A NORTH Belfast man is playing a key role in producing a new war-drama feature film exploring the Romani people's fight for survival during the Second World War.
Thomas Pollock from independent film production company Lamb Films is director and co-producer of 'Rozkvet'.
Set in occupied Czechoslovakia, the film tells the story of a woman’s struggle to save her family from Nazi oppression.
"The film aims to shed light on the lesser known history of the persecution faced by the Roma/Romani people," explained Thomas.
"We believe that the production presents a unique opportunity for an authentic portrayal of the Romani people, who remain underrepresented in mainstream media and, when they are, it is often in a negative light, perpetuating racial stereotypes."
The film’s star and co-producer, Katarina Kokenyova, is from a Roma background and has been instrumental in developing the screenplay in a manner authentic to her culture.
Katarina Kokenyova
In 2006 she and her family moved to the North, largely due to lack of employment opportunities for Roma people in her native Slovakia.
Since then she has re- established her career in acting, securing representation with a Belfast- and London-based acting agency and appearing in multiple national television campaigns.
“Bringing this story to life is very close to my heart, as sadly it is still very relevant," she said.
"When most people hear the word 'gypsy' it usually brings negative images to mind.
"We hope to show our people in a different light than they are usually portrayed in the media and, most importantly, to commemorate all those who lost their lives fighting against injustice.”
The film is written by Andrew McNeill and produced by Larry Cowan.
As part of the independent filmmaking community, the team are unfunded and have decided crowdfunding will help them bring their ambitious vision over the line – and they welcome all levels of support.
A Rozkvet film fundraiser event will take place on Thursday (May 23) from 7pm to 9pm at the Chinese Resource Centre, 1 Stranmillis Embankment.
Starting with drinks and light bites accompanied by music from Romani musician Robert Stuka, the team will then perform a short excerpt by the actors in person followed by a presentation.
This will be followed by conceptual footage and a short Q&A session.
The team aim to start production in late June.
You can support the production on their Kickstarter fundraising page here.
