Sequel to 1987 cinematographic treatment of popular Romanian post-WWII book sweeps local film awards.
Moromete Family: On the Edge of Time / Moromeții 2, directed by Stere Gulea, the feature film that got most nominations at the 13th Gopo Awards Gala, won nine awards - for best film, best cinematography (Vivi Dragan Vasile), best editing (Dana Bunescu and Alexandra Gulea), best sound (Dana Bunescu, Cristinel Sirli, Constantin Fleancu), best set design (Cristian Niculescu), best costumes (Dana Paparuz), best make-up and best hair (Dana Roseanu, Iulia Roseanu, Domnica Bodogan) and best debut (Iosif Pastina). Morometii 2 also got the Audience Award for the biggest Romanian box office hit in 2018. Morometii 2, an adaptation of the second part of a novel by Marin Preda, was released in Romania in November. A sequel to Romanian cinema's best-known family saga, Morometii (1987), the film that continues the tale of Ilie Moromete and his family, sold 52 thousand tickets in over 50 towns, becoming the biggest Romanian box office hit in 25 years. Upon receiving the Audience Award, Stere Gulea said:
"I want to thank those who helped me make this film. It was a film very difficult to make. It was a highly expected production and, had we failed, disappointment would have been huge. Therefore, thanks to these people who helped me, collaborators, actors and my family a little bit, I'm standing before you today, 32 years since Morometii 1 was released, " director Stere Gulea said.
Morometii 2 is a free adaptation inspired by the second part of the novel Morometii entitled Life as Pray and the journalistic works of Marin Preda. The film resumes the story of Moromete Family after WW2. The action takes place in 1945-1946, a transition period from democracy to communist dictatorship that also included collectivisation, the seizing of private land by the state. Unlike in Marin Preda's book, the director took the freedom not to make Niculae Moromete, the youngest child of the family, a member of the communist party.
Vivi Dragan, the winner of the Gopo Award for best cinematography, talked about the sorrow state of the home of Marin Preda, the most important Romanian writer of the post- war period. Vivi Dragan:
"Of course that all of us, who worked on Morometii 2, are very happy. But we must not forget the author of this wonderful novel, Marin Preda. I hope that in the audience there is also someone representing the Culture Ministry. Because I want to tell you that Marin Preda's house in Silistea Gumesti is in ruins. I saw it three years ago, I've seen it again recently and nothing has changed. Moreover, its legal status is unclear. My hope, on the occasion of this film that enjoyed great success with the audience, is that someone will solve this problem, that authorities will take the issue of Marin Preda's memorial house more seriously."
Tudor Giurgiu, the producer of Morometii 2, has said:
"I would like to thank all those who went to see this film and bought a ticket. We went on a crazy tour throughout the country and for that I want to thank Stere Gulea and the actors, for making this huge effort. We reached many towns and I can now tell you there is an audience for the Romanian films. What's important for us is to be able to make the kind of films this audience deserves."
In his speech, Tudor Giurgiu also referred to the lack of cinema halls that are in smaller number in Bucharest and are completely missing in most towns across Romania:
"It is a wonderful evening, in which we celebrate the success of Romanian film. But I will go back to what producer Ada Solomon has just said, the insufficient cinema halls. Today I have received an email from a lady who works in a real estate agency and who said the Bucuresti cinema was put up for sale and that we should invest in it, maybe turn it into a club or bowling room. I realised that in the last years theatres have been built, as mayors seem very willing to do it. On the other hand, cinema halls have been shot down, and it's only due to the cinemas in the commercial centres that the audience gets to see Romanian films. I would be happy to have enough cinemas, present our films, but for that to happen we must also help ourselves by going to the polls. In any case, we must do something to save our cinema halls, we must fight for that."
Cosmina Stratan was designated best actress in a lead role, for her performance in Love 1. Dog, directed by Florin Serban. The award for best script went to Radu Jude, for the film I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians. Apricot, directed by Alexandru Mavrodineanu, got the award for best documentary, while Soldiers. Story from Ferentari, directed by Ivana Mladenovici, was awarded for best debut. Christmas Carol, by Bogdan Muresanu received the award for best short film. The Lifetime Achievement Award went to actress Ileana Stana Ionescu and the Achievement Award to actor Constantin Dinulescu. Massimiliano Nardulli scooped the award for best original music with Charleston.
Special awards were also granted at the gala: one to Ion Nica, master of lights, a former collaborator of director Ion Popescu Gopo, an Audience Award for the biggest Romanian box office hit, which went to Morometii 2 and a special prize for supporting the independent film production, won by the film director Dan Chisu.
The 13th edition of the Gopo Awards Gala was organised by the Association for the Romanian Film Promotion, together with the Film and Urban Culture Association with the support of the National Cinematography Centre, DACIN SARA and Babel Communications.
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