– It’s actually absolutely fantastic that we could end up making a film, says Angel Jansen (19) to news. Angel Jansen has dreamed of becoming an actress since she was little and watched many Bollywood films. Photo: Kjersti Strømmen / news She has the lead role in the film Lavina, which has just been released. The film is about a young girl’s strained relationship with her father. – The hardest part was crying, because when I had a break, I laughed. And when I came back, I had to be sad, laughs Jansen. – My heart was beating hard Ever since she was little, she has been watching Bollywood films. The 19-year-old believes that it inspired her to become an actress. – I felt that I was not only playing the grandmother of the girl in the film, but of my own grandchildren, says Sivilja Josef. Photo: Kjersti Strømmen / news – My dream was always to be in a Bollywood film. I still want it, but I’ll take what comes, says Jansen. She hopes the role will give her more opportunities as an actress. So does Sivilja Josef, who plays one of the other main roles, as grandmother in the film. – When I was in this film, I felt my heart beating hard, she says to news. She immediately raised her hand when the director was searching for actors. – There are many people who feel old when they are my age, but I didn’t feel that way. I felt young and I could do it. I was sure I would make it, says Josef. Grandmother is one of the main roles in the film and is played by Sivilja Josef. Photo: Gorillafilm Ups and downs Roma as a people group have their roots in Europe, and there is a diversity of Roma cultures in Europe. The minority has had a foothold in Norway since the 19th century, and has experienced being heavily stigmatised. In 2015, Norwegian Roma received a long-awaited apology from the authorities about how they have been treated in Norway. The film gives an insight into Roma traditions, but also shows that the life of Norwegian Roma is characterized by the same things that apply to all of us; ups and downs, and the close things. – We are proud to be Rome, and we are proud that we could make a film and show it around the world, so that we also get to know what others think of it, says Jansen. – I am as proud as I can be, says mother Natalina Jansen, about her daughter playing the lead role in the film. She herself plays a supporting role and has been a cultural adviser in the process. Photo: Kjersti Strømmen / news – Resource The 19-year-old’s mother has been a driving force to promote acceptance of Roma in Norwegian society, and hopes the film can help create change. – We want to show who we are. We are fighting to be heard and be visible here in Norway in a completely different way than we have been in the past, says Natalina Jansen to news. She herself plays a supporting role in the film and has been a cultural adviser in the process. Jansen finds that society at large often sees Roma as a people who cannot do much, and wants to promote that this is far from the truth. – We have great capacity, and hope we can be seen as the resource we are, she says. Natalina Jansen hopes more film producers will get in touch. – Yes, absolutely, we want to make more films, she says. Natalina Jansen has worked long and purposefully to change society’s view of Roma, for the better. Photo: Kjersti Strømmen / news Possibilities Josef believes that the film can also raise hope for the future for Roma children, because it invites them to see far more opportunities than her generation has experienced. The young people also have better prospects, partly because they go to school, which Josef has not done. She still believes she has a lot to contribute, not least because her courage is strongly present. – I was tough to join. There are many people who think that we are unable to do anything, but we manage a lot without being so good at reading and studying, says Josef. Farzad Samsami of Gorillafilm is the director of the film. Photo: Kjersti Strømmen / news More voices Romano Kher, who is a Roma cultural and resource center in Oslo, was the springboard for the film. The director, Norwegian-Iranian Farzad Samsami, works at the centre, and thus became well acquainted with the Roma community. Angel Jansen has her first role in the film Lavina. Photo: Gorillafilm The script for Lavina is based on one of the personal stories he heard from the young people he met there. – For me as a filmmaker, it has always been important to tell stories about people who rarely get screen time, and stories that are passed over, says Samsami to news. Lavina was launched in Oslo on May 6 and has already been shown at Grimstad Short Film Festival. The film is financed by, among others, the Norwegian Film Institute, Viken Filmsenter and the Culture Council, and was made in collaboration with Romano Kher. – Now I think we are in a time where even more voices are allowed to be heard, and where even more stories are allowed to see the light of day, says the director. Norwegian Roma answer anonymous questions from the audience in the “Don’t ask about it” episode “Norsk Rom”. You can watch the entire episode on news TV.
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Angel Jansen (19) creates Norwegian cultural history
