Statement
Sinti and Roma are still, and to this day, the supposedly other, the foreign, in German feature films. In these portrayals, an externally ascribed group affiliation always overshadows individual characterizations or concrete living conditions. In doing so, the historical origins of social conditions and the National Socialist genocide of the German and European Sinti and Roma, as well as the exclusion and discrimination that continues to this day, are consistently ignored.
Sabina thaj o Elvis is one of the first German feature films by, with, and about Roma, in which Romani is spoken, and whose screenplay was written by Roma themselves. This is probably the first German feature film to consistently tell a story from the perspective of Roma, in which they are not the supposedly other or foreign, but, quite the opposite, are at the center of the narrative.
The world of the Roma characters is the center, while the world of the majority society is the surrounding periphery. This results in diverse and nuanced points of contact between these two worlds, which can be negative, neutral, or positive.
Much of the dialog in Sabina thaj o Elvis is in Romani and is subtitled in German. All Roma actors are also played by Roma, and the film consistently relies on non-actors.
The film belongs to the genre of minority cinema, which tells an authentic story about itself, just as has been the case for several decades, for example, in German-Turkish films.
The actors playing the main roles are also members of the screenplay team and developed the script based on their own experiences and ideas.
The actors‘ expertise in developing the material, who tell stories from their own lives, is combined with the technical and professional expertise of a professional film crew and equally professional post-production team.