European Films

4 luni, 3 saptamini si 2 zile
Harrowing drama from director Cristian Mungiu that won the Golden Palm in Cannes in 2007. Released internationally as 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. It stars Laura Vasiliu and Anamaria Marinca as two female students who try to arrange an abortion for one of them during the waning days of the Ceausescu regime.

 

A fost sau n-a fost?
First feature film of director Corneliu Porumboiu, released internationally as 12:08 East of Bucharest. It won the Camera d'Or in Cannes for Best First Film in 2006 and was also nominated for a Best Screenplay award at the European Film Awards. It stars Mircea Andreescu, Teodor Corban and Ion Sapdaru as three men on a local talk show, who on the 16th anniversary of the Romanian revolution discuss whether it actually was a revolution that toppled the communist regime.

Alexandru Baciu
Co-writer of Radu Muntean’s Hîrtia va fi albastrã (The Paper Will Be Blue).
 
Dragos Bucur
Romanian actor. He has been part of the new wave of Romanian films from the beginning and has starred or co-starred in Porumboiu's Visul lui Liviu  (Liviu's Dream); Marfa si banii (Stuff and Dough) and Moartea domnului Lazarescu (The Death of Mr Lazarescu) from Cristi Puiu and Furia and Hîrtia va fi albastrã (The Paper Will Be Blue) from Radu Muntean.
 
C
California Dreamin’ (Nesfarsit)
Posthumous feature debut of director Cristian Nemescu, who was killed in a traffic accident when the film was in postproduction. It was shown as the rough cut he left behind in the Un Certain Regard sidebar in Cannes, where it won the top prize. It stars Armand Assante and Jamie Elman as US NATO soldiers whose train convoy is stopped by Razvan Vasilescu's Romanian station master during the Kosovo War. Based on a true incident and released internationally as California Dreamin' (Endless). The title is a reference to the famous song from The Mamas & The Papas.

Nae Caranfil
Romanian director, born in 1960 in Bucharest. His previous films include Filantropica from 2002 and Dolce far niente from 1998. His latest film, Restul e tacere (The Rest is Silence), is an exploration of the making of the first Romanian feature film at the beginning of the twentieth century. The film stars Marius Florea Vizante, Ovidiu Niculesu, Vasile Albinet and Valentin Popescu and premiered at the 2007 Transylvania International Film Festival.   

 

Camera d’Or
The award for Best First Film from the Cannes Film Festival. Corneliu Porumboiu won the prize in 2006 for his feature debut A fost sau n-a fost? (12:08 East of Bucharest).

The feature debut of director Catalin Mitulescu, released internationally as The Way I Spent the End of the World. It is mainly set just before the fall of communist dictator Ceausescu and tells the story of a family in a Bucharest suburb. The film has some light magical realist touches and focusses on the young brother and sister of the family, played by Doroteea Petre and Timotei Duma.

 

see: Moartea domnului Lazarescu

 

Maria Dinulescu
Romanian actress, born in 1981 in Ploiesti. She starred in the Catalin Mitulescu short Trafic, which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 2004, and in Cristian Nemescu's debut California Dreamin' (Nesfarsit), which won the Un certain regard prize at the same festival in 2007. She can next be seen in Marius Barna's Beyond America, which is scheduled for an early 2008 release in Romania.
 
G
Luminita Gheorghiu
Romanian actress, born in 1949 in Bucharest. She has had roles in many of the new wave of Romanian films, including Moartea domnului Lazarescu (The Death of Mr Lazarescu), in which she played the ambulance nurse who is forced to drag Mr Lazarescu from hospital to hospital; A fost sau n-a fost? (12:08 East of Bucharest), in which she plays the wife of the TV presenter, and Palme d'Or winner 4 luni, 3 saptamini si 2 zile (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days), in which she plays the mother of the main character's boyfriend who hosts a dinner party in one of the film's best scenes. 
 
Tudor Giurgiu
Romanian director, born in 1972 in Cluj-Napoca.  He directed the sweet and loving Sapphic and incest drama Legaturi Bolnavicioase (Love Sick). He is also the honorary president of the Transylvania International Film Festival and the former head of Romanian State Television.  

 

Golden Palm
The top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, won in 2004 by Catalin Mitulescu for Trafic for Best Short Film and in 2007 by Cristian Mungiu for 4 luni, 3 saptamini si 2 zile (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days) for best Official Competition Film.

H
Hîrtia va fi albastrã
Drama from director Radu Muntean about the chaos that ensued during the night of the Romanian revolution in 1989 as seen from the perspective of a tank unit and the family of one its soldiers. Released internationally as The Paper Will Be Blue (a military password in the film), it was selected for the Locarno Film Festival Competition and stars Paul Ipate, Adi Carauleanu, Dragos Bucur and Dana Dogaru.

I
Vlad Ivanov
Romanian actor who plays the pivotal role of the "helpful" doctor in Cristian Mungiu's abortion drama 4 luni, 3 saptamini si 2 zile (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days).

 

An award-winning short film from director Radu Jude, known internationally as The Tube with a Hat. The film was shot by Marius Panduru, stars Gabriel Spahiu and has won, amongst others, the Short Filmmaking Award at the Sundance Film Festival.

 

Legaturi bolnavicioase
A love story directed by Tudor Giurgiu in which two female students, one a city dweller and the other from the countryside, fall in love at university. The city girl also has to deal with her jealous brother with whom she has an incestuous relationship. Known abroad as Love Sick, the drama stars Maria Popistasu, Ioana Barbu and Tudor Chirila.

M
Marfa si banii
A low-budget roadmovie from director Cristi Puiu that was selected for the Directors' Fortnight in Cannes in 2001, marking the first step of the international recognition of the renaissance of Romanian cinema. It is known internationally as Stuff and Dough and stars Alexandru Papadopol, Dragos Bucur, Luminita Gheorghiu and Razvan Vasilescu. 

 

Anamaria Marinca
Romanian actress, born in 1978 in Iasi. She came to the fore in the harrowing UK mini series Sex Traffic, in which she played the sister of Maria Popistasu's character. She went on to star as the conflicted protagonist in Palme d'Or winner  4 luni, 3 saptamini si 2 zile (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days) from director Cristian Mungiu.
 
Catalin Mitulescu
Romanian director, born in 1972 in Bucharest. His short film Trafic won the Palme d'Or for Best Short at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004. His 2006 feature Cum mi-am petrecut sfarsitul lumii (How I Spent the End of the World) was part of the 2006 selection of Cannes' Un Certain Regard and won actress Doroteea Petre a special acting prize at the festival. He also produced Ruxandra Zenide's Ryna from 2005, which also cast the young Petre in the starring role.  

 

Moartea domnului Lazarescu
Cristi Puiu's harrowing account of an old drunkard's descent into purgatory in various Bucharest hospitals won the 2005 Un Certain Regard prize as Best Film at the Cannes Film Festival. It is known internationally as The Death of Mr Lazarescu and stars Ioan Fiscuteanu, Luminita Gheorghiu and Dragos Bucur.
 
Cristian Mungiu

Romanian director, born in 1968 in Iasi. He debuted as a feature film director with 2002's Occident (The West) and conquered the world with his follow-up feature, the 2007 Palme d'Or winner  4 luni, 3 saptamini si 2 zile (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days). He also produced the latter with his cinematographer Oleg Mutu.

 

Romanian director, born in 1971 in Bucharest. His first feature, Furia from 2002, was one of the first films of the new wave of new Romanian films. His 2006 feature Hîrtia va fi albastrã (The Paper Will Be Blue) was part of the competition in Locarno.

 

Cinematographer of two of the formally most exciting films of new Romanian cinema: Moartea domnului Lazarescu (The Death of Mr Lazarescu) and 4 luni, 3 saptamini si 2 zile (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days). He also produced the latter.

 

Romanian director, born in 1979 in Bucharest, died on August 24, 2006 in a traffic accident. His posthumous debut feature California Dreamin' (Nesfarsit) (California Dreamin' (Endless)) won the top prize in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. It was shown as the rough cut the director left behind when he died, clocking in at almost three hours.

 

O
Occident
The debut feature from director Cristian Mungiu, also known as West. Multiple narratives are woven together to form an unflinching portrait of modern Romanian society. With Alexandru Papadopo, Tania Popa, Anca-Ioana Androne and Dorel Visan.

 

P
Palme d’Or
See Golden Palm

Marius Panduru
Director of cinematography on several of the new Romanian cinema films, including Porumboiu's short Visul lui Liviu (Liviu's Dream) and his feature debut A fost sau n-a fost? (12:08 East of Bucharest), two films with Doroteea Petre: Ryna and Cum mi-am petrecut sfarsitul lumii (The Way I Spent the End of the World) and Nae Caranfil's recent period piece Restul e tacere (The Rest is Silence). 

 

see: Hîrtia va fi albastrã

Romanian actress, born in 1981 in Eforie Nord. Played the tomboy lead in Ruxandra Zenide's Ryna and the decidedly more girly lead in Cum mi-am petrecut sfarsitul lumii (The Way I Spent the End of the World) from Catalin Mitulescu. For the latter, she won a special acting award at the Cannes Film Festival.

 

Romanian actress, born in 1980 in Bucharest. She became the first ever European Film Promotion Shooting Star from Romania in 2007. She has mainly starred abroad, having jumpstarted her career in the UK with leading roles in the made-for-TV projects Gunpowder, Treason & Plot and Sex Traffic. She also starred in the Austrian film Crash Test Dummies and the upcoming Flemish drama Man zkt vrouw (A Perfect Match). In her native Romania, she had the challenging lead role in the relationship drama Legaturi bolnovicioase (Love Sick). 

Romanian director, born in 1975 in Vaslui. His short film Calatorie la oras (A Trip to the City) placed second in the Short Film Competition in Cannes in 2004, while his follow-up short film, Visul lui Liviu (Liviu's Dream) won the Best Romanian Short Film prize at the Transylvanian International Film Festival. His feature debut A fost sau n-a fost? (12:08 East of Bucharest) won the Camera d'Or in Cannes for Best First Film in 2006.

 

Romanian screenwriter, born in 1969 in Bucharest. He has written or co-written many of the new Romanian cinema films, including Cristi Puiu's Marfa si banii (Stuff and Dough) and Moartea domnului Lazarescu (The Death of Mr Lazarescu); Giurgiu's Legaturi bolnavicioase (Love Sick); Muntean's Hîrtia va fi albastrã (The Paper Will Be Blue) and the work of veteran directors Radu Gabrea (Der geköpfte Hahn/The Beheaded Rooster) and Lucian Pintilie (Niki Ardelean, colonel în rezerva/Niki and Flo).

S
Ion Sapdaru

Romanian character actor who starred as the TV presenter in Porumboiu's revolution comedy A fost sau n-a fost? (12:08 East of Bucharest) and the opportunistic mayor in California Dreamin' (Nesfarsit). He also co-starred in Hîrtia va fi albastrã (The Paper Will Be Blue) and 4 luni, 3 saptamini si 2 zile (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days).

Sex Traffic
A two-part UK mini-series from director David Yates (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix) about young women forced into prostitution that showcased the talents of many Romanian actors, including youngsters Maria Popistasu and Anamaria Marinca and veterans Razvan Vasilescu and Luminita Gheorghiu.

 

see: Marfa si banii

 

A 2004 short film by Catalin Mitulescu that won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival for best short film. It stars Maria Dinulescu and Andi Vasluianu.

 

see: Lampa cu caciula

The second programme of the Official Selection besides the Competion at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2005, Moartea domnului Lazarescu (The Death of Mr Lazarescu) from Cristi Puiu was named the Best Un Certain Regard Film, in 2006 Doroteea Petre won a special acting award for her role in the Un Certain Regard title Cum mi-am petrecut sfarsitul lumii (The Way I Spent the End of the World) from Catalin Mitulescu and in 2007 Cristian Nemescu's California Dreamin' (Nesfarsit) was named the Best Un Certain Regard Film.

 

Romanian actor, born in 1954 in Ploiesti. He starred in Cristi Puiu's Marfa si banii (Stuff and Dough); Sex Traffic and in California Dreamin' (Nesfarsit) as the cantankerous station master.

 

Romanian actress who stars as the pregnant woman in the Palme d'Or winner 4 luni, 3 saptamini si 2 zile  (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days).

 

see: Cum mi-am petrecut sfarsitul lumii

see: Occident