Run Raven Run Opening Excerpt.mov

Run Raven Run is a groundbreaking music documentary about the past and present of Roma music, narrated by Michael Madsen. But, it is also much more than that. It depicts how venerable traditions are turned upside down by new movements being spawned inside inaccessible ghettos. It shows the rise of youth culture to redefine outdated values of society. And its soundtrack is off the charts! Viewers, young or old, attracted to any of these elements of storytelling will want to watch Run Raven Run.

As we wake up to a new era of civil rights movements like Black Lives Matter, we can see the same forces at work within the Gypsy diaspora. Gypsies have not been given respect as co-equal members of society, but their prodigious musical contributions are undeniable.

And yet, the Gypsies are still the dark ones … chastised as dirty ravens that would pick dead meat from the ground. Our Gypsy protagonists have learned to fly. Following 2014’s heartbreaking Toto and his Sisters, (winner of the best doc prize at the Zurich & Warsaw Film Festivals) one of our main characters, Toto, is an 18-year-old on the ascent. Toto also receives cinematography credit in our film due to his deft camera skills.

Today, long-lived Roma musical traditions stand at a vital crossroads. The elders are dying out, electronic instruments are transforming the genre, and the underprivileged youth have moved to the beats of hip hop to tell their unique stories. This is a classic saga of survival and renewal.

Despite a historical legacy of being dealt the dark cards of slavery, holocaust and poverty, music has always been the winning hand for Gypsy survival. From the deserts of Rajasthan to the ghettos of Bucharest, Run Raven Run explores the resounding pain and pleasure that emanates from the unvanquished soul of Gypsy music.