Romany

Mainstream British society has often cast Romany women as mothers without ambition or power of their own, reduced to play fortune tellers or thieves on our TV screens. But this is not the truth. Lisa Smith, a modern Romany woman, is a Welsh filmmaker with her own production company. Straying away from a traditional lifestyle of young motherhood, Lisa is passionate about celebrating the depth, colour and beauty of Romany traditions and life through the power of film. Following her Welsh roots back to Carmarthenshire, Lisa speaks with her family about their shared culture and upbringing, which drive her to make thoughtful films that reflect the best of Romany culture.


Director: Anna Shepherd; Writer, Producer: Lisa Smith; Voice: Hannah Novello; DOP: Mei Lewis; Editor: Thomas Chilcott, Llinos Gwawr Evans, Connor Flinn; Sound: James Clark, Jordan Tewkesbury; Editor: Karen Lyons (BBC Wales), It’s My Shout Productions CIC Ltd; Creative Director: Roger Burnell MBE; Production Manager: Anna Arrieta; Executive Producer: Gareth Rees Rowlands