Film honoured with Audience Choice Award at prestigious AKE DIKHEA? International Roma Film Festival in Berlin
Date: 24 October 2025
That Boy – a moving exploration of trauma, resilience, and reconciliation – has been awarded the Audience Choice Award at the AKE DIKHEA? International Roma Film Festival in Berlin. Festival audiences recognised the film for its powerful storytelling and emotional depth, celebrating its message of confronting hate and choosing to prioritise healing.
The film tells the true story of a violent racist attack in the UK and the courageous journey toward forgiveness that followed – offering a deeply personal narrative that resonates with Roma communities and speaks to universal struggles for dignity and belonging.
Director Toby Gorniak MBE reflected on the win, commenting: “Out of so many powerful films, the audience – the people – chose us. That means everything. Because That Boy isn’t just a film. It’s a story of pain, resilience, and forgiveness. Of what happens when hate tries to break you… and you choose healing instead.”
He added: “To stand there as a Roma man, surrounded by Roma filmmakers, actors, and storytellers, all of us celebrating each other was beyond emotional. It felt like family. Like home. This one’s for every person who’s ever felt unseen. For every community still fighting to be heard. We are not just surviving – we’re rising.”
Research context
That Boy was conceived by Prof. Michał P. Garapich, who invited Toby Gorniak MBE to collaborate on the production. The film is a key impact output of the ESRC-funded research project Everyday Transnationalism of the Far Right: An Interdisciplinary Study of Polish Immigrants’ Participation in Far-Right Groups in Britain – led by Prof. Garapich with Dr Anna Jochymek and Dr Rafał Soborski at London Met.
The project is part of the Global Diversities and Inequalities Research Centre (GDIRC), and examines the intersections of identity, migration, extremism, and social belonging.
Full credits
- Film concept: Michał P. Garapich
- Executive producers: Toby Gorniak MBE, Michał P. Garapich
- Video production: New Vandal Media
- Academic supervision: Anna Jochymek, Rafał Soborski, Michał P. Garapich
- Funding and academic support: Economic and Social Research Council, London Metropolitan University
- Consultation: Fiyaz Mughal OBE, Faith Matters
Festival significance
The AKE DIKHEA? Festival – meaning “Do You See?” in Romani – is one of Europe’s leading Roma-led film festivals. Its mission is to challenge stereotypes, celebrate Roma identity, and promote social justice. Winning the Audience Choice Award marks an extraordinary recognition of the film’s impact and its ability to open meaningful dialogue.
Additional resources
- ESRC project: Everyday Transnationalism of the Right – GDIRC
- London Met news story:“I would say sorry” – Neo-Nazi and Roma attack victim come face to face
- Q&A: Confronting hate and seeking forgiveness in That Boy
- AKE DIKHEA? International Roma Film Festival website
Photo credit: Stephanie Ballantine