Three Thousand Numbered Pieces

A white Hungarian director rehearses a play with five young marginalized Roma actors. His play tells their real-life stories of abuse, drug addiction and crime. However, instead of representing the truth of their experiences, it only capitalizes on their pain and exploits them. The actors quit the play, only to find out that the director has already sold the show to Berlin’s biggest theatre and the premiere is looming. Their rehearsals turn into a surreal exploration of racism and white guilt, blurring the lines between fiction and reality – and between the play and the film itself.

The fiction film features an all-Roma creative team. It is based on an actual play written by them about their real-life stories, presented in Deutsches Theater, Berlin. The team explores the possibilities of artistic production and representation with a dose of biting humour and asks questions such as: Is there a way out of systemic racism? Can the artistic representation of Roma, the biggest ethnic minority of Europe, ever be done without falling back on racist stereotypes?

Director: Ádám Császi ● Sciptwriter: Ádám Császi & Balázs Lengyel ● Based on the play: „Cigány magyar” by: Franciska Farkas, Kristóf Horváth, Cristopher Pászik, Rómeó Pápai, Edmond Oláh, Norbert Varga ● Cinematographer: István Balázs ● Music Composer: Csaba Kalotás ● Editor: Tamás Kollányi, Szabolcs Kővári ● Sound Designer: Tamás Beke ● Production Designer: Renátó Cseh ● Costumes: Andrea Fock ● Producer: István Bodzsár ● Production company: Unio Film ● Main cast: Franciska Farkas, Kristóf Horváth, Edmond Oláh, Cristopher Orsós, Rómeó Pápai, Wieland Speck, Norbert Varga