Queer Roma artist Béla Váradi returns from London to his Hungarian hometown to stage a public exhibition of his work. In a country where the public display of LGBTQ+ content is banned, he places himself at the heart of his community by inviting both Roma and non-Roma residents to attend. As the event progresses, Béla walks the fine line between acceptance and rejection, grappling with the gulf between the place he left behind and the community he yearns for.

Directors: Dáša Raimanová, Béla Váradi

Dáša Raimanová is a Slovakian documentary director based in London and Berlin whose work explores socio-political topics. Her short film “Gypsy Gadji” (2024), supported by the Polish Film Institute, won the Best Short Documentary Award at the Lucania Film Festival in Italy in 2024, and is currently being screened at international film festivals. Her activist documentary “POLYLAND” (2018) was screened at international film festivals and at sixty community screenings across Europe. It became part of Amnesty International’s campaign against hate crimes in Poland. She has also directed short documentaries for Al Jazeera, Arte and Deutsche Welle (DW), including “Across the Road – Worlds Apart” (2019), which was broadcast in nine European countries and reached millions of viewers worldwide.

Béla Váradi is a Roma and queer visual artist based in London. Through documentary photography and participatory artistic practices, he explores themes of marginalisation, identity and social justice. His work has been exhibited internationally and published in outlets including The Guardian, Balkan Insight and WOZ.