Film Screening at the “Dikh He Na Bister” Youth Remembrance Event

1 August 2025 at 20:30, Zaczek Klub, Krakow

Romani film producer Lisa Smith (Critical Film & Image Hub at the Research Centre on Antigypsyism, Heidelberg University) presents a series of animated documentary short films featuring the biographies of persecuted Sinti and Roma during the Holocaust and engages in a discussion with young Roma and non-Roma activists from around Europe at the “Dikh He Na Bister” Youth Remembrance Event.

“People Can Die Twice” – Short Film Biographies of Persecuted Sinti and Roma

This animated documentary film series honors the memory of the Roma and Sinti victims of the systematic genocide in Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II.  Each short film in the series employs different animation techniques. Moving beyond conventional approaches to historical trauma, these films illuminate stories of resistance and solidarity. 

Produced by Lisa Smith in a project of the Foundation Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (Berlin) and the organization “Roma Trial”, these critical histories have been created to remain meaningfully accessible to contemporary viewers across generations. The collection embodies one of the short film's central messages: "The second time people die is when they are forgotten.”

Grounded in historical testimonies, these films transformed documentation into visual narratives, ensuring that these profound stories receive the enduring memory and commemoration they rightfully deserve. Through the power of animation, forgotten voices are given new life, bridging past and present in the service of remembrance.

The short film series premiered at the AKE DIKHEA? International Festival of Romani Film in 2022 on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Memorial to the Sinti and Roma of Europe murdered under National Socialism. The series is part of the open-air exhibition at the memorial site in Berlin Tiergarten.

About the filmmaker Lisa Smith

Lisa Smith is a research associate at the Critical Film & Image Hub at the Research Centre on Antigypsyism (Heidelberg University). Lisa is a filmmaker, consultant, and curator committed to advancing Romani representation through film and cultural advocacy. She runs Patrin Films, a Romani-led production company in the UK. From 2020 to 2024, she curated AKE DIKHEA? – The International Festival of Romani Film, a pioneering platform for Romani filmmakers and narratives. 

Dikh He Na Bister

DIKH HE NA BISTER (“Look and don’t forget” in Romani) – the Roma Genocide Remembrance Initiative mobilizes each year thousands of young Roma and non-Roma all over Europe on the occasion of the 2 August – the European Holocaust Memorial Day for Sinti and Roma – to advance remembrance, recognition and education about the Genocide of Sinti and Roma. DIKH HE NA BISTER is an initiative of ternYpe International Roma Youth Network, and it aims to empower young people in their struggle for justice and equality.

Organizer and Support

The film screening event and workshop is organized by the Critical Film & Image Hub at the Research Centre on Antigypsyism (Heidelberg University) in cooperation with Dikh He Na Bister & ternype International Roma Youth Network. It is supported by the „Live Democracy!“ Programme of the German Federal Ministry for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMBFSFJ), within the framework of the “Cooperation Network against Antigypsyism”.

This one-day workshop explores the cinematic portrayal of Romani people and offers practical tools for creating respectful, empathetic representations. Participants will begin by examining the roots and mechanisms of antigypsyism in film with Dr. Radmila Mladenova. Filmmakers Sejad Ademaj and Willi Kubica will then share how they developed their Roma characters and storylines. After lunch, Lisa Smith and Andra Drăghiciu will lead an interactive session on ethical storytelling and collaboration, emphasizing the importance of involving Roma voices in the filmmaking process. The workshop ends with a Q+A session.

Dr. Radmila Mladenova is the academic coordinator of the Critical Film & Image Hub at the Research Center on Antigypsyism at Heidelberg University and project co-lead in the collaborative project “Mediated Antigypsyism – From Interdisciplinary Analysis to Critical Media Literacy” (MeAviA).

Sejad Ademaj studies directing at the Film Academy Baden-Württemberg. The son of a Montenegrin Roma family, he has lived in Germany since 1991. His second-year film “Fifteen Minutes” premiered at the 2022 Hof International Film Festival and won several short film awards.

Willi Kubica was born in Berlin in 1990. After studying Theatre, Film, and Media Studies in Vienna, he pursued a directing degree at the Film Academy Baden-Württemberg. His historical short film “ELJA – 376 A.D.” earned him the Young CIVIS Media Prize, Europe’s media award for integration.

Lisa Smith is a filmmaker, consultant, and curator committed to advancing Romani representation through film and cultural advocacy. From 2020 to 2024, she curated AKE DIKHEA? – The International Festival of Romani Film, a pioneering platform for Romani filmmakers and narratives.

Dr. Andra Drăghiciu holds a PhD in Central European Studies and is a research associate at the Critical Film & Image Hub at the Research Centre on Antigypsyism (Heidelberg University).

Workshop Language: English