“The Road of Kings – Transalpina” to be released in September

     The Road of Kings – Transalpina (Drumul Regilor – Transalpina), the latest feature by director Dumitru Budrala, is an intimate and fascinating journey into the secret history of the most picturesque road of Europe, Transalpina. The documentary will be officially released in September and has a duration of 40 minutes.
     The panoramic aerial shots and the director's voice giving life to the local stories, myths and legends not very well known beyond the boundaries of this splendid land, invite the viewer to a time journey into the Transalpina Road. Of a beauty that leaves anyone breathless, winding through the Transylvanian “Alps”, from where one of its names, Transalpina, originated, the road has always been a meeting point for people from both sides of the mountains, between sky and earth, between reality and fantasy.
     The old road of the Dacians and Romans and of transhumance, myths and legends is today the road connecting Alba and Sibiu Counties to Gorj and Vâlcea Counties. The film originated in the director's lifelong fascination with the stories born by the rivers, mountain lakes, peaks, valleys and caves completing the fabulous landscape and local mythology. Then, by the use of archive images and interviews with local people, the viewer finds out where the name King Road originated, how in the ’30s the road was stoned and inaugurated with the King Carol II in attendance, being deemed at the time an extraordinary technical accomplishment, with an important economic, strategic and military role.
     Dumitru Budrala is known for his films Blestemul ariciului/The Hedgehog Curse, La drum/On the Road and Județul Sibiu - Poarta de sud a Transilvaniei/Sibiu County – Southern Gate of Transylvania, a presentation film of Sibiu County that became viral on the internet (it may be viewed here). In 1993, he founded Astra Film Festival in Sibiu. In 2016, this Festival is to take place between 17 and 23 October.