Director Radu Gabrea passed away

     Thursday night, director Radu Gabrea passed away at the age of 79.

     Radu Gabrea graduated the Civil Engineering Institute of Bucharest in 1960, and „I.L. Caragiale” Theatre and Cinema Arts Institute in 1968. He made his feature film debut with Prea mic pentru un război atât de mare /Too Small for Such a Big War (1969), a film awarded at Locarno Festival in 1970 and selected at Quinzaine des réalisateurs, Cannes. After Dincolo de nisipuri / Beyond the Sands, his second feature film was banned, Radu Gabrea emigrated to Germany, where he directed several films, among which Un bărbat ca Eva / A Man like Eva, dedicated to filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
     He returned to Romania after the Revolution, continuing to direct films such as Cocoşul decapitat / Beheaded Rooster, Călătoria lui Gruber / Gruber's Journey or Evrei de vânzare / Jews for Sale. In 1997, he was appointed Chairman of the National Cinema Office, playing an important role in drafting the new cinema law.
     The Dvd box “Radu Gabrea. Biografia unei opere” / Radu Gabrea. Biography of an Work of Art was released within the Romanian Film Days at TIFF 2014, with the director in attendance.
     The latest film signed by Radu Gabrea is the documentary about Ana Pauker, Împărăteasa roșie - Viața și Aventurile Anei Pauker / The Red Empress – Life and Adventures of Ana Pauker, presented by the director at Astra Film Festival 2016.