Coming to Cannes with award winning script with a message: looking for the perfect production fit

“I worked in Cannes with Emir Kusturica as Sony distributor on his brilliant award winning film: “Time of The Gypsies”:
when I read the script for “Lala, my redhead” I could not help feeling the connection with these emotions : I trust you will like it too. “ 

Bruno Chatelin - filmfestivals.com founder.

SYNOPSIS

On St. Todor’s Day, also known as Horse Easter, the Kalaidzhi Gypsy of Bulgaria celebrate the health of the horse and sell their daughters into marriages. On this day, a woman’s destiny is defined irreversibly. Bound by tradition, where futures dare not bloom, generations of women have been denied access to education and the freedom to make their own choices. Yet, change whispers its way forward. *******

1990s, Bulgaria, somewhere near Stara Zagora

VELCHO, a wild-hearted horseman, races to win the hand of the most beautiful bride at the market – LELA, the girl he’s loved since childhood. He is driven by memories of when Lela’s mother, whose love for reading was disapproved by the clan, read books to them at night in hiding. Velcho wins the race, but Lela is sold to a wealthier man, PETKO. Velcho begs Lela to run away with him, to live freely beyond the bounds of tradition. Although deeply perturbed by the prospects of her life with a man that she has never met before, Lela refuses to dishonour her family. Humiliated and heartbroken, Velcho pledges to never return.

Early 2000s, Bulgaria/Belgium (Brussels)

DANA, Petko’s and the now-late Lela’s fiercely beautiful redhead daughter, abandons her studies in the city to save her father from poverty. Knowing the value of her beauty, Dana demands that Petko sell her into a marriage on St. Todor’s Day. Petko resists, haunted by Lela’s wishes for their daughter to be educated and free.

But Dana insists that there is no future for a gypsy girl outside of their clan. Reluctant, Petko succumbs. Reminiscent of how he found love in his arranged marriage, he accepts a proposal from a once rival family, whose son ROMAN is told to be a student in Brussels. Dana’s appearance at the market sends ripples through the crowds.

Dana is overcome by memories of her best friend DONKA, who was sold to a much older man at the age of 14 and died during childbirth soon after.

Roman’s crude demeanour only deepens her dread. Dana doesn’t know that PETKO takes no money for giving her away. All he asks is that Roman let Dana finish her studies in Brussels. But Roman is no student – he’s an indebted sex-trafficker who comes to the market with one purpose only: to find a beautiful virgin for a special client.

Upon their arrival in Brussels, a taxi driver is stunned by Dana’s resemblance to his young love Lela. It’s Velcho, now a free man, driving a taxi instead of racing horses. With an unshaking feeling that Dana might be in trouble, he follows the couple.

Roman locks Dana in a trafficking nest for several hours. Exhausted with fear, Dana dreams of Lela, who reveals Dana’s true name – a secret name that gypsy women give to their children at birth to protect them from evil: LALA, her “redhead”. Lela’s wish was for her Lala to break free.

Back in Bulgaria, Petko, struck by premonition, also sees Lela in a similar dream but doesn’t understand the significance it holds. With Velcho’s help, Dana escapes her captivity. At the same time, Petko finds out who Roman is and rushes to take the train to Brussels. It is deep into the night, and as he waits for his train, Petko drifts into sleep – lulled by memories of the beautiful life he once shared with his wife.

Dana – now transformed into the strong, empowered Lala – rides the train home, determined to free her father from the grip of traditions that have bound her family for generations.

********

Short script excerpts I  for the full script

The latest film that Nellie scripted and directed received 2 awards in Cannes 2023

Nellie with Bruno Chatelin in Cannes
Nellie's previous film "La Riposte" shot for the WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
received the Movie that Matters Awards in Cannes May 22

May 25th A.F.I. World Peace Initiative in Cannes Award

See press release here

Attachments   LALA script excerpts.pdf   Lala_my_redhead.pps  

Nellie K was born in Kyrgyzstan, a small country in Central Asia, to a family of mixed backgrounds and cultures. She taught literature to young kids and university students and has worked with the United Nations. Nellie is a passionate advocate for the rights of the child and women’s empowerment. Nellie is the winner of the 2015 Platinum Hermes Creative Awards and the 2017 Writer’s Digest Honorable Mention. She wrote for notable EU documentaries A long walk (Burkina Faso) and Land of many waters (Guyana). La Riposte (Congo, Senegal) - the film she scripted and directed for the World Health Organization, won two awards in Cannes in 2023. 

VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH NELLIE K. IN CANNES

VIDEO AWARD acceptance speech by Nellie K

Visit the website: https://www.nelliek.ch/

Contact: nellie@nelliek.ch

Deniz Nala was born in Ohio, USA and lived in Kenya, from where comes her African name Nala. Deniz Nala started drawing before she learned to hold a spoon, and has created many characters, which came out of the different bedtime stories her mom used to tell her. Kiki, Cutie Boop and Snooty Pooch were the favorites and lived many exciting adventures, some of which she and Nellie share in their children’s book Kiki De Venus @ http://kikidevenus.com/. Deniz is now studying for her PhD in clinical psychology at the University of Geneva and is a passionate advocate for disability-inclusive policies.