The Ceau, Cinema! Festival will take place from July 16 to 19, in a limited edition, exclusively in open air, at the “Capitol” Summer Garden, in the former “Arta” Cinema and in the courtyard of the French Institute, following all the protection and
distancing measures imposed by the authorities.
The preview screening of
Hair / Păr (2020),
Florin Iepan`s latest documentary, speaks about “rebellion through hair”, one of the most interesting ways of opposition of the individual against the national communist system in Romania. By means of archive footage made by amateur filmmakers, some of the most representative figures of the artistic bohemian world of Timișoara and Arad are brought to the attention of the viewers. Hair is part of a series of common projects made in the past few years by the director Florin Iepan together with the film editor Călin Meda. Both of them will be present at the Q&As after the screening.
Another documentary that will be screened in premiere during the festival in the “Films from Banat” section is Eugeniu, prinţul nostru cel de toate zilele (2019), also made by Florin Iepan and Călin Meda. The two filmmakers embark on a journey following the footsteps of the famous Eugeniu de Savoya in Timișoara and Vienna.
The same section will also include the documentary My Romanian Journal / Jurnalul meu de România (2019), made by Carmen Lidia Vidu. The film focusses on the actress Daniela Török (who is from Timișoara) who speaks about the experence she went through during the Revolution, about sexual discrimination, about the emotional and psychological abuse, as well as about her relationship with her parents, with the sport and with her work. The screening will take place in the presence of the protagonist.
Because the theme of this edition is comedy, a special film was included in the festival program: Witness / Martorul (1969), by Péter Bacsó, is one of the best-known classical satires against communism in the Magyar film history. The uncensored version of the film will be screened, with the support of the Balassi Institute – the Magyar Cultural Institute in Bucharest.
A special event will be the screening of Les Misérables (2019), directed by Ladj Ly. The most awarded French film last year. Inspired by the revolts of Paris from
2005, caused by the death of two young people during a raid of the police forces, the film presents a provoking perspective on poverty and violence in the outskirts of Paris, the place where the director Ladj Ly grew up.
Besides the screenings, this year Ceau, Cinema! will also bring a section of three online discussions with Romanian filmmakers, supported by the Timiş County Council. The guests who will hold the masterclasses are the director
Adrian Sitaru, screenwriter
Alex Baciu and actress
Maria Popistașu. The festival will also host a debate about the state of the film critic, starting from
Andrei Gorzo`s latest book – “Viața, moartea și iar viața criticii de film” - that was recently released. The author will be in Timișoara and will be joined by Adina Baya, Andrea Reisz and
Ionuț Mareș. The discussion will also be available online.
With the support of the Contrasens Cultural Association, Ceau, Cinema! will organize the educational workshop for youth. The participants will attend three interactive meetings with the director
Ivana Mladenović and with the film critics Andrei Gorzo and Ionuț Mareș, who will speak about how a film is made, about how a film is written and about how you watch a film. The submissions can be made on the festival site until July 10.
