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Dead Nation (2017)

Țara moartă (2017)

85 min. - Documentary - AP 12 - 25.08.2017

Synopsis:

The photo collection of Costica Axinte serves as visual background for a narration built up from archive records and texts from the personal diary of doctor Emil Dorian, whose literary works were forbidden by the anti-Semitic regime lead by marshal Antonescu, back in the 40ies.

Director: Radu Jude

Writer: Radu Jude

Stars:


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Casting:

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Produced By

Hi Film Productions
in co-production with FAST FILM
ith the support of Centrului Național al Cinematografiei and Orange România

Production info

The doc combines at least 2000 photos of the 7500 that form the collection of Costica Acsinte and also various materials from the National Film Archives and from the Romanian Broadcasting Society’s Archives.
The film was made with the support of Cezar Mario Popescu , the one that discovered Costica Acsinte’s photos.

Festivals, Awards

  1. 2017 - Astra Sibiu - Best Romanian Documentary
    2017 - La Orquídea (Cuenca) - Best Director
    2018 - Trieste - Balcani Caucaso-Transeuropa Award

Storyline

The experiences undergone in the respective period of time are rendered by the personal photo album that contains 84 pages and 327 photos, the great majority being accompanied by a short taped description (the album contains also drawings/sketches, newspapers cuts). Among those that appear in the pictures are: King Ferdinand, Queen Mary, Prince Charles, General Berthelot or General Eremia Grigorescu. Costica Acsinte left behind thousands of photo negatives on glass plates, plan-films and numberless photographic prints- many of them to be found in the families whose members were taken into these photos. The majority of the prints are stamped on their back with “Foto Splendid Acsinte”.

Soundtrack

“FRANCOIS”
Autori: Karasinski Adam Jozef / Wlast Andrzej
Interpret: Adam Wysocki
ISRC No. PLA551400216
Prin amabilitatea Warner Music Poland, a Warner Music Group Company
“THE BRAVE DON COSSACKS”
Autori: Traditional
Interpretat de: Red Star Red Army Chorus
ISRC No. DEA809214000
Prin amabilitatea Teldec Classics, a Warner Music UK Division
“HELENEN MARSCH”
Compozitor: Friedrich Lübbert
Aranjament muzical: Jan Eriksen
Editor/Producător: EUROMUSIC – SONOTON
CD/track: SCD 0086, 12.0
 

Trivia

  • Born on a 4th of July in Perieti, district of Ialomitza , Costica Acsinte is one of the WWI heroes. He volunteers  as a war photographer, developing both his films and those of the Romanian and French (sometimes even Russian) pilots and air observers.
  • The Costica Acsinte collection that encompasses almost seven decades was rediscovered and restored by Mario Cezar Popescu.
  • The audio recordings that come from the National Film Archives, contain news journals or propaganda messages from King Charles II nd’s period, that of the legionnaires, that of Gen. Antonescu and from the communist regime inception.
  • The film was screened at One World Romania FF, 2017, Work in Progress section.
  • Selected at BFI London Film Festival, „Between Jewish and Israeli Identity” at Haifa Film Festival, Vienna Internațional Film Festival, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam.

Website

https://www.facebook.com/taramoarta/
Dead Nation (2017) - Photo