top of page

GYPSY DAVY

by Rachel Leah Jones

SYNOPSIS

When an American white-boy with Alabama roots becomes a Spanish Flamenco guitarist in Andalucian boots, what happens along the way and behind the scenes? Gypsy Davy tells the story of David Jones, stage name: "David Serva," from the perspective of his five women and five children—one of whom is the director of the film. Shot over a ten-year period in five countries across three continents, and featuring some of the finest old-school Gypsy Flamenco artists and hottest names in American and Spanish alternative rock, Gypsy Davy is much more than another hunt-down-the-absent-father movie, it’s a home-made epic.

DETAILS

96 mins

2012

Israel, USA, Spain

English, Spanish

TRAILER

CREDITS

Written and Directed by Rachel Leah Jones

Produced, Filmed and Recorded by Philippe Bellaiche, Rachel Leah Jones

Edited by Rachel Leah Jones, Erez Laufer

Original Music by David Serva Jones

BIOGRAPHY

DIRECTOR - RACHEL LEAH JONES

Born in Berkeley, California in 1970 and raised between Berkeley and Tel Aviv, Jones is a critically acclaimed documentary filmmaker whose work focuses on Israel/Palestine. She has a BA in Race, Class and Gender Studies and a MFA in Documentary Media Arts. Her directing credits include: 500DUNAM ON THE MOON (2002) commissioned by France Channel 2; ASHKENAZ (2007) commissioned by Israel Channel 8; TARGETED CITIZEN (2010) commissioned by Adalah: the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel; and GYPSY DAVY (2012) commissioned by Israel Channel 8 (Sundance 2012). In addition to making her own films, Jones has produced extensively with others, e.g. WALL by Simone Bitton (Cannes 2004; Special Jury Prize Sundance 2005) and has been affiliated with progressive media outlets such as DEMOCRACY NOW! in New York.

SELECT FESTIVALS

JERUSALEM FILM FESTIVAL 2011〡SUNDANCE 2012〡TRUE/FALSE 2012〡VISIONS DU REEL 2012〡SAN FRANCISCO JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL 2012〡DMZ 2012〡TAIWAN INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL 2012〡SEVILLE EUROPEAN FILM FESTIVAL 2012〡DOC NYC 2012〡BAFICI 2013〡DOC EDGE NEW ZEALAND 2013〡KRAKOW FILM FESTIVAL2013

PRESS

"Everyone's family has drama, complexity and intrigue, but in just about any related contest, Rachel Leah Jones would win... Structured not chronologically but in a way that decades-old family secrets continue to unfold and surprise well into the pic's progress, this fascinating, ambivalent coming-to-terms should hook viewers in plenty of territories, particularly via upscale broadcasters... As engrossing as a flavorsome, twisty literary novel... full of colorful personalities as well as music. Assembly is excellent... merit[ing] special credit for finding a narrative shape as complex as the family tree it charts."
- Variety

bottom of page