“A People Uncounted,” a documentary on the Roma, commonly referred to as Gypsies, will be shown at 8:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 12, 2011 at Washington University‘s Brown Hall Auditorium. The event is part of the Stella Artois St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF), a project of Cinema St. Louis.
The documentary, a film by Canadian director Aaron Yeger, is in English, Romanian, Czech, German, Russian and Hungarian.
According to the SLIFF website:
The Roma have endured centuries of intolerance in Europe and faced annihilation during the Nazis’ Final Solution – an estimated 500,000 were murdered in the Holocaust – but they’ve largely been relegated to a footnote in history. “A People Uncounted” exposes the tragedy of Europe’s largest minority group, recounting the story of the Roma, commonly referred to as Gypsies, a people who have been both romanticized and vilified in popular culture. “A People Uncounted” documents their colorful but difficult lives, including their often violent racial persecution in today’s Europe. Filmed in 11 countries and featuring dozens of Roma – including Holocaust survivors, historians, activists, and musicians – “A People Uncounted” brings the Romani history to life through the rich interplay of their poetry, music, and compelling firsthand accounts.
SLIFF, one of the largest international film festivals in the Midwest, runs through Nov. 20. More than 400 films–many of them critically lauded award-winners–will be screened over the 10 days of the festival. The main venues are:
- Plaza Frontenac Cinema, Plaza Frontenac, Lindbergh Boulevard and Clayton Road
- Tivoli Theatre, 6350 Delmar Blvd.
- Washington University/Brown Hall Auditorium, Forsyth Boulevard and Chaplin Drive (two blocks west of Skinker Boulevard)
- Webster University/Webster Hall’s Winifred Moore Auditorium, 470 East Lockwood Ave.
Tickets to SLIFF screenings at those venues are between $6 and $15. Programs at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, St. Louis County Library and Washington U./Brown are free and require no ticket. Check the Cinema St. Louis website for complete information including dates, times and prices.
