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