romani fairy tale, 8 min
A grandfather who makes a living weaving baskets and his absent-minded grandson live in poverty near a willow grove on the riverbank. The boy does not want to learn the craft, but one day he receives a magic wand from a strange stranger, along with instructions on how to achieve happiness and wealth. He grows up to be an honest young man, and his magic baskets are filled with only good things. But is it really right for a person to have an abundance of everything?
SCREENING
Roma Fairy Tales: The Woodcarver (Cigánymesék - A teknövájók)
Director: Balajthy László
Hungary, 2020, Roma fairy tale, 8 min
A story about a Romani family who make
a living carving wooden troughs and face
prejudice, hardship, and adversity from society. But when the village is flooded and they use their troughs to save the village children, they are rewarded with recognition.
SERIES
People Die Twice
Germany, 2022
This series of seven short films commemorates the Poraimos – the genocide of Roma and Sinti during World War II. Through multi-layered animated images, it tells the stories of survivors and victims.
SERIES - PEOPLE DIE TWICE
Listen
Director: Hamze Bytyci
Germany, 2022, 8 min.
This disturbingly moving short animated film describes the testimony of an indescribable tragedy in contemporary Russia. It is a story permeated by the silence of those who remained silent in the face of suffering
and those who no longer have their own voice. The story brings the perspective of Holocaust survivor Lydia Krylova.
SERIES - PEOPLE DIE TWICE
The Ujvaris
directed by Hamze Bytyci
Germany, 2022, 6 min.
This short animated film shows the horrific acts committed against families and children during World War II. But it also serves as a reminder of countless similar stories. The film is based on the history of the Ujvari family, who were deported to the so-called gypsy camp
in Lackenbach, Austria.
SERIES - PEOPLE DIE TWICE
I'm Singing Again
directed by Hamze Bytyci
Germany, 2022, 7 min.
Emílie Machálková inherited her singing talent from her grandfather. It is a gift that allows her to honor the lives of her ancestors from the former Czechoslovakia. This animated short film shows music as a way to commemorate the murdered Roma and Sinti.
SERIES - PEOPLE DIE TWICE
People Die Twice
Director: Hamze Bytyci
Germany, 2022
How do we remember those who lived before us? This question is explored in a short animated film telling the story of two Prussian brothers, Vinko and Schann Franz. They brought joy to the world through music. A short film emphasizing the need to tell the stories of those who could not tell them themselves. A memento calling on contemporary society not to forget.
Documentary / Screening 12:30 - 14:00
SCREENING
Report on the Zero Year
Director: Jakub Fišer
Czechia, 2024, 50 min.
Report on the Zero Year is, in a way, a report on the state of (not only) the university environment and its inclusiveness in relation to the education of the Roma population. The documentary was filmed as a memento of roughly twenty years of effort by one institution, specifically the Department of Social Pedagogy at Masaryk University's Faculty of Education, to support Roma men and women on their path to education. The entire context is based on the powerful story of Roma educator Josef Pompa, his desire for knowledge, and the barriers that the Czech school system can create.
SCREENING
Angry Bird
Director: Jack Lilleywhite
United Kingdom, 2025, 11 min.
After a devastating crash, Georgie ‘Angry Bird’ Polley, a racer of Traveller origin, begins to question her future in a sport dominated by men. Funded and produced by Lisa Smith in 2023, the film was born out of frustration with the lack of authentic representation of the Romani and Traveller communities on the silver screen.
Talent / Industry 14:30 - 16:00
SCREENING
Mulo Drom:
The Journey of the Dead
Director: Siraj Sharma
This preview of Siraj Sharma's upcoming graduation film from FAMU tells the story of
a Romani boy who decides to fulfill his deceased father's somewhat unconventional last wish. However, this wish goes against tradition.
SCREENING
Grandmother
Director: Alecio Araci
Sweden, 2024, 7 min.
Grandmother, the matriarch of a Romani family, is worried. One of her grandchildren has stopped visiting her, and she doesn't understand why. Time passes, and with it,
everyday life filled with waiting. But Grandmother soon receives a phone call that will change her world.
SCREENING
German is Hard Work
Deutsche Sprache, schwere Sprache
Director: Sejad Ademaj
Germany, 2023, 9 min.
Theo, the singer of a band, is getting ready for the most important concert of his career. But he crashes his car
and ends up in the hospital. The driver of the other car is Mahmoud, who is about to receive citizenship. Mahmoud panics and drives away. At the hospital, Theo is diagnosed with a severe form of Foreign Accent Syndrome. Suddenly, he can only speak Arabic. Ironically, Mahmoud becomes his attending physician. Theo therefore tries to blackmail Mahmoud into teaching him German again.
PRESENTATION
Eye of the Storm
Director: Robert Poupátko
Czechia, 2027
Presentation of a short horror film that tells the story of a Romani priest who, during the storm of the century, must protect the inhabitants of a village from a group of bloodthirsty vampires.
SCREENING
Squid Game - Fendens Edition
Director: Fendens
Slovakia, 2025
What would the cult South Korean series Squid Game look like if it featured Roma characters? This satirical, comedic version of the world-famous series, created by Slovak filmmaker Fendens, loses none of its brutality, but takes on a whole new dimension, not only for Roma viewers.
PRESENTATION
Roma Boys
Directed by David Tišer, Rozálie Kohoutová
Czechia, 2027
A feature series based on the documentary Roma Boys - A Love Story (2010) is being prepared by the directors in collaboration with Czech Television and Cinémotif films.
Cinema / Screening 16:30 - 18:30
SCREENING
Gipsy Queen
Director: Hüseyin Tabak
Germany, 2019, 117 min.
Ali, once a promising young boxer from the Roma community and her father's only daughter, falls out of favor when she gives birth to her second child out of wedlock.
Inclusion / Industry 19:00 - 20:30
PANEL DISCUSSION
How is inclusion progressing in Czech film and television production?
Moderator: Alica Sigmund Heráková
The Czech film and television environment is changing. The Audiovisual Act has been updated, and the State Audiovisual Fund has presented a new concept and announced changes designed to support the development of the entire sector. Czech Television has new management, and online platforms and new television projects are competing for viewers on the commercial television market. What place does the topic of inclusion occupy on this changing map? How much space do Roma creators, actors, and actresses get and can create for themselves?
How are Roma viewers taken into account?
The panel discussion of Czech audiovisual leaders on the topic of inclusion is only featured in the TU+kino festival program. How are Romani viewers taken into account?
The panel discussion of Czech audiovisual leaders on the topic of inclusion is only featured in the TU+kino festival program.
Participants:
Kamila Zlatušková, director of the Television Institute and the Serial Killer festival
Kamil Fila, film critic
Nikolas Ferenc, actor, screenwriter.