Everyday Life of Roma Children from Block 71
by Ivana Todorovic
color, 21 min, 2006
institutional price includes public performance rights
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There are 600 squatter settlements in Serbia, the inhabitants of which are mostly of Roma origin. Of these, 105 are in Belgrade with seventeen more in New Belgrade. Here, Ivana Todorovic documents the life of the Stankovic family who migrated from Southern Serbia in search of better opportunities. Provided with few social services, their living conditions are rough and the children work to help support their family. An intimate window into Serbian Roma culture, the documentary sheds light on the intricacies of Roma customs and their amalgamation of cultural influences - from Roma and Serbian culture to Hispanic pop-culture. Remarkably resilient, funny and optimistic, the children speak openly about their hopes and dreams, including educational opportunities from which they are often excluded. Charming and informative, the documentary brings an alternative and very human view of the often-beleaguered and impoverished Roma.
Film Festivals, Screenings, Awards
Golden Wheel, Fourth Roma Film Festival, Skopje, Macedonia, 2006 Gottingen International Film Festival, Gottingen, Germany, 2006 OFFAF, 19th International Film Festival, Skopje, Macedonia, 2006 Viscult Film Festival, International Festival of Visual Culture, Joensuu, Finland, 2006 International Film Festival of Ethnological Film, Belgrade, Serbia, 2006 Tartu Festival of Visual Culture, Tartu, Estonia, 2006 A Conversation in Film - International Documentary Film Festival, London, England, 2006 "Eyes and Lenses IV" International Ethnographic Film Festival, Warsaw, Poland, 2006 54th Belgrade Documentary and Short Film Festival, Serbia, 2006 International Documentary Film Festival, Volda, Norway, 2006 Balkan International Film Festival, Warsaw, Poland, 2006 Special Jury Award, International Film Festival of Ethnological Film, Belgrade, 2006 Third Prize, OFFAF, 19th International Film Festival, Skopje, Macedonia, 2006 CRONOGRAF, International Documentary Film Festival, Moldova, 2007 Terra Di Tutti, International Documentary Film Festival, Bologna, Italy, 2007 DOCUPOLIS, International Documentary Film Festival, Barcelona, Spain, 2007 Montreal Human Rights Film Festival, Canada, 2007 Best Short Film, Human Rights Film Festival, Montreal, Canada, 2007 Royal Anthropological Institute International Festival of Ethnographic Film, UK, 2007 London International Documentary Film Festival, 2007 New York Gypsy Film Festival, 2007 Quebec International Ethnographic Film Festival, Canada, 2008 Related Films Opre Roma: Gypsies in Canada Roma Stories T'an Bahktale: Roma (Gypsies) In Russia