Starring Vlad Brumaru, Vlad Ivanov, and Iulian Postelnicu, the satirical comedy written by Mirică follows a dysfunctional family of artists, who have dedicated their lives to the construction of image, only to become trapped by it.
Determined to prove his uber-famous actor father sabotaged his latest film, filmmaker Alex Ghica delves into full detective mode, clashing with his flamboyant family, his explosive crew and a tenacious Police investigator. The line between comedy and tragedy blurs as chaos ensues, egos clash, and secrets unravel.
Bogdan Mirică shared with the FNE readers how he came up with this story and why he felt compelled to tell it: “For some time now, I’ve been noticing a shift in the way we perceive ourselves and present ourselves to the outside world. What once seemed reserved for public figures (politicians, artists, athletes) has become part of everyday life. With smart phones, social media, and AI, we all curate and enhance our own image. It’s as if being yourself is no longer enough; you have to be yourself on steroids, in a world increasingly shaped by unrealistic standards of beauty and success. I find this both ridiculous and endearing. And what better way to explore it than through satire - a dysfunctional family of artists, where generational ideas about identity and success collide, often at the expense of real human connection?”
Ioana Lascăr and Radu Stancu are producing through Romania’s deFilm in coproduction with Agnieszka Wasiak and Marta Gmosinska through Poland’s Lava Films, Poli Angelova and Nikolay Todorov through Bulgaria’s Screening Emotions, Vicky Miha through asterisk* (Greece), and Sergiu Cumatrenco and Ion Borș through Moldova’s 609 Film.
So far, the project has been backed by the Romanian Film Centre, the Romanian Government – OFIC, Eurimages Council of Europe, the Polish Film Institute, the Bulgarian National Film Center, the Hellenic Film & Audiovisual Center EKKOMED, Centrul National al Cinematografiei Moldova, Creative Europe - MEDIA of the European Union, Fundatia Artefact, Ursus and Media Investment Communication, Kaufland and McCann Erickson, MagicShop.
The project was also showcased at the ACE Producers Workshop.
Romanian producers Ioana Lascăr and Radu Stancu spoke to FNE about their first collaboration with Bogdan Mirică: “What immediately drew us to Magnum Opus was its bold mix of satire, black comedy and detective-story mechanics. It is a combination that feels both surprising and completely coherent with Bogdan’s cinematic voice. We had admired his work since Dogs, and the script confirmed that same ability to work with genre while retaining the complexity and precision of auteur cinema. As this is our first collaboration, we are really enjoying discovering the process together and finding how naturally Bogdan’s vision connects with the kind of films we increasingly want to produce. Seeing the cast engaging so deeply with this very particular world and tone is making the journey even more exciting.”
Shooting is taking place under the radar, so information about the shooting dates and locations, as well as about the budget and the date of premiere have not been disclosed yet.
The famed Romanian cinematographer Andrei Butică is lensing.
Bogdan Mirică’s debut feature Dogs / Câini, a French/Romanian/Bulgarian coproduction between EZ Films 14 and 42Km Film and Argo Film, won the FIPRESCI Prize (Un Certain Regard) at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival and the Transilvania IFF (tiff.ro) trophy, among others. He also directed the feature film Boss (2023), produced by 42 Km Film (Romania) in coproduction Les Films Fauves (Luxembourg), Filmgate Films (Sweden), and Film i Väst (Sweden), and several short films including Bora Bora (2011), winner of Best European Short Film at Premiers Plans Festival (Angers).
Production Information:
Producer:
deFilm (Romania)
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Coproducers:
Lava Films (Poland)
Screening Emotions (Bulgaria)
asterisk* (Greece)
609 Film (Republic of Moldova)
Credits:
Director: Bogdan Mirică
Scriptwriter: Bogdan Mirică
DoP: Andrei Butică
Editor: Roxana Szel
Production designer: Simona Pădurețu
Costume designer: Dana Păpăruz
Make-up artist: Gabriela Crețan
Sound design and mixing: Michal Fojcik
Composer: Marcel Balinski
Casting: Domnica Cîrciumaru
Cast: Vlad Brumaru, Vlad Ivanov, Iulian Postelnicu, Nicoleta Lefter, Ioana Abur, Judith State, Ioana Brumar, Richard Bovnoczki, Victoria Cociaș, Sergiu Costache
