Toma Peiu will give a presentation on migration research, the making of the fiction short film Start Anew World (dir. Luiza Parvu, Romania- Hungary - USA, 2014) and the feature documentary Ubi Bene Ibi Patria, which he co-directed and shot with Luiza Parvu, at the Red Star Line Museum in Antwerp, Belgium, on September 25th, 2019, at 8pm.
In this screening and talk, Peiu will discuss how personal genealogical research into a forgotten family story led to the making of the short fiction film Start Anew World, produced by Root Films and directed by his creative partner, Luiza Pârvu, and currently shown in the exhibit Roots Seekers. Peiu will also share selected scenes from the road movie documentary film the two shot across Europe and the United States, Ubi Bene Ibi Patria, juxtaposing past and present migration stories, and how momentous times at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries changed individual destinies.
The Red Star Line Museum, run by the City of Antwerp, is a journey into the past and an encounter with the present. At the turn of the 20th century, two million passengers travelled from Antwerp to the Americas aboard ships of the Red Star Line company. The museum focuses on the personal stories and experiences of these people on the move, that of the Red Star Line that transported them and that of Antwerp, the city and port from which they embarked on their journeys. Today, Antwerp is one of the most diverse cities in the world - home to more than 170 different nationalities. The museum welcomes more than 100,000 visitors annual and organizes several temporary exhibitions every year, with partners from across Europe and beyond.
The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session. Museum doors open at 5pm, for the audience to explore the Roots Seekers exhibition, installed in The Warehouse gallery space.
Toma Peiu’s presence in Antwerp is made possible by the Graduate Student International Travel Grant from the College of Media, Communication and Information at the University of Colorado Boulder.