Film screening: A Basket Full of Eggs plus panel discussion
Location
Hosted by
About
Join us for a screening of A Basket Full of Eggs, followed by a panel discussion and Q&A featuring Professor Hazel Marsh, Dr Joanna Kostka, Nicoleta Calin and Olivia Hammond.
Thursday 29 October, 3:00pm-4:00pm, Health Innovation Campus, Lancaster University.
A Basket Full of Eggs (19 minutes, 2025) was made by Romani filmmaker Lisa Smith, founder of the UK's first Romani-led production company, Patrin Films.
The film follows the personal journey of Romani journalist Liza Mortimer as she ventures into archival collections in search of her great-grandmother, Minty Smith.
What begins as a quest for a single life story becomes a powerful revelation: a rich, interwoven legacy of Romani voices, songs and cultural influence embedded within England's traditional folk music.
Through rare recordings and rediscovered stories of Minty Smith and other Romani folk singers, the film illuminates the vital role that Romani communities played in preserving and shaping England's folk traditions, long overlooked yet deeply influential.
Funded by the University of East Anglia's AHRC Impact Acceleration Award, the film was nominated for Best Activist Film at the OffBeat 2026 Folk Film Festival.
Following the screening, the panel will explore heritage, representation, community knowledge and lived experience, bringing together community, advocacy and research perspectives.