Abstract
After experiencing riots involving police and a Roma village, a community in north-eastern Slovenia hosted the million-dollar production of a major motion picture, Shanghai Gypsy (2012), which focuses on Roma and criminal justice themes. Several current Slovenian police officers played the role of police while local Roma were ‘extras’ as Roma villagers. This research explored the meaning of cooperating on production of the film for participants from two groups formerly in conflict. The current study consisted of semi-structured interviews conducted approximately 18 months after the film was produced with a sample of participants. We hypothesized that the film participants were able to interact with each other in ways that opened up new modes of communication, improved interpersonal relationships, and aided mutual understanding. Participants indicated that the film was regarded as a powerful means of generating Roma cultural awareness. Both police and Roma tended to downplay the intensity of the original conflict, yet often offered stories and anecdotes that seemed to indicate that relations between the groups had indeed improved as a result of their participation in the film.
Highlights
In 2003 the Roma village of Pušča in north‐eastern Slovenia erupted in a riot stemming from a dispute between Roma families
This study explored how the production of the Slovenian motion picture Šanghaj (Shanghai Gypsy is its English subtitle), featuring Roma and police as main characters, resonated among police and members of the Roma community
Understanding contemporary police‐community relations in Slovenia and why media portrayals of those relationships hold significance to those in the region requires some background on the country’s population demographics as well as an understanding of the ways that Roma have historically been linked to crime and deviance
Summary
In 2003 the Roma village of Pušča in north‐eastern Slovenia erupted in a riot stemming from a dispute between Roma families. This fictional tale of several generations of a Roma family is a beloved motion picture in Slovenia and is reported to be ‘the most expensive film in Slovene history’ (Charney 2012; Slovenia.si 2012). Main actors playing the Roma characters were not themselves Roma – but, rather, famous Balkans movie stars – the film took on great importance in the community It is relatively uncommon for a feature film to be produced in Slovenia, especially one that achieves international acclaim, and rarer still for local community members to act in roles that reflect their own ethnicity and/or occupation, fictionalizing actual historic and social conflict. That serve to respect and honor the local residents, have contributed to the warm reception that the film has received across the country
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