A new film, made as part of the ongoing joint project ‘Gypsy and Traveller Voices in Music Archives’, involving the VWML, the University of East Anglia and researchers from the University of Sheffield, was premiered at the 9th Ake Dikhea? International Festival of Romani Film in Berlin on 11 October. Library and Archives Director Tiffany Hore attended the showing and took part in a Q&A along with Professor Hazel Marsh from UEA.
The film, entitled ‘A Basket Full of Eggs’, is directed by Lisa Smith of Patrin Films, and follows Romani journalist and advocate Liza Mortimer into the archives, where she uncovers her family’s musical legacy. Through conversations with collectors and singers, she discovers how her great-grandmother Minty Smith and other Romani people played an important role in preserving England’s traditional folk songs.
The film will be screened at various venues over the coming months, before being released for general viewing on the EFDSS and Travellers’ Times websites later in 2026. For further details, contact tiffany@efdss.org.
The project is funded by University of East Anglia’s AHRC Impact Accelerator Award (AH/X00344/1).