II Edition of the Fortnight of Roma movies

The Council of Europe is organising the 2nd edition of the film festival “The fortnight of Roma cinema” , on 11-25 June 2008, in Strasbourg, to celebrate the art, culture and contribution to European society of the Roma.

Internationally celebrated film maker Tony Gatlif (Gadjo Dilo, Latcho Drom, Swing, Transylvania, Exiles among others), will participate in a public forum on 16 June about the Roma, some 10 million European citizens found in almost all Council of Europe member states – and often the target of racist attack and public disdain.

The two-week festival will feature nine critically acclaimed films at the Odyssée cinema in Strasbourg. Council of Europe representatives and experts will be on hand for discussions after certain times.

The ambassador of Finland, whose country has donated much to help make the festival possible will participate.

The Fortnight of Roma cinema is, first and foremost, a means for the Roma themselves to acknowledge and promote their culture, and for the general public to discover and become acquainted with a culture that all too often suffers from stereotypes.  As part of the “Education of Roma children in Europe” project, it is a practical way of producing teaching and information material for schools, Roma and all adults in general. 

For more information on the Council of Europe’s activities on Roma see also www.dosta.org and www.coe.int/romatravellers.

Films to be shown:
Transylvania by Tony Gatlif
Gadjo Dilo by Tony Gatlif
Swing by Tony Gatlif
Vengo by Tony Gatlif
Gypsy Caravan by Jasmine Dellal
Life is a miracle by Emir Kusturica
Black cat, white cat by Emir Kusturica.
At Great Cost (The Horse That Cried) by Marc Donskoi
Gadjo Délire by Aleksander Manic