Lydia Chagoll
Belgium | 2014 | 90 min
World premiere
Language : French
Subtitle : English
Ma Bister tells the story of the Roma and Sinti peoples in Europe, from the 17th Century to the modern day. Persecuted herself during the second world war, the director felt the “imperative” need to highlight a little known episode in these people’s lives: their fate under the Nazi regime. Meticulous historical research reveals the destiny of a stateless people.
“Roma: human being in the Romani language. A free human being, a human being without borders.” The film Ma Bister, whose title means “remember”, tells the story of the Roma and Sinti peoples in Europe, from the 17th Century to the modern day. Persecuted herself as a child during the Second World War, the director Lydia Chagoll felt the “imperative” need to highlight a little-known episode in these people’s lives: their fate under the Nazi regime. Like the Jews, the Romani suffered arbitrary internments and were subject to forced labour and mass murder; this genocide led to the death of half a million people. A masculine voice and a feminine voice take turns recounting the striking events and moments of this history with the help of very rich archival images, lithographs, paintings, photos, and video testimonies. A committed and sincere documentary whose meticulous historical research reveals the destiny of a stateless people.
Manuela Ruggeri
+32468 13 77 46
