TIFF 2018: „The Seagull”, by Maria Popistașu and Alex Baciu

“The idea started from a seagull that landed in our courtyard, like in the film, it`s just that we actually found it with the kids, and we kept it for two days with us. We tried all kinds of things, hoping it would feel better and it would be able to fly away […] and that is something our seagull didn`t do. Then we went to a vet – who is the very vet from the film – who told us the same thing – that nothing could be done to save it. And because the kids got to love it, we decided to tell exactly the story that she tells her father: that it will be ok, that it will feel better and that the vet will send us some videos…this was his idea[…] And that episode went along with the personal stories, regarding this age, when the parents start being affected by the problems of the age”, Maria Popistașu told us about the episode that inspired the story of The Seagull.
The Seagull was directed by Maria Popistașu – this is her very first experience as a director – and by Alexandru Baciu. The short films follows the efforts of a young mother (Maria Popistașu) and of the father (Alexandru Dabija) in their attempt to help a seagull stranded in their courtyard.
The film`s premiere was at the Transilvania – TIFF 2018, in the short film competition, from the Romanian Film Nights section.