The script written by Ioana Uricaru and Tatiana Ionașcu follows Mara, a 30-year-old single mother from Romania, who while working in the US on a temporary visa as a caretaker, marries Daniel, an American. After the arrival of her son Dragoș, everything seems to have fallen into place. When the process of getting a green card veers unexpectedly off course, Mara is faced with abuses of power on every level and forced to answer a dark question: how far would she go to get what she wants?
The main characters are played by Mălina Manovici (Graduation) and Canadian actors Steve Bacic and Dylan Scott Smith.
The film is coproduced by Canada’s Peripheria, Germany’s 42 Film and Sweden’s Filmgate Films. The budget is approximately 2 m EUR, Mungiu told FNE. The project is supported by the Romanian Film Centre (CNC), Eurimages, Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, Telefilm, Société de Développement des Entreprises Culturelles, CAVCO, SODEC - Crédits d’impôts, Film i Vast, Creative Europe Programme - MEDIA of the European Union. Lemonade received the biggest grant, approximately 654,000 EUR / 2.95 m RON, in the first session of the grants contest organised by the Romanian CNC in 2016.
The film was developed during the Cinéfondation Residency of the Cannes Film Festival and at the Sundance Directors’ lab programme.
Shooting took place in Montreal and Bucharest in June-August 2017. The sound postproduction takes place in Germany and visual effects are being done in Sweden.
The film is set to be finished in spring 2018. Berlin-based Pluto Film is handling the sales. Mongrel International will release the film in Canada and the U.S., and Voodoo Films will release it in Romania.
Ioana Uricaru, who lives in the U.S., co-directed the omnibus Tales From the Golden Age (Mobra Films), selected for Cannes’ Un Certain Regard in 2009 and distributed commercially in over 30 countries, including the US.
Production Information:
Mobra films
www.mobrafilms.ro
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Credits:
Director: Ioana Uricaru
Scriptwriters: Ioana Uricaru, Tatiana Ionașcu
DoP: Friede Clausz
Editor: Mircea Olteanu
Sound design: Kai Tebbel
Cast: Mălina Manovici, Steve Bacic, Dylan Scott Smith, Milan Hurduc, Ruxandra Maniu
