The film script written by Ruxandra Ghițescu follows a young woman who leaves her small son and her poor Romanian village to go working in Germany. Clara is based on Dorohoi’s award winning short film Way of the Danube / Calea Dunării (2013).

The main characters are played by Olga Török and Luca Puia. The cast includes Ovidiu Crişan, David Rott and Ida Jarcsek-Gaza.

“It is always enjoyable to work on a debut feature, as the first film is always motivating, ambitious and enthusiastic. I was willing to help tell an interesting story which follows a historical route, because Germans from Ulm came by boat to the Romanian region of Banat some 300 years ago. The Danube is an important character in the film. At the same time, the mothers who leave their children to work abroad are causing a major debate in the European Union nowadays (...). We are happy for the partnership with ZDF and it is important for us not to let it down,” producer Dan Burlac told FNE.

Dan Burlac and Sabin Dorohoi are producing through Romania’s Western Transylvania Studios in coproduction with Daniel Ehrenberg through Germany’s Eyrie Entertainment and Viorel Chesaru through Romania’s Chainsaw Europe. The film is supported by the Romanian Film Centre and ZDF/ARTE.

The shooting started in Ulm on 2 March and continued at the Danube’s Big Boilers (Cazanele Mari) on 7 March 2022. It will continue in the Romanian town of Reșița till 5 April 2022.

The film is expected to be ready by the end of 2022 and to enter the festival circuit at the beginning of 2023. It will be theatrically released in Romania in 2023.

Production Information:

Producer:
Western Transylvania Studios (Romania)
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Coproducers:
Eyrie Entertainment (Germany)
Chainsaw Europe (Romania)

Credits:
Director: Sabin Dorohoi
Scriptwriter: Ruxandra Ghițescu
DoP: Lulu de Hillerin
Cast: Olga Török, Luca Puia, Ovidiu Crişan, David Rott, Ida Jarcsek-Gaza