Film Baby is a haven for independent filmmakers and those that love independent film. We have a love for the intensity, honesty and integrity that comes from working on a small budget film.

1-877-FILMBABY

Search over 2,000 Indie Films: All Fields Title & Synopsis Writer Director Producer & Production Company Cast & Crew (Names and Bios) Character/Role Festivals & Awards Influences Reviews & Reviewers Audio & Subtitle Language Genre Barcode

Synopsis

Cast

• Documentary Subjects: The family of Jimmy and Jane Marks | bio

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Marks

• Documentary Subjects: The family of Grover & Lippie Marks
• Documentary Subject / Romani Consultant: William A. Duna | bio

  The Honorable William A. Duna was the first Romani presidential appointee to the US Holocaust Memorial Council. He currently teaches both Musicology and Romani History at St. Thomas University, Minnesota, and he writes widely published articles about Music and Roma in the Holocaust. Mr. Duna, a Gypsy himself, is an active spokesperson for the Romani community, a member of various Romani organizations and a founder of the non-profit group SA-ROMA, promoting Romani arts and education to limit prejudice against Roma around the world. Aside from his academic career, Duna is a professional jazz pianist and the single parent of four sons. He has recently established a website to function alongside his university course on Romani music: http://www.lc.stthomas.edu/roma/.

• Documentary Subject / Romani Consultant: Dr. Ian Hancock | bio

  Ian Hancock is one of the world's foremost experts on Romani culture. A Gypsy himself, Hancock is a Representative at the United Nations for UNICEF and for the World Romani Union, and Romani member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council. He has collected what is probably the largest Romani archive in North America, and has published hundreds of articles on his culture. His historical book, "The Pariah Syndrome", includes extensive examination of American Gypsies. Mr. Hancock is also a Professor of Linguistics at the University of Texas, Austin, internationally respected for his scholarly work on Creole languages.

Crew

• Director: Jasmine Dellal | bio

  Jasmine Dellal grew up in England and spent much of her childhood with grandparents in a south Indian village. After studying French & Spanish at Oxford University, she made short films for her Masters at U.C. Berkeley and won a student Emmy for a profile of a homeless photographer. Dellal's teacher and mentor in California was the acclaimed Marlon Riggs, with whom she worked on his final feature "Black Is...Black Ain't." In the early 1990s, Dellal stumbled on a book about "Gypsies" which ended up launching her on a decade of Romani filmmaking.

  Dellal directed, produced, wrote & edited her first feature documentary, "AMERICAN GYPSY: a stranger in everybody's land" (which had an arthouse theatrical release; played dozens of festivals worldwide; won awards; and aired on PBS's prestigious POV series, drawing the season's highest ratings).

  Dellal founded Little Dust Productions to make artistic films with a social conscience. Now based in New York, she teaches occasional classes in the USA and Europe, and enjoys guiding new directors to create their own films.

  In 2007, Dellal's second documentary, "Gypsy Caravan: When the Road Bends..." made its national and international theatrical release.

• Director of Photography: Michele Zaccheo | bio

  Michele Zaccheo shot, co-directed and edited "River People," a PBS documentary that won numerous awards, including: The David Wolper International Documentary Association Award (1991) and Best Video Award at the American Indian Film Festival. American Cinematographer also highly praised the photography of this documentary. In 1992, Zaccheo shot "Sin City Diary," a documentary about prostitutes around a US Navy base in the Philippines, and his latest work, "Vidioms," showed at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Mr. Zaccheo's freelance photography includes: PBS' European Journal, KCET Los Angeles and the Learning Channel. Zaccheo also taught video workshops to documentary students at U.C. Berkeley and San Francisco's Film Arts Foundation. He currently works for the United Nations media department, where he recently produced a documentary on the history of human rights.

• Picture Editor: Joseph De Francesco | bio

  Over the past twenty years of editing, Joseph De Francesco has worked on documentaries, fiction films, commercials, rock videos and visual poems. His work has been nominated for three Academy Awards and received many other accolades. Some of his more noticed work includes: KQED's "Chinatown" and "The Fillmore" about the famous San Francisco neighborhoods; "The American Promise," a series on democracy; "Freedom On My Mind" (co-editor) Academy Nominee about Mississippi's voting rights struggle. But, above all, his passion is story-telling.

• Technical Advisor: Marlon T. Riggs | bio

  "American Gypsy" is dedicated to the memory of Marlon Riggs, who sadly passed away in 1994. Marlon Riggs was a key consultant from the time of this project's germination until it was well into production. His input was crucial to the film's narrative approach and the issue of an outsider claiming authority to speak about a minority culture. An Emmy and Peabody award winning director, Mr. Riggs established a reputation for cultural works that are both personal and analytical. His internationally acclaimed films include: "Ethnic Notions," "Tongues Untied," "Color Adjustment," and "Black Is...Black Ain't." Mr. Riggs was also a tenured professor at the University of California at Berkeley, where he influenced and inspired many of his students. He was admired for his courage, commitment to speaking out, artistic adventurousness and a great sense of humour. Thank you.

Bonus Features

• Theatrical Trailers
• Behind the Scenes

Accolades