New Cinema
Gipsy Queen
Germany, Austria
2019
117'
About
Ali, a young Romany woman struggles to survive on her own with two children in contemporary Hamburg. Long time before she lost touch with her father, a boxing coach, who saw her as a future world champion and, although his admiration for her was genuine, he would often wrong her by his unfeasible expectations. By chance Ali gets an opportunity to get back in the ring.
The filmmakers draw inspiration from the rich boxing movies tradition by showing arduous workout routines, the deeper and deeper bond with the coach, and thrilling fights. Here, however, the genre frameworks serve to exhibit a wide range of social issues: ethnic isolation, the loss of ties with the traditional community, stigmatisation through stereotypes. The nostalgia in Gipsy Queen created by stories about boxing stars and captures of walls covered with photos of champions is interwoven with the committed realism and the accurate diagnosis of the contemporary times. The effect of the picture is enhanced by the charisma of beautiful Alina Serban, the title character, who is the quintessence of woman power, and yet, at the same time, a mournful girl full of longing portrayed with understanding and sensitivity.
Credits
Director: Hüseyin Tabak
Screenwriter: Hüseyin Tabak
Cinematographer: Lukas Gnaiger
Composer: Judit Varga
Editor: Christoph Loidl
Cast: Alina Serban, Tobias Moretti, Irina Kurbanova
Producer : Danny Krausz
Production Company: DOR FILM-WEST
Awards
Austrian Film Award 2020 Best Actor (Beste männliche Hauptrolle) Tobias Moretti
Ecumenical Jury Prize (Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2019) Best Film Hüseyin Tabak (director)