Roma, Underground Musicians

Synopsis

Romanian and Roma, persecuted under Nicolae Ceausescu's regime, famished, but also pursuing a dream: make a living out of their music. They arrive in Milan, without a job, and start playing on the street and in the subway, eternally suspended between life in a caravan and the mirage of a heated house. Nonetheless, they remain cheerful, just like their music: gloomy and melancholy, on one hand, but exciting and joyous, on the other.

Production notes

The first half of the film was entirely shot in the city of Milan, Italy. The second half, with the joyful wedding ritual and the dream of a real stage for the band finally come true, was instead recorded in the surrounding provinces of Lodi and Cremona.

Awards

Winner of the Third Prize at the 2005 International Gypsy Friend Arts Competition (Chieti, Italy).

Selected for competition at:

• CinemadaMare International Film Festival 2008 (Bari, Italy)
• International Film Festival Non Solo Barocco 2007 (Ragusa, Italy)
• IlCorto.it 2006 (Rome, Italy)
• Biennale del Cinema per la Pace 2005 (Pisa, Italy)
• Sedicicorto - Film Festival Forlì 2005 (Forlì, Italy)
• Premio della Critica Cinematografica e Televisiva - Castelli dell'Alta Marca Anconetana 2005 (Ancona, Italy)
• Anello Debole 2005 (Ascoli Piceno, Italy)

Screened out of competition at:

• DAMS Film Festival 2006 (Rome, Italy)
• AniMoWeb 2006 (Modena, Italy)
• MonFilmFest 2004 (Alessandria, Italy)

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