Romanian-born actors in Cannes
A look at Romanian film industry personalities attending the Cannes International Film Festival
Leyla Cheamil, 21.05.2024, 13:50
One of the spring season’s most eagerly awaited cultural events in Europe, the Cannes International Film Festival, is under way, bringing to the red carpet high-profile names of the world’s film industry, much to the delight of photographers and fans.
Romania is part of this select group, with the feature film “Three Kilometres to the End of the Worldˮ, directed by Emanuel Pârvu, included in the official competition, and with the documentary “NASTYˮ, directed by Cristian Pascariu, Tudor D. Popescu and Tudor Giurgiu.
In the race for the big trophy, the drama film “Three Kilometres to the End of the Worldˮ tells the story of Adi, a 17-year old teenager from a Danube Delta village, who goes to school in the town of Tulcea thanks to his parents’ efforts. While at home over the summer, the teen enjoys the company of his family and his best friend, Ilinca. But when faced with a truth they can neither understand nor accept, the unconditional love Adi should receive from his parents vanishes all of a sudden, and the young man is left with only one solution.
The film features the actors Bogdan Dumitrache, Laura Vasiliu, Ciprian Chiujdea, Ingrid Micu-Berescu and Valeriu Andriuţă. The cast also includes Adrian Titieni, Richard Bovnoczki, Alina Berzunţeanu, Vlad Brumaru and Radu Gabriel. After Friday’s screening, the film got standing ovations and positive reviews.
On Thursday, the documentary “NASTYˮ will be shown in the festival’s Special Screenings section. The film portrays the Romanian tennis legend Ilie Năstase, the first rebel in the history of this sport, who dominated the national and world tennis scene in the ’70. Apart from his huge talent, Ilie Năstase rose to fame thanks to his rebellious persona and to his eccentricities and temper.
Not least, “Human Violins: Prelude,ˮ directed and produced by Ioana Mischie, speaks about the transforming power of music in dark times. It is the story of Alma, a young woman who loves the violin but who lives in a world of terror, with Cabiria Morgernstern providing the protagonist’s voice.
Another Romanian-born actor present in Cannes, Sebastian Stan, does not play in a Romanian film. He plays the young Donald Trump in Ali Abbasi’s “The Apprentice,” which examines Trump’s rise to power in ’80s America.
In turn, the French-Romanian actress Anamaria Vartolomei plays in 2 films screened in Cannes. In one of them, “Mariaˮ, directed by Jessica Palud and focusing on the life of the actress Maria Schneider, Anamaria Vartolomei plays the lead, while in “The Count of Monte-Cristoˮ by Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de la Patellière, Anamaria Vartolomei was cast in a supporting role. (AMP)
