Romanian Film Festival: Highlights Include Best From Cannes

Sunday, December 5th concludes the 5th annual Romanian Film Festival at Tribeca Cinemas in New York City. This year hosts The Romanian Cultural Institute and curator Mihai Chirilov added the moniker “A New Beginning,” in appreciation of the recent success of what has been dubbed the “Romanian New Wave.” This year, Cristi Puiu, arguably the one who started it all with his 2006 debut The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, returns with his second feature Aurora. The three-hour long film premiered earlier this year at the New York Film Festival to resoundingly positive reviews. Also returning from NYFF are Radu Montean’s Tuesday, After Christmas (opening May 25 at Film Forum) and Andrei Ujica’s The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceausescu, which opened the festival. All three were standouts this past May on the Croisette.

Bobby Paunescu, producer of “Aurora” and “Lazarescu”, screens his directorial debut Francesca. Rounding out the “Romanian New Wave” roster of attendees is Razvan Radulescu, writer of “Lazarescu”, “Tuesday”, Montean’s Summer Holiday and script consultant on 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, who brings us First of All, Felicia.

Additional features screening include Kino Caravan (directed by Titus Muntean), Medal of Honor (directed by Calin Peter Netzer), and Portrait of a Fighter as a Young Man (directed by Constantin Popescu). Stuck on Christmas (directed by Iulia Rugina) rounds out the “Women on the Move” category that “Francesca” and “Felicia” share.

The closing night film goes repertory, with Lucian Pintilie’s classic Romanian film Carnival Scenes. The Docs/Focus HBO Romania category features Merry Circus (directed by Claudiu Mitcu, The Shukar Collective Project (directed by Matei-Alexandru Mocanu), and The World According to Ion B (directed by Alexander Nanau). Shorts program features The Cage and Lord (directed by Adrian Sitaru), Oxygen (directed by Adina Pintilie), Trolleybus 92 (directed by Stefan Constantinescu and Urban Groove (directed by Ruxandra Ghitescu).

Special events include the Nomad Theatrical Company production of Polanski, Polanski at the Tribeca Cinemas lounge and a performative reading based on Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov, The Legend of the Grand Inquisitor by Victor Rebengiuc. Film Criticism magazine released a special issue this month focusing on the festival and New Romanian Cinema in general.

Best of Fest picks to watch out for happen to all be alumni of New York Film Festival in Aurora, Tuesday After Christmas and The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceausescu.