Paper short abstract:

My research focuses on the production and reception of documentaries of the deportation and murder of Roma during WWII by the Romanian state in order to analyze the relationship between cinematic narrations of the past, politics of recognition of minorities and film making as political intervention.

Paper long abstract:

During the last decade the first documentaries on the deportation and murder of Roma during WWII appeared in Romania. Films like "Lacrimi Romanes" (L. Cioaba, RO 2010) were made with the aim of collecting the memories of the last survivors of the Porajmos and in order to document the responsibility of Romanian authorities for the persecution of Jews and Roma. At the same time all these films have a political aim too. Because of the social and political marginalization of Roma communities, the support for the survivors to get financial compensation and above all political recognition in Romanian society is an additional mission for the film teams for example of "Hidden Sorrows" (M. Kelso, RO/US 2005) and "Valea Plangerii" (M. Leaha, RO 2013).

Against the backdrop of ongoing debates I will address the following questions in my talk:

Which narratives are presented in the documentaries?

Which institutions and associations collaborate in the process of production and presentation?

In which way do such films influence debates on the politics of history? Which other discourses accompany the production and the reception of these documentaries?

Interestingly enough - and to be kept in mind - is the fact that all the documentaries are more often shown outside Romania than in Romanian educational institutions or national television.

My paper will present first findings of ongoing research about the refiguration of national self-images in contemporary Romania. It focuses on the connection of film and memory in order to ask for the politics of recognition Roma pursue in order to gain recognition.