IAG BARI: Brass on Fire

A story about the quest for happiness. The ‘Ciocarlia Brass Band’ comes from the remote Romanian village of Zece Prajini (`ten fields’), behind the Karpatian mountains, a place that no one can ever find on a map. The musicians of this gypsy orchestra were discovered by two German music lovers who introduced them to the world music scene. The whole group travels the world and every venue they play is packed with a wildly enthusiastic audience. They soon become a real cult band. These Gypsy musicians can have a party on any stage, wherever they are in the world. With their very own mixture of a poetic Balkan sound, this band has the reputation of being the fastest players in the world. The film shows the start of their journey from the remote village, the wonderful experiences abroad and the source of Gypsy culture on the eastern borders of Europe, but it’s also a love story. The director became fascinated by the Gypsy culture when he saw the Gypsies Are Found Near Heaven (also screened at this festival) at the age of 17. When years later friends of his came up with the idea of looking for original music in Romania that transcends the cliches of kitsch restaurants, he went along with his video camera. The result is a musical documentary with richly poetic footage of performances from Berlin to Tokyo.