RRI Live!

Listen to Radio Romania International Live

Romanian Productions at TIFF

An overview of Romanian films included in this year's selection

Romanian Productions at TIFF
Romanian Productions at TIFF

, 21.06.2023, 13:00

9 features and 16 short films competed at the Transylvania International Film Festival TIFF.22. The selection included some of the best Romanian films of 2022, as well as productions that were premiered on the sidelines of the festival in Cluj-Napoca. Among them are the black comedy Men of Deeds directed by Paul Negoescu, the grand winner at the Gopo Awards Gala this year, as well as the psychological thriller To the North directed by Mihai Mincan, which was premiered in Venice this year. To the North is one of the most promising products of Romanian cinematography in the last five years. It is a co-production of Romania (deFilm), France (Remora Film), Greece (Studio Bauhaus), Bulgaria (Screening Emotions) and the Czech Republic (Background Films). The story is set in 1996, taking place on a cargo ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean on its way to America. Joel, a Filipino sailor part of the crew, discovers an illegal Romanian passenger. Knowing the captain or navigating crew would throw him overboard if they discovered him, Joel tries to save him. “Mincans screenplay is a daring and unflinching representation of the things that can happen in international waters. Its a story about moral choices, kindness and compromise, courage and fear”, intoscreens.com writes about the film. Director Mihai Mincan told us more.




“This moral balancing act that we more often than not do with our peers is rather difficult, and the cultural differences of the film characters make it even harder. These differences between the characters, their social and cultural baggage, are what motivated me when I started working on the script. Each of us takes away something different from a relationship, but at the same time these differences can meet half-way, in phenomena such as poverty. For movie characters, poverty is a common concept, although it is itself perceived differently, depending on each characters culture. I was very attracted by this idea and these language discrepancies, which prevent people from communicating in key moments. If characters could have really talked to each other, using the proper syntax, and voiced their needs, perhaps things would have been different. Im not big on moral relativity, nor do I agree with the idea that good and evil are relative concepts, that they differ from one person to another and one people to another. In this film, the circumstances complicate things a lot, and each character is bound by a strong personal stake”.




The list of Romanian productions presented at TIFF this year also included Boss, a noir production directed by Bogdan Mirică, the winner of the TIFF.15 trophy for his feature Dogs, as well as the national premiere of Tiger, the debut film of Andrei Tănase, this year selected at Rotterdam. At the crossroads between documentary and fiction, Vlad Petris latest feature, Between Revolutions, distinguished with the FIPRESCI Award in the Focus section at Berlin, was produced using archive material. The film mirrors the lives and destinies of two women, Maria and Zahra, the former from Romania, the latter from Iran, friends and colleagues at the Medical School in Bucharest in the 1970s. “To me, it is a film about a recent past, which strongly resonates with the immediate reality. It is a film telling a subjective story, about women, about two countries and societies separated by thousands of kilometers, each experimenting with new political systems, where people are crushed by the states political oppression. It is a relevant film right now, which can be linked to the protests of recent months in Iran, where women are fighting for their rights and want a fair society, just as they tried to achieve in 1979”, filmmaker Vlad Petri says.




“Admittedly, I am passionate about Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Ive been to Iran and other countries in the region, and so the film was made from a number of perspectives. My talks with my mother also played a key role. She studied Medicine and told me about students from the Middle East who would come to study in Romania. I was born in 1979, the year of the Islamic Revolution. There are thus several layers to this story, and I found numerous similarities and differences between the Islamic Revolution and the anti-communist revolution in 1989 in Romania. This was a very appealing territory to explore, and to talk about hope, optimism, the need for a radical change, because both revolutions led to radical changes, and I still believe these are the most important landmarks of the last century”.




Film editor Dana Bunescu returns to film directing alongside anthropologist Cătălina Tesar, revealing marriage traditions in Roma families in the film The Chalice. Of Sons and Daughters. In turn, journalists Adina Popescu and Iulian Ghervase produced their third documentary, The Vultures of Țaga, which tells the story of a football team that constantly loses. Both films were premiered in 2022 at the Astra Festival. One of the most anticipated productions of the year is the world premiere of Nasty (directed by Tudor Giurgiu), a documentary about the life of Romanian tennis player Ilie Năstase. The film was screened in the Union Square in the presence of Ilie Năstase himself. Alexandru Solomon returns to TIFF with Arsenie. The Afterlife, the premiere of the much-anticipated film about monk Arsenie Boca and his legendary legacy. (VP)



World of Culture Saturday, 16 November 2024

The New Year that Never Came

The New Year that Never Came, written and directed by Bogdan Mureșanu, was proposed on the list of films that will be considered for nomination at...

The New Year that Never Came
Festivalul Național de Teatru (sursa foto: Festivalul Național de Teatru)
World of Culture Saturday, 09 November 2024

The National Theater Festival

The 34th edition of the National Theatre Festival, hosted by theatres and various non-conventional spaces in Bucharest, turned into a true marathon...

The National Theater Festival
Foto: mnir.ro
World of Culture Saturday, 02 November 2024

The Natural Dyes Exhibition at the History Museum

The National History Museum of Romania (NHMR) presents, starting in mid-September, a new exhibition: “Natural dyes. From museum scientific...

The Natural Dyes Exhibition at the History Museum
Foto: Adi Mărineci
World of Culture Saturday, 26 October 2024

EXT. CAR. NIGHT, a new film by Andrei Crețulescu

EXT. CAR. NIGHT, the second feature film directed and written by Andrei Crețulescu, stars four emblematic actors of the new wave who play multiple...

EXT. CAR. NIGHT, a new film by Andrei Crețulescu
World of Culture Saturday, 12 October 2024

Ciao, Italy! Animest 19

After having gathered 15 thousand viewers in front of the cinema screens at the previous edition, the International Animation Film Festival –...

Ciao, Italy! Animest 19
World of Culture Saturday, 05 October 2024

Bestiary, a Vanner Collective project

The independent theatre company Vanner Collective is known for its original initiatives in the Romanian cultural space, translating burning social...

Bestiary, a Vanner Collective project
World of Culture Saturday, 28 September 2024

Niko Becker, Gopo Film Festival’s Young Hopeful

28Actor Niko Becker in 2024 scooped the Gopo Award in the Young Hopefuls category as part of the Gopo Film Festival, for Dumitru, his role in the...

Niko Becker, Gopo Film Festival’s Young Hopeful
World of Culture Saturday, 21 September 2024

Anonimul International Independent Film Festival

The best Romanian short film at the Anonimul International Independent Film Festival was designated “(In) the Circle”, by Andreea...

Anonimul International Independent Film Festival

Partners

Muzeul Național al Țăranului Român Muzeul Național al Țăranului Român
Liga Studentilor Romani din Strainatate - LSRS Liga Studentilor Romani din Strainatate - LSRS
Modernism | The Leading Romanian Art Magazine Online Modernism | The Leading Romanian Art Magazine Online
Institului European din România Institului European din România
Institutul Francez din România – Bucureşti Institutul Francez din România – Bucureşti
Muzeul Național de Artă al României Muzeul Național de Artă al României
Le petit Journal Le petit Journal
Radio Prague International Radio Prague International
Muzeul Național de Istorie a României Muzeul Național de Istorie a României
ARCUB ARCUB
Radio Canada International Radio Canada International
Muzeul Național al Satului „Dimitrie Gusti” Muzeul Național al Satului „Dimitrie Gusti”
SWI swissinfo.ch SWI swissinfo.ch
UBB Radio ONLINE UBB Radio ONLINE
Strona główna - English Section - polskieradio.pl Strona główna - English Section - polskieradio.pl
creart - Centrul de Creație Artă și Tradiție al Municipiului Bucuresti creart - Centrul de Creație Artă și Tradiție al Municipiului Bucuresti
italradio italradio
Institutul Confucius Institutul Confucius
BUCPRESS - știri din Cernăuți BUCPRESS - știri din Cernăuți

Affiliates

Euranet Plus Euranet Plus
AIB | the trade association for international broadcasters AIB | the trade association for international broadcasters
Digital Radio Mondiale Digital Radio Mondiale
News and current affairs from Germany and around the world News and current affairs from Germany and around the world
Comunità radiotelevisiva italofona Comunità radiotelevisiva italofona

Providers

RADIOCOM RADIOCOM
Zeno Media - The Everything Audio Company Zeno Media - The Everything Audio Company