Gelem, Gelem — From Silence to Story

Traditional Roma women spark a cinematic first in the UK

In a small room in Oldham, surrounded by cups of tea, drawings and laughter, something extraordinary has been happening. For the first time in Britain, traditional Roma women have co-created an animated film told entirely in the Romani language.

The film is called Gelem, Gelem — named after the Romani anthem — and it has been created by women who once believed that the outside world had no place for them.

Instead, they have claimed a place on the cinema screen.

Many of the women involved arrived in the UK from rural parts of Romania and Hungary, where education for Roma girls was — and still is — extremely limited.

Settling in Oldham, they continued to live in tight-knit, closed community networks, separated from the “gadjo world” — the non-Roma world.

Then they joined the Roma Connections project.

At first, they were shy to speak up. But week by week, around the table they now proudly call the “Maria School,” they began to share stories — painful, funny, loving, and real.

They drew their memories:

🟡 crossings at borders
🟡 long car journeys with children
🟡 cramped homes shared with relatives
🟡 the joy of earning money for the first time
🟡 the fear of police and school authorities
🟡 homesickness for grandmothers far away

And slowly, the drawings took on a new life.

From drawings to animation

Roma women became authors of the visuals.Their voices became the soundtrack.Their courage became the story.Director Adelina Court from the University of Salford transformed their artwork and testimonies into a powerful animated short film.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Adelina Court (@adelinacourt)

Adelina Court, Director: “This film has been shaped by traditional Roma women who have never
before been given space to speak in public about their lives. Animation allowed us to protect
identities while bringing forward authentic stories that are still too often ignored —
especially when told in the Romani language.”

This is not a film about Roma women.
This is a film by Roma women.

A UK first — in the Romani language

The film is in Ursari Romani, a dialect rarely heard publicly in the UK.
English subtitles ensure it reaches a wide audience.

In a country where Roma languages are rarely recognised, the choice to speak Romani is a bold declaration:

We are here. We have culture. We have dignity. We belong.

It is a turning point for Romani cultural presence in Britain —
and the women know it.

Growing from isolation into visibility

Through the project, many of the women visited a library, museum or university for the first time.

They developed:

✨ confidence
✨ friendships
✨ pride in identity
✨ a new sense of future

They also earned greater respect within their own community —
men and young people came to celebrate their success.

A milestone for representation

Gelem, Gelem is more than a movie.
It is a declaration of existence.

It challenges stereotypes.
It replaces silence with presence.
It brings Roma women into public voice.

🎬 Watch the premiere — Join us in Oldham

📍 Hack Oldham — 38 Yorkshire Street, OL1 1SE
📅 Thursday, 18 December 2025
⏰ 1:00pm – 2:00pm

🎶 Live performance — Roma Ladies’ Choir
🎤 Q&A with the director & community producers
☕ Free refreshments
🎟 FREE ENTRY — All welcome!

Registration link:
🔗 https://gelem_gelem_premiere.eventbrite.co.uk

We welcome the world to listen.

These women — mothers, grandmothers, community pillars — have stepped boldly into storytelling.

The table where they once whispered stories is now a bridge —
reaching out to Oldham, Greater Manchester, and the world.

PROJECT CREDITS

Roma Connections 1 (2021–2023)
Delivered in partnership: Oldham Coliseum Theatre × KaskoSan Roma Charity × University of Salford
Roma Connections 2 (2024–2025)
Delivered in partnership: KaskoSan Roma Charity × University of Salford

Funded by: The Ideas Fund — delivered by the British Science Association

Research approach: Community-based participatory research —
co-produced with traditional Roma women and families
to ensure authentic lived-experience storytelling

To book a workshop
email juice@kaskosan.org