The Open Society Foundations and the National Endowment for
Democracy will host two screenings on the plight Roma populations in Europe. Uprooted, nominated for an Al-Jazeera International Documentary Film Festival award this year, brings the voice of Roma youth into the debate on immigrationin Europe. Faces of Change tells the stories of ten women living in Europe and challenges stereotypes associated with Roma women. Thomas Melia, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor at the State Department will make opening remarks. He will be introduced by Erika Schlager from the U.S. Helsinki Commission, who will also introduce the films.
Uprooted (22 minutes)
In October 2010, German Chancellor Angela Merkel declared that attempts to build a multicultural society in Germany had "utterly failed." From the perspective of children like Anita, Sedat, and Nasmija, born and raised in Germany by parents who fled Kosovo in the 1990s, the statement makes no sense. For them, there is no question: they are German. Uprooted is the only Hungarian film to have been nominated among 46 films in the short film category at the 8th annual Al-Jazeera International Documentary Film Festival in 2012, and more significantly, will be the first film directed by a Romani film maker to compete at the prestigious event.
Faces of Change (27 minutes)
Faces of Change takes the viewer on a journey across Europe to meet ten women who refuse to be defined by the fear and suspicion that still surround Roma across the world. Traveling from Spain to Macedonia through France, Italy, Bosnia and the Czech Republic, the documentary is a testimony to the diversity of Roma culture and the strength of those who help it survive and evolve for the benefit of future generations.
The documentary is an episode of the award-winning Mundi Romani – the World through Roma Eyes TV series, broadcast between 2007 and 2011 on Hungarian Television.
The screenings will be followed by a reception and a conversation with the films' director, Katalin Barsony. Winning images from the Chachipe Map Photography Project, a contest that gives both amateur and professional photographers a platform to exhibit non-stereotypical photos of Roma that are free of prejudice, will also be shown. Please RSVP to ensure a seat as space is limited.
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