22 Romanian films, some of them world premieres, have been selected in the much-anticipated Romanian Days section of the 13th edition of Transilvania international Film Festival (May 30 – June 8, Cluj city, Romania). 12 features and 8 shorts will compete for the Romanian Days prizes, while two other feature films will screen out of competition.
4 out of the 14 feature films are world premieres. White Gate/ Poarta albă, directed by Nicolae Mărgineanu, tells the dramatic story of two Romanian students who, in 1949, ended up in the forced labor camp of the Danube-Black Sea canal. In The Crypt/ Cripta, the new feature film by Corneliu Gheorghiță (Europolis), a French businessman is imprisoned in a courtyard. The film stars the famed French actor Serge Riaboukine winner of the Bronze Leopard in Locarno for his turn in Peau d'homme cœur de bête (1999). A Last Year in 114 minutes/ Un ultim an în 114 minute marks the feature debut of visual artist Daniel Djamo – the film chronicles the last year in his grandmother's life. "This daring, intense and heartbreaking documentary is my personal discovery within this year's Romanian Days selection", says Mihai Chirilov, the artistic director of the festival.
Another world premiere, this time out of competition, is America, Here We Come!/ America, venim!, the feature debut by Răzvan Săvescu starring, among others, Gheorghe Ifrim, Adrian Văncică and Mihai Călin. Five theatre actors, the director, a kid and a huge teddy bear travel to New York for a performance, only to embark on the adventure of a lifetime where nothing goes according to plan. Another out of competition screening is The Tănase Affair/ Afacerea Tănase by Ionuț Teianu, a documentary about the assassination attempt of writers Virgil Tănase and Paul Goma, in 1982.
The only Romanian film also selected for the International Competition is Quod erat demonstrandum, the black & white second feature by Andrei Gruzsniczki, starring Ofelia Popii, Sorin Leoveanu and Florin Piersic Jr. Bucharest, Where Are You?/ București, unde ești?, Vlad Petri's documentary about the 2012 University Square protests will be screened in the Uniri Square right before its theatrical release. A film about the trials and tribulations of the younger generation, the road-movie teen comedy #Selfie marks the feature film debut of Cristina Iacob and stars Crina Semciuc, Olimpia Melinte and Flavia Hojda.
The Romanian Days competition also encompasses Corneliu Porumboiu's documentary, The Second Game/ Al doilea joc, selected at the 2014 Berlinale – an experiment in which the son and his father, Adrian Porumboiu, watch and discuss a famous 1987 Steaua-Dinamo football game, Closer to the Moon, the first English language film by Nae Caranfil, starring Mark Strong and Vera Farmiga, and Flying Lessons/ La limita de jos a cerului which brought its director, Igor Cobileanski, a record number of Gopo nominations as well as the Best Debut trophy.
The audience will be able to see Victor Rebengiuc in The Japanese Dog/ Câinele japonez, the feature debut by Tudor Cristian Jurgiu, winner of the Best Film award in Vilnius and selected in the San Sebastian and New Directors/ New Films festivals, and Șerban Pavlu in Roxanne, the feature debut by Valentin Hotea and selected in Locarno. Stere Gulea comes to TIFF with his big screen adaptation of Dan Lungu's novel I'm an Old Communist Hag/ Sunt o babă comunistă, starring Luminița Gheorghiu and Marian Râlea.
The Romanian Days jury in charge of the feature films is composed of Christophe Terhechte, the director of Berlinale's Forum section, Grainne Humphreys, the director of the Dublin International Film Festival and the film critic Pamela Pianezza, one of the Cannes' Semaine de la critique curators.
Extremely rich, in terms of both form and content are the 8 short films selected in the Romanian Days competition. 3 of the 8 titles are world premieres: Start Anew World/ O lume nouă (by Luiza Pârvu), an independent and ambitious costume drama shot in New York about the Romanian immigrants into the New World and starring Florin Penişoară, Olimpia Melinte and Ioan Ardelean; Kowalski (by Andrei Crețulescu), starring Dorian Boguţă, Andi Vasluianu, Şerban Pavlu as three men who meet in a pub: "The first man has too many questions. The second man has the perfect plan. The third man has no chance."; and Iulia Rugină's (Love Building) new Actoriedefilm.ro project, Dying from a Wound of Love/ Să mori de dragoste rănită, the story of two former lovers who, before committing suicide, decide to listen, one last time, to Angela Similea's (who cameos in the film) eponymous song.
In addition, TIFF marks the Romanian premiere – right after its Cannes screening within the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs section – of Radu Jude's It Can Pass through the Wall/ Trece și prin perete, based on a short story by Chekhov. The selection also includes The Walk/ Plimbare (by Mihaela Popescu), starring Valeria Seciu, Horsepower/ Cai putere (by Daniel Sandu), Ela, Panda & Madam (by Andrei Ștefan Răuțu), and Our Father/ Tatăl nostru by Cluj director Sergiu Lupșe.
The Romanian Days jury in charge of the short films is composed of the winners of the Best Short Film awards in the other Operation Kino festivals: Sofia – Pavel G. Vesnakov (also winner in Clermont-Ferrand 2014, with Pride), Istanbul - Fatih Kızılgök (Nerdesin)and Sarajevo - Cristina Groșan (Holiday at the Seaside).
Romanian Days teaser: http://youtu.be/87PhKPxIzLY
Transilvania International Film Festival is organized by Romanian Film Promotion and The Association for Film and Urban Culture.
