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”.