Romania wins Silver Bear award for best director

The Romanian director Radu Jude won the Silver Bear award for best director at the 65th edition of the Berlin International Film Festival for “Aferim!

Mihai Pelin, 16.02.2015, 13:14

Two years after Calin Peter Netzer’s film “Child’s Pose” won Romania’s first Golden Bear trophy at the Berlin International Film Festival, the Romanian cinematography is again in the spotlight in Berlin. The young director Radu Jude received the Silver Bear award for best director for “Aferim”, the only Romanian title to run in the official competition this year. The winner of the Golden Bear award was the Iranian dissident film-maker Jafar Panahi with a film called “Taxi”.

“If I knew that I would win such an important award, I would have been very serious while filming it”, joked the Romania director in his acceptance speech. He said that the Silver Bear belonged to the whole team that worked on the film. Radu Jude:

“I am happy that my effort has been recognised, but this is less important. What’s more important is that the effort and talent of the whole team has been recognised. I hope the prize will mean a better distribution of the film, both in Romania and abroad. As far as Romanian cinematography is concerned, believe this could be a sign that art-house films, films that focus on important issues, are essential and that they are more important than what we usually call commercial cinematography”.

Considered one of the most significant cinematographic projects in Romania in recent years, “Aferim” is a historical film whose action is placed in the Romanian Principalities in the early 19th century. A constable accompanied by his son is looking for a gypsy slave who had run away from the estate of a local boyar after seducing the latter’s wife.

The film tackles a number of sensitive issues such as the discrimination of the gypsy, slavery, the condition of women in the early 19th century society and the more or less controversial customs of the time. The script was written by Radu Jude and Florin Lazarescu, the film having had a record budget for Romania, namely more than 1 million euros.

Made in cooperation with the Czech Republic and Bulgaria, “Aferim” will be released in Romania in March. This is the 3rd feature film made by Radu Jude after “Everybody in Our Family” and “The Happiest Girl in the World”, both of which have won a several awards at international festivals.