In 2025, we are opening the AKE DIKHEA? Festival for the ninth time. The theme of this year's festival is inspired by a historic commemoration: the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. One of the camps where countless Sinti and Roma were murdered during the Holocaust, alongside Jews and other minorities. Discrimination, persecution, and transgenerational trauma remain frequently addressed topics in film. From Thursday to Sunday, AKE DIKHEA? will focus on the living conditions of Sinti and Roma during World War II and the consequences of the Holocaust for their culture today.

The opening of this year’s festival will be celebrated on Thursday 9th of October with Carmen Chaplin’s Chaplin: Spirit of The Tramp, a film which explores the Romani past and heritage of the director’s world-famous grandfather. In the following three days nine films will compete for the short and feature length awards, accompanied by special programs and discussions. The award ceremony will take place on Saturday, October 11, in the Green Salon.

The nine competition films, which vary greatly in length, tell stories of tradition and emancipation.

The AKE DIKHEA? office and spaces around Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, with Babylon Kino and Grüner Salon/ Volksbühne as the festival main venues are hosting us and our guests since the very first edition. We are thankful for the vital funding by the "Spartenoffene Förderung" of the Senate Department for Culture and Community as well as by the International Visegrad Fund.

At AKE DIKHEA?, we are dedicated to bringing Romani cinema to the forefront and spotlighting systematic inequalities within the European film industry. Our festival serves as a platform for showcasing the diverse narratives of the Romani diaspora from around the globe, igniting critical discussions on representation, identity, and social justice. More than just a film festival, we aim to cultivate meaningful dialogues and advocate for greater inclusivity and representation in the European film industry.

Chaplin: Spirit Of The Tramp | 9.1O.25 | Festival Opening