CALL FOR PAPERS:
VISIBILITIES OF MEMORY:
THE REPRESENTATION OF SINTI
AND ROMA IN HOLOCAUST FILM
Heidelberg University
Hosted by the Critical Film & Image Hub at the Research Centre on Antigypsyism (RCA) at Heidelberg University, this conference which will take place in November 12-14, 2025 aims to create a platform for scholarly exchange on a rarely explored topic: the representation of Sinti and Roma in Holocaust film.
Scholars, doctoral students, early-career researchers, and filmmakers from across Europe are invited to contribute to discussions on how mainstream productions, documentaries, social media videos, and computer games depict this marginalized narrative. Contributions in English and German are welcome.
Despite the prominence of Holocaust cinema, the genocide of the Sinti and Roma has rarely been the focus of landmark films in the genre, such as the television series Holocaust: The Story of the Family Weiss (USA, 1978), Schindler's List (USA, 1993) and Life is Beautiful (Italy/Germany, 1997), or Claude Lanzmann’s documentary Shoa (France, 1985). Adaptations of Naked Among Wolves (FRG, 1960; GDR, 1963) celebrated the rescue of a Jewish boy from Buchenwald concentration camp, while the tragic story of the Sinti boy Willy Blum—put on a deportation list and later murdered in his place—was only recently brought to light by historian Annette Leo (cf. Leo 2018).
During the 1980s, films like When Unku Was Ede’s Friend (GDR, 1981) and Sidonie (Austria, 1990) highlighted the fates of two Sinti girls during National Socialism. And the Violins Stopped Playing (Poland/UK, 1988) offered a rare portrayal of a Romani family’s experience, while more recent films, including Django – A Life for Music (Germany/France, 2017) and Gibsy (Germany, 2011/2012), focused on figures such as musician Django Reinhardt and boxer Johann Trollmann, respectively.
Works such as Being a Gypsy (Sweden, 1970), Injustice and Resistance - Romani Rose and the Civil Rights Movement (Germany, 2022) by Peter Nestler, ‘See you in heaven!’ The Sinti children from the St. Josefspflege (Germany, 2003), A People Uncounted by Aaron Yeger (Canada, 2011), and The Deathless Woman by Roz Mortimer (UK, 2019) provide survivors of the Holocaust with a voice, addressing the enduring legacy of antigypsyism post-1945. Sinteza activist Melanie Spitta`s The Wrong Word.
Reparation to Gypsies (Sinti) in Germany (Germany, 1987), shot in collaboration with director Katrin Seybold, is another significant contribution. Additionally, recent films by Romani filmmakers, such as Korkoro (Liberty) by Tony Gatlif (France, 2009) and How I Became a Partisan by Vera Lacková (Slovakia/Czech Republic, 2021), explore themes of resistance and intergenerational trauma. Adrian Oeser’s Wesley Swims (Germany, 2024) further expands on the perspectives of the “third generation”.
Academic disciplines including film studies, cultural studies, and history have long debated the challenges of representing the unrepresentable and the ethical complexities of Holocaust cinema (cf. Correll 2006; Bannasch/Hammer 2004; Köppen/Scherpe 1997). While much has been written on Holocaust film and its interplay with historical photography and documentary traditions (cf. Martinez 2004), the genocide of Sinti and Roma remains significantly underrepresented (cf. Tebbutt 2003; Loshitzky 2003). Scholars analyzing the rare exceptions have noted that Sinti and Roma characters are often depicted through stereotypes and projections (cf. also Mladenova 2021, 2022, 2024).
The conference seeks to examine whether these observations hold true for more recent films. We encourage presentations that, preferably through comparative analysis, explore the cinematic and aesthetic techniques used in Holocaust films to depict the genocide of Sinti and Roma.
Submission Guidelines: Those interested in presenting a 20-minute paper are invited to submit an abstract (up to 500 words) and a short biography (up to 150 words) in English or German by April 5th, 2025, to [email protected]
Successful applicants will be notified by May 1st, 2025. Travel and accommodation expenses will be covered by the organizers, and selected contributions will be included in an upcoming anthology.
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