LATCHO DROM

LATCHO DROM

LATCHO DROM

Director: Tony Gatlif
Documentary | F | 1993
103 min | Dolby SR

51st Hof International Film Festival
2017

„We Gypsies are like lost sheep,” a boy sings. “No one will change our way of life.” “Why does your evil mouth spit on me?”, a Romni asks in her song. “So what if my skin is dark, my Gypsy hair black?” These are impressions of the experiences the Roma had in their centuries of wandering from northern India, where they allegedly stem from, via North Africa to Europe. And wherever they went, they were met with suspicion and rejection.

In eight musical episodes, from summer through autumn and winter to spring, the film – “latcho drom” means as much as “safe journey” – follows the historical route the Roma once took, from the deserts of Rajasthan to Les-Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. And in every new county new styles of music developed, new songs and dances that highlight the specific Romani culture and values.