Romanian films at the 2016 European Film Festival

     Today, 28 April, a press conference was held for the 20th Edition of the European Film Festival, to unfold in six Romanian towns – Bucharest (5-15 May), Baia Mare (13-15 May), Cluj-Napoca (20-22 May), Târgu Mureș (20-22 May), Hunedoara (27-29 May) and Timișoara (27-29 May).

     The event took place at the Romanian Cultural Institute (ICR) headquarters, among the guests being director Anca Damian, Laurențiu Damian (Chairman of UCIN), and also Silviu Gheție, whose exhibition Stop Cadru (Cut!) may be seen during 28 April – 15 May at ICR.
     The honorary ambassador of the Festival is this year director Anca Damian, who talked about the difficulties encountered by Romanian features, winners of awards at international festivals, when optimum theatres are to be found for their screening. The lack of theatres was approached again during the conference, Laurențiu Damian announcing that, in about a month, UCIN is to reopen Corso-Studio theatre.
     This year, the European Film Festival (EFF) is to host the screening a record number of 85 European features, recent or classical productions, as well as a series of events and programs made in partnership – Shakespeare 400 (British Council), Lux (European Public Space), CinéConcert – Zabriskie (Italian Cultural Institute „Vito Grasso”), Cinematheque for Everybody with Cristian Tudor Popescu (National Film Archives).
     As regards Romanian film, EFF has a special program– 10 special friends of the Festival –, screening the productions of the 10 Romanian directors who, along the years, were honorary ambassadors of the Festival. Thus, the features to be made available to Romanian viewers are: Orizont (directed by Marian Crișan), Crulic (directed by Anca Damian), Legături bolnăvicioase (Love Sick) (directed by Tudor Giurgiu), Cea mai fericită fată din lume (The Happiest Girl in the World) (directed by Radu Jude), Cum mi-am petrecut sfârșitul lumii (The Way I Spent the End of the World) (directed by Cătălin Mitulescu), După dealuri (Beyond the Hills) (directed by Cristian Mungiu), Un etaj mai jos (One Floor Below) (directed by Radu Muntean), Moartea domnului Lăzărescu (The Death of Mister Lăzărescu) (directed by Cristi Puiu), Comoara (The Treasure) (directed by Corneliu Porumboiu) and Domestic (directed by Adrian Sitaru).
     Furthermore, Romania will be represented by several recent domestic productions. Dincolo de calea ferată (By the Rails), the most recent full-length feature by Cătălin Mitulescu, is to be screened on 8 May, at Cinema Elvira Popescu, in the presence of the director and of the two leading actors, Ada Condeescu and Alexandru Potocean. During the festival, the following features will be also screened: Muntele magic (Magic Mountain) (directed by Anca Damian), Ilegitim (Illegitimate) (directed by Adrian Sitaru), Hotel Dallas (directed by Livia Ungur and Sherng-Lee Huang), together with another series of Romanian shorts scheduled on 7 May, from 20.00, at Cinema Elvira Popescu. This program will include the shorts: Plante perene (Perennial Plants), Black Friday, O noapte la Tokoriki (A Night in Tokoriki) (directed by Roxana Stroe), Somnul lui Richi (Richi's Sleep) (directed by Laurențiu Gligor, Iulian Stanciu) and Sfârșitul verii (End of Summer) (directed by Alina Manolache), the screening being followed by a talk with the filmmakers.
     Details at: Festivalulfilmuluieuropean.ro