SYNOPSIS

Searching for the 4th Nail is based in a old legend.The legend of the 4th Nail refers to the one story known to all Gypsies across the world. A long time ago, a blacksmith traveled through a holy land. One night, a Roman soldier came to his door and demanded of him four long nails. The blacksmith agreed, and went to sleep. As he slept, he dreamt of an old man, who cautioned him: “Do not give the soldier four nails. Make four nails, but keep the fourth. Wrap them in cloth, and only give him three.” The next morning when the soldier arrived, the old blacksmith did as the man in his dream had asked, giving the soldier three nails for four, keeping the last nail in his pocket. And so it was, that the four nails were intended for the crucifixion of Christ. The old man in the blacksmith’s dream was God, and the fourth nail had been destined to pierce Christ’s heart. In exchange for sparing Jesus that pain, God granted the blacksmith and all his descendants the right to steal and roam the earth. The blacksmith was a Gypsy.

This legend gives the Gypsies an excuse to live by their own rules.Eli’s journey begins when his two sons ask 'what does it mean to be a Gypsy?” He has no clear answer beyond what he’s learned from movies and TV. Eli and his sons begin a quest for the truth. From the Holocaust Museum to Hollywood, from ancient India to Ellis Island. George and his sons are always fun on screen, although they confront negative stereotypes and uncover a terrible history of persecution, finally realizing that the only way out is the main thing that their Gypsy community avoids: conventional education.The film ends with Eli’s eldest son Alex graduating from elementary school—becoming the first in his community to do so.

Searching For The Fourth Nail is the story of one Romani (Gypsy) filmmaker trying to find the roots of his culture. Personal tales of discrimination, loss and discovery are set against the backdrop of the many major North American cities where I visit my people. “Searching For The Fourth Nail” is a commentary on the intense love and conflicted passions of Romani people today. (George Eli)

TECHNICAL DATA

Director: George Eli

Script: George Eli
Producer: George Eli, Jasmine Dellal and Nikhil Melnechuk
Cast: George Eli, Alex Eli and Christopher Eli
Editors: Kyle Stuart and Nikhil Melnechuk
Runtime: 112 min. Color. Language:English. Subtitles : Spanish.

DIRECTOR

BIOGRAPHY
George Eli, Director, embarks on a personal quest to understand his Romani (“Gypsy”) heritage in the upcoming documentary Searching for the Fourth Nail. He gained his love for filmmaking at an early age watching films with his father. His earliest memory of a "Gypsy" on screen was of Quasimodo and Esmeralda in the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Since then he has been determined to break the "Gypsy" stereotype, and to do so has defied community norms by attending film school at New York Film Academy. He went on to found Eli Films in 2000, a small independent production house committed to bringing stories that matter to life. Eli has worked alongside documentary filmmakers such as Jasmine Dellal and Albert Maysles in the Gypsy Caravan film. Eli is also a father and photographer.