Our School

World Documentary Competition

North American Premiere

USA, Romania, Switzerland | 93 MINUTES | Romanian |

OUR SCHOOL

Female Director(s), Documentary

Our School follows three Roma (commonly known as "Gypsy") children in a rural Transylvanian village who are among the pioneer participants in an initiative to integrate the ethnically segregated Romanian schools. When their district is ordered desegregated, Alin, Benjamin, and Dana set out for the city school, optimistic for education and new friendships, even as funds earmarked for integration are questionably used to build a "Roma-only" school in their village. Their innocent optimism quickly sours when the children are met with baseless ostracism from peers and teachers alike.

Shot over four years, the filmmakers' tender portrait of rural village life and its rhythms fosters an intimacy in the children's profound reality and admiration for their indomitable spirit, which is then punctuated with shocking instances of prejudice and ignorance. Their story touches on issues ranging from institutionalized racism, public education, and the intractability of poverty, culminating in an outrageous finale that cements the Roma children's struggle in the annals of egregious human rights violations. Our School is an absorbing, infuriating, and ultimately bittersweet story of tradition and progress.

 



Co-hosted by

Romanian Cultural Institute

 


CAST & CREDITS

Directed by Miruna Coca-Cozma, Mona Nicoara, Miruna Coca-Cozma, and Mona Nicoara

MONA NICOARA was born in Ineu, Romania. She has been a human rights activist since the 1989 revolution that overthrew Ceausescu. She started working in film as an associate producer on the Oscar®-nominated doc Children Underground. MIRUNA COCA-COZMA was born in Bucharest and has worked as a journalist for Antena 1, TVR, TSR, and France 5, most recently on the hour-long documentary Omar Porras: Sorcier de la Scene.
Executive Producer
Julie Goldman
Director
Mona Nicoara, Miruna Coca-Cozma
Producer
Mona Nicoara, Miruna Coca-Cozma
Director of Photography
Ovidiu Marginean
Editor
Erin Casper
Composer
Sasha Gordon
Supervising Editor
Jonathan Oppenheim
Primary Cast
Alin Moldovan, Beniamin Lingurar, Dana Varga
Consulting Editor
Carol Dysinger
Co-Producer
Miruna Coca-Cozma