Broken Silence

In this beautifully told and stylish road movie, Kosovo-born Roma radio reporter Orhan Galjus travels through Germany, Poland and Kosovo along with filmmaker Bob Entrop. They try to discover why the Sinti and Roma people kept silent about the genocide committed on their people. During World War II nearly half a million of them were murdered.

Through wonderful images, we experience their unique encounters with Roma from across Europe. We witness interviews with German Sinti people who survived the horrors of Auschwitz. We see unknown commemorative sites in Poland. As the story evolves, so too does the inner drama of the protagonist Orhan. He is an engaging personality and compelling narrator, who is able to continue to captivate the viewer.

Step by step, Orhan finds that this part of the history of the Sinti and Roma is hidden—like a kind of treasure. He fears that future generations will become alienated from their roots. What do these people—who for centuries lived in Europe—have to do to be taken seriously? Why do they deny their origins, like Picasso and Charlie Chaplin did during their time? What about the current generation of so-called “gypsies”? Do they see the parallels between the persecution in history and exclusion and discrimination now? Does history repeat itself?