[Filmfestivalresearch] RomArchive_request to collaborate

[Andrea Pócsik]

Dear Colleagues,


I am writing this letter on the behalf of Romedia Foundation
<http://romediafoundation.org/>, a Romani non-governmental organization
based in Budapest as a contributor expert of a new initiative curated by –
among other Roma artists, scholars – its director, Katalin Bársony.



RomArchive is a great long-term project, devised as an international
digital archive for art of the Roma – a constantly growing collection of
art from all fields, enhanced by scholarly texts and historical documents.
We will select and gather works of art from the fields of film,
photography, visual arts, theatre, music, dance and literature. Intelligent
contextualisation and scholarly articles will provide background
information, help understanding of complex interrelations, and thus ensure
nuanced readings of the works on display.



We would like to invite you to participate in the work and help us find all
the potential films for the RomArchive, by filling in the questionnaire
linked below. In the questionnaire, we collect data on films that were
either *created by Roma* or are *focused on representing the Roma*. If you
are aware of multiple films that fit into these categories, please fill in
the form multiple times, opening a new questionnaire for each film. If you
know filmmakers, experts who would be interested in it or for us, please
feel free to forward this letter to them.



>From the selected films, we will create a digital archive, an online
platform for the films - after have surveyed other international film
archives with similar topics, purposes. The films will be presented with a
description, a trailer and interviews, which offer potential publication
platform with the contextualisation.  This archive gives *an incomparable
new interpretation of the films*, focusing on the *Romani people’s
self-representation*. In the film selection we would like to set *a
chronological/historical context* for the films connected to the changing
Roma representation.



*RomArchive is to become an internationally accessible space that makes the
cultures and histories of the Roma visible* and responds to recurring
stereotypes by a counter-history told by Roma themselves. For international
accessibility, the archive will be set up in 3 languages (English, German
and Romani).



The RomArchive is *a transnational project* supported by the German Federal
Cultural Foundation. It provides various presentation forms and platforms
besides the online form: *exhibitions, film festivals* throughout Europe.



Please fill in the RomArchive Film section initial questionnaire until 15th
December to help our work!
*RomArchive Film section initial questionnaire*

<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Q_vPcHYy43TtHI_URk5sCU3_TnT5vO_fbBaaxMtZ7zg/edit?usp=drive_web>Thank
you for your participation.


Best wishes,

Andrea Pócsik Ph.D.

culture researcher, film historian

pocsik66 at gmail.com