Romanian Films at the Cannes Film Festival

Five Romanian productions will be screened at the Cannes Festival this year between May 11th and 22nd.

Leyla Cheamil, 15.04.2016, 14:22

For quite a few years now, Romanian films have
enjoyed widespread critical acclaim, proof of that being the many awards they
have won at prestigious festivals, such as Cannes and Berlin.

The National Cinematography Council has recently made
an important announcement: for the first time in the seven-decade history of
the Cannes Film Festival, two Romanian films have been selected for the Main
Competition: Bacalaureat by Cristian Mungiu and Sierra Nevada by
Cristi Puiu. These two Romanian directors have already proven their originality
and talent, winning international prizes and earning the appreciation of both
critics and audiences.

Director Cristi Puiu won the Un Certain Regard award
in 2006 for The Death of Mr. Lazarescu and again in 2010 for Aurora. As
for Cristian Mungiu, this is his third participation in the official
competition at Cannes. His 2007 production 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
won the Palme d’Or in 2007, while his second Cannes entry, Beyond the Hills,
won the award for Best Screenplay and Best Actress in 2012. Although he’s been
there before, Cristian Mungiu is still nervous about his participation in the
Cannes Festival, as he himself has admitted:

We are all nervous,
because the film will be under intense scrutiny. There will be huge
expectations ahead of the first screening, from both the audience and the
media. We had a good start, though, having already sold distribution rights in
more than 40 countries last year, before I even started shooting the film,
based only on the script.

Bacalaureat,
whose working title has been Family Photos, tells the story of a doctor from
a small town who must decide which is the best way for his son to get on in
life. Director Cristian Mungiu tells us more:

It’s a contemporary story. It’s a film about a
parent and his worries, a parent who wonders, given the situation of present
day Romania, what he should tell his child about life. It’s a personal story,
but also a snapshot of society as we see it today.

At the Cannes Film Festival, Romanian film-making is
also represented by three other films. The independent film 4:15 PM. The End
of the World by first-time writers and directors Catalin Rotaru and Gabi
Virginia Sarga was selected for the official short-reel competition. Also, the
feature film Dogs by Bogdan Mirica will have its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard
section, while the short reel All Rivers Run to the Sea, by Alexandru
Badea, will be presented in the Cinefondationsection.