On a hill along the Dniester River, which separates Moldova from Ukraine, we meet the wealthiest Romani community in Europe, led by Baron Arthur, the king of all the Romanis with in the post-Soviet space, reads the synopsis for the AJD project The Last Baron, directed by Olga Lucovnicova (My Uncle Tudor) & Annabel Verbeke (Four Seasons In A Day) and produced by Frederik Nicolai of Belgian outfit While We’re Here.
Despite its adaptability and creative ability to overcome obstacles, the community remains very conservative. Women are raised to be wives and mothers, confined to domestic roles, and must adhere to strict dress codes. Marriages are arranged by parents, and girls often marry in adolescence, rarely finishing high school.
But the community is transforming, and Baron Arthur is getting old. Will he be the last Baron of the Romani, or will he pass his title on to his children? Will it be his son or his daughter? And is the community ready to accept a woman in a leading role?
“The emancipatory struggle raging in the Roma community today is a story that is universally relevant,” producer Nicolai tells BDE. “ It can inspire women from other communities worldwide to dare to pursue their own dreams and ambitions, and fuel vigilance in more progressive societies.”
“You may ask why this is relevant for a ‘progressive’ audience,” he adds. “Because I strongly believe gender equality does not exist in our world, yet. There is still a long way to go, even in Western European counties. For example, in Belgium, the country Olga, Annabel and I are living, employment policies still [mean that] women are consequently paid less than men and discriminated because of pregnancy and motherhood.”
“It has become extremely difficult to reflect in a healthy way and some distance about our society, who we are today, what path we have taken and where we want to go. How concepts like ‘the individual’, ‘group’ and ‘community’ needn’t be at odds with each other,” Nicolai continues. “This is why I hope our work offers a healthy distance from our familiar context, inviting our audience to look and listen with an open mind to stories that at first glance seem far away from us but tell much more about ourselves than we might think.”
The producer underlines the qualities of co-directors Lucovnicova and Verbeke. “Olga makes very personal and intimate films, bringing her inner emotions and experiences to a universal level in both a unique creative and sincere way. Annabel is specialised in character-driven dramaturgy, with an eye for detail and a detailed aesthetic approach, with attention for all human emotions. Hence humour plays a role in her work.”
Nicolai is therefore quick to dispel any fears that future partners may have about working on a project with two people at the helm. “Producers amongst the readers might know co-direction can be difficult and challenging. The creative process is deeply intertwined with the filmmaker’s personality and personal psychological development. Co-creation is only possible when constant anticipation to future developments and challenges is possible and there is a strong willingness to make compromises. I know Annabel and Olga’s personalities very well and from my experience I know they are both filmmakers with the drive and ability to collaborate, being able to focus on what brings them together instead of pushing away from each other.”
In Sarajevo, Nicolai is looking to entice one more co-producer as well as pique interest among sales agents, distributors, broadcasters and festivals.
“We will create the film together with our characters. They are the actors of their own life and will make the journey together with us, the filmmakers,” he tells BDE. “We will avoid any anthropologic point-of-view, looking for ‘surprising’ cultural differences from an artistically safe fourth wall. On the contrary, the film is based on our collaboration with people, not filmmakers making a film about people.”
The Last Baron is selected for the Main Pitch of AJD Industry, September 14.
