Blog post by Roman Woopen Film Series 2026: Against Antigypsyism and for Sinti and Roma Empowerment

Published on 17 July 2026

The Critical Film & Image Hub at the Research Centre on Antigypsyism at Heidelberg University, in cooperation with the Protestant Academy Berlin, organized the second edition of the film series “I Spy with My Little Eye: Antigypsyism in Film.” Roman Woopen (VISION KINO) reflects on the films screened and the panel discussions that followed.

Late in the evening after the final screening, some of us are still discussing the film, including Radmila Mladenova. She had introduced The Garbage Helicopter (Sweden, 2015, dir. Jonas Selberg Augustsén) as “a refreshing drink in the desert” because it avoids antigypsyist stereotypes and instead searches for new images and narratives. A representative of a Sinti and Roma self-organization is visibly irritated. He points out that the film never explicitly states that its protagonists belong to the minority; after all, non-Roma audiences may not even recognize the Romani language spoken in the film. Has the film therefore failed in its educational and anti-discriminatory mission?

This exchange between a film scholar and a community representative illustrates many of the questions that shaped the film series: that there are multiple complementary approaches to challenging antigypsyism; that films about, by, and with Sinti and Roma are inherently political; and that films remain open to interpretation and take on a life of their own in audience reception. Centering film within anti-antigypsyism work is itself a highly political act. Film history is deeply rooted in antigypsyist traditions. The recurring motifs shift between criminalization, dehumanization, exoticization, and sexualization. Films reflect the social and political contexts in which they are created and simultaneously shape those contexts in return. They reinforce images, emotions, and narratives that become embedded both in majority society and within Sinti and Roma communities themselves. Talina Connolly (Network of Sinti Roma Churches at the Protestant Academy Berlin), for example, noted during one panel discussion that she lacked positive Sinti and Roma role models in film as a child. Instead, there were only stereotypical figures such as Esmeralda. This contributed to feelings of insecurity and otherness, while non-Roma children learned antigypsyist patterns of perception.

This makes films such as those featured in the series all the more important. Rather than reproducing stereotypes, they focus on lived experiences of antigypsyism, resistance, and the diversity of Sinti and Roma lives. They are developed with and by members of the minority community, from scriptwriting through post-production. Such films can strengthen Sinti and Roma communities, tell suppressed stories, help process trauma and emotions, and influence wider society. Film achieves its political effects through artistic means: through music – or  its absence – through lighting, humor, and storytelling. Films are not government reports or educational explainer videos. As works of art, they affect audiences emotionally, offering images and stories that are political in their own distinctive way.

The Four Screenings

Against this backdrop, the selection of films for “I Spy with My Little Eye: Antigypsyism in Film” was both an artistic and a political undertaking. The films presented contemporary perspectives on Sinti and Roma life without reproducing antigypsyist stereotypes. Instead, they addressed antigypsyism directly. The venues themselves reflected the diversity of the program: from the House of the Protestant Church at Gendarmenmarkt to the independent cinema Sinema Transtopia in Wedding, the Pilecki Institute near Brandenburg Gate, and the Nordic Embassies.

The films highlighted diverse experiences shaped by gender, mental health, age, and national context. They included:

• The Gift (Spain, 2025, dir. Lara Izagirre Gariurieta), addressing the humiliating experience of being falsely accused of shoplifting.
• Goodbye, Castle (Romania, 2024, dir. Alina Șerban), in which two sisters revisit the orphanage where they grew up and reflect on poverty, shame, discrimination, and resilience.
• The Angry Bird (United Kingdom, 2025, dir. Lisa Smith & Jack Lilleywhite), portraying a Traveller race-car driver and mother confronting antigypsyism.
• All the Love in My Body (Greece, 2026, dir. Carmen Baltzar), a powerful story inspired by a real incident in Italy involving two Romani girls who were denied recognition of their humanity.

Together, the films foregrounded women’s experiences while exploring broader questions of discrimination, identity, and resistance.

A Refreshing Drink in the Desert

The film series deliberately brought together a wide range of perspectives, and voices that challenge antigypsyism and strengthen Sinti and Roma communities. Any attempt to summarize them fully would fail to capture their thematic richness, artistic complexity, and the diverse ways audiences experienced them. Perhaps Radmila Mladenova’s metaphor of “a refreshing drink in the desert” best describes the series as a whole. One can only hope that it will continue, that these films will keep being discussed, and that their impact will endure. Films are not merely sites where majority societies reproduce antigypsyism, nor are they simply objects of passive consumption. Films such as those presented in this series can bring suppressed stories into collective memory, create space for multidimensional discussions about antigypsyism, foster resilience in post-Nazi societies, and stimulate public debate, education, and political action. Judging from audience responses throughout the series, they succeeded in doing precisely that.