Features
Video: young people from Roma communities speak out
Twenty City Academy students from Roma communities have worked with Rife Magazine and professional filmmaker Drew Cox to create a fascinating short film about their lives in Bristol and the unique challenges they face.
The group worked on the project for six weeks, sharing stories of what it was like to come to Bristol from Romania, the dealings they’ve had with the police, and how they’ve managed to fit in while still retaining their own strong culture and traditions. Filmed in Easton in a single day, the resulting film tells a bold story from a rarely-heard perspective.
Filmmaker Drew Cox helped to realise the project. “It was really interesting to work with the kids,” he says. “We wanted to take the lead from them, what they felt was important and the stories they wanted to tell. They wrote, drew and told us about things they got up to, the worries and concerns in their communities, and what they liked about Bristol. They all loved football and dancing, just like any other kids.”
The young people worked on the project during school time, supported by their teachers. They worked on all the pre-production tasks, writing a script, planning the shots, and learned how to use cameras and sound recording equipment before organising the shooting day.
“It was thanks to having that time to get to know them that we began to develop trust and find the two main contributors featured in the film,” Drew continues. “They were dating in real life, and they were struggling with their families being from two different Roma communities – they started opening up about that side of things, and that gave me an angle about how isolated these communities can be sometimes.
“They also touched on the stereotypes and trouble with the police, and we tried to make that into something as positive as possible. The idea of the football match with the police brought the whole thing together – it was visually interesting, and gave the two sides a chance to have fun together. And that led onto the circular theme – a visual way to represent unity and community.”
The young people involved saw the film in a private screening at Watershed, and were “blown away”, Drew says. “They were so excited by being on screen. We definitely all saw the change in them from the beginning of the project. It was a totally different way to engage them.”
Read more: 12 stories by young people in Bristol
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