Following his artistic quest from Police, Adjective / Politist, adjectiv (42 KM FILM), Porumboiu wrote a story about a policeman called Cristi, who reaches the La Gomera island in Spain in order to learn El Silbo, a whistled language used by the inhabitants over a distance of up to five kilometres. Cristi aims at freeing Zsolt, a controversial businessman arrested in Bucharest.
Porumboiu said in a statement during the shooting that he is interested in a “possible use of the old language El Silbo in a world where communication is more and more controlled and there is a direct conflict between verbal and non-verbal”.
The cast includes Catrinel Menghia (Marlon), Rodica Lazăr and Sabin Tambrea. The film has been acquired by MK2 Films during the shooting.
La Gomera is a coproduction between 42 KM FILM (Romania), Les Films du Worso (France), Komplizen Film (Germany) and Arte Grand Accord. It was supported by the Romanian Film Centre together with Eurimages.
This is the first film that Porumboiu shot outside Romania.
The Short Film Competition and Cinéfondation selections have not been announced yet.
Cannes Main Competition:
The Dead Don’t Die (Sweden, USA)
Directed by Jim Jarmusch
Pain and Glory / Dolor y gloria (Spain)
Directed by Pedro Almodóvar
The Traitor / Il traditore (Italy, France, Brazil, Germany)
Directed by Marco Bellocchio
Parasite / Gisaengchung (South Korea)
Directed by Bong Joon Ho
The Young Ahmed / Le jeune Ahmed (Belgium)
Directed by Jean-Pierre Dardenne & Luc Dardenne
Oh Mercy! / Roubaix, a Light (France)
Directed by Arnaud Desplechin
The Wild Goose Lake / Nan Fang Che Zhan De Ju Hui (China)
Directed by Diao Yinan
Atlantique (France)
Directed by Mati Diop
Matthias & Maxime (Canada)
Directed by Xavier Dolan
Little Joe (Austria, UK, Germany)
Directed by Jessica Hausner
Sorry We Missed You (UK, France, Belgium)
Directed by Ken Loach
Les Misérables (France)
Directed by Ladj Ly
A Hidden Life (USA, Germany)
Directed by Terrence Malick
Nighthawk / Bacarau (Brazil)
Directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho & Juliano Dornelles
The Whistlers / La Gomera (Romania, France, Germany)
Directed by Corneliu Porumboiu
Produced by 42 KM FILM
Coproduced by Les Films du Worso, Komplizen Film and Arte Grand Accord
Supported by the Romanian Film Centre, Eurimages
Frankie (USA)
Directed by Ira Sachs
Portrait of a Lady on Fire / Portrait de la jeune fille en feu (France)
Directed by Céline Sciamma
It Must Be Heaven (France, Canada)
Directed by Elia Suleiman
Sibyl (France)
Directed by Justine Triet
