The Documentary Film Hopa lide: The Making of Romani Representation

The article concerns the ethnographic documentary film Hopa lide, which stems from the author’s ten years of ethnographic research among Romani musicians in Slovakia. The film is based on documenting the collaborative making of music videos. Firstly, the article critically reflects on Romani representation in contemporary documentary films, arguing that it is often distorted due to tendencies towards exoticisation, the monopoly of non-Romani gaze, challenges in the representation of poverty and story-driven approaches in contemporary documentary practice. Then, it justifies the film’s main methodological and ideological standpoints by evaluating the process of pre-production, production and distribution. In conclusion, the article highlights the importance of ethnographic film as a counterpoint to market-driven story-telling and as a valuable way of representing underrepresented groups of people.