ROM
Menelaos Karamaghiolis, 1989, 75 min

With Menelaos Karamaghiolis in attendance

ROM, Menelaos Karamaghiolis’ award-winning 1989 documentary, was hailed as “a turning point and landmark for Greek documentary film history.” In 1979, the UN recognised the Romani tribe by its ancestral name, ROM. A decade later, this daring documentary pioneered in using the term for the first time in the Greek public sphere and attempted to give a true picture of the Romani people in Europe, following four different paths expressed by four narrators.

The Teacher presents the roots of the Roma, analysing rare historical references as though reading from the margins of history. The Photographer documents in pictures the present reality of a people who have never had a written tradition or an official history. Tamara guides us through ancient myths, stories, and terrors that express an entire common history, while Aima introduces us to the gaze of a new generation that looks to the future, seeking a new identity tied to the present day.

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Screening as part of Serpentine Cinema: Menelaos Karamaghiolis

This programme is supported by Rodeo, London/Piraeus