Lala, my redhead
by Nellie K. and Deniz Nala
A Kalaidzhi family from the oldest gypsy clan residing in Bulgaria and strictly adhering to Orthodox traditions’s sees the fate of their beautiful daughter LALA defined irrevocably at the St. Todor’s Day bride market.
The film casts a light on generations of such women who are denied access to education and the freedom to make their own choices and struggle between tradition and modernity.
Nellie will be in Cannes 18 – 23, taking meetings with partners and financiers.
Contact her by email or phone +41 79 101 29 24
ask for the script and take a meeting in Cannes.
Pitch
A traditional family from the oldest Kalaidzhi Roma clan in Bulgaria sees their fate irrevocably defined when they give away their only daughter at the St. Todor’s Day bride market.
The film casts light on generations of women who are denied access to education and the freedom to make their own choices, struggling between tradition and modernity.
Short synopsis
Handsome, young VELCHO is charging on his horse to win the race for the most beautiful bride at the market – LELA, his love. He is driven by unforgettable childhood memories of Lela’s mother (whose love of reading was condemned by the clan) reading books to him and Lela in secret. Velcho wins, but Lela is sold to PETKO, a wealthier match. Velcho asks Lela to run away with him to a life free of traditions but, torn between love and duty, she ultimately refuses to dishonour her family.
YEARS LATER
DANA, a fiery young redhead and the only child of widowed and now impoverished Petko, insists that her father sells her into a marriage.
Petko wants Dana to have a successful, educated life away from the clan, but she insists that there is no future for a gypsy girl outside of their clan. Petko is not aware that Dana dropped out of college to save him from creditors. He slowly succumbs to her demand. Thinking of how he found love in his arranged marriage, he accepts a proposal from a once rival family whose son ROMAN presents himself as a student in Brussels.
Dana’s appearance at the market causes a stir. The market’s chaotic façade of festivity amidst petty bargaining for uncertain futures sickens Dana. She thinks of her childhood friend DONKA, who was sold at the age of 14 to a much older man and died during childbirth soon after. Roman’s vulgar appearance adds to her heavy feelings.
Roman turns out to be an indebted sex-trafficker who comes to the market with one purpose only: to find a beautiful virgin for a special client in Brussels.
Upon their arrival to Brussels, a taxi driver who turns out to be Velcho is stunned by Dana’s resemblance to his young love, Lela, and something tells him to follow their car.
Roman takes Dana to a trafficker’s place and locks her there for several hours. Exhausted by fear, Dana dozes off and dreams of her mother who reveals to her that her true name – the one that gypsy women give to their children at birth to protect them from evil – is LALA, which means redhead. Lela’s wish was for her Lala and all the girls in her family to be strong and free one day.
In the meantime, Petko, struck by premonition, also sees Lela in a similar dream but cannot understand what significance it holds.
Velcho, suspicious of the place where Roman brought Dana, feels like he cannot leave. When he finally decides to start his car, he sees Dana running out of a building, pursued by a man. He helps Dana escape, while Petko, convinced that Dana must be saved from something he doesn’t yet know, rushes to the train station.
Dana, embracing her true name Lala, gets on a train home, hopeful to break the cycle of harmful traditions that have overpowered her family for generations.
Bio Nellie K.
With her UN background, Nellie is a passionate advocate for the rights of the child and women’s empowerment. She is the winner of the 2015 Platinum Hermes Creative Awards and the 2017 Honorable Mention from the Writer’s Digest. She scripted and directed A long walk, Land of many waters, and La Riposte.
Visit the website: https://www.nelliek.ch/
Contact [email protected]
