Matterica's documentary series Being Gypsy premiered on OKKO on 8 April 2025 — the release was timed to International Romani Day. Directed by Vladislav Kuznetsov and produced by Mikhail Borodin, Anastasia Evtushenko and Anton Korablev, the five-episode series follows stand-up comedian Leonid Kulakov as he travels to the places where Russia's Roma live today, gathering material for a new show. The series was covered by Lenta.ru, Gazeta.ru, T—J and Vokrug TV, and recommended by writer Sergey Minaev in his Telegram channel.
Lenta.ru
On 8 April 2025, the day of the premiere, Lenta.ru published an article by Evgeny Shulgin. The publication describes the project as a blend of travel documentary and stand-up: Kulakov's monologue is built around an expedition to the places where Roma people live today — a nation, as the author puts it, whose story is persistently obscured by stereotypes. The article highlights the unusual stage setting — a camper van and a Romani wagon — and places the series in the context of OKKO's Roma-themed slate alongside the crime drama Shakespeare Street. Lenta.ru's fact box lists five episodes, director Vladislav Kuznetsov, producers Mikhail Borodin, Anastasia Evtushenko and Anton Korablev, with Leonid Kulakov, criminologist Danil Sergeev and Romani studies scholar Georgy Tsvetkov on screen.
Gazeta.ru
The same day, Gazeta.ru ran a review by Mark Romanov. The critic calls the format "a stand-up show with road-movie elements": in one register Kulakov does what he does best — jokes from the stage; in the other he tries himself as a documentarian, travelling with the crew into a world unknown to most viewers. Both, in the reviewer's assessment, he does without a trace of falseness.
T—J
T—J (T-Bank's magazine) featured the series in its viewer-recommendation section: "I recommend the series Being Gypsy".
Sergey Minaev
Writer and broadcaster Sergey Minaev recommended the series in his Telegram channel, noting the work of Kulakov and the crew, who filmed a wide range of people from the Roma community.
Vokrug TV and databases
Vokrug TV created a listing for the series, describing it as a nomadic documentary about the life and stereotypes of the Roma people in a stand-up format. The series is also listed on Kino-Teatr.ru and Kinopoisk, where it holds a 7.3 rating.
Production facts
Filming took three months, in Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod and the Moscow region. The screenwriter is Alexey Kobylkov. More about the production in our behind-the-scenes longread (in Russian): How Being Gypsy was made.
Related posts on our blog
- Being Gypsy is out on OKKO — premiere announcement, 8 April 2025
Where to watch
Being Gypsy is streaming on OKKO. More about the project: /project/gypsy.
