Book Club: Kiki Skagen Munshi, Whisper in Bucharest
2015-04-18 11:00 - 13:00 UTC
We are delighted to let you know that we will be reading and discussing Whisper in Bucharest by Kiki Skagen Munshi. The author will be present for our discussion. About the Author and the book: After several jobs in academia, Kiki Shaken Munshi embraced a career in diplomacy. During the 80s she served as a foreign service officer in Nigeria, Romania, Greece, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and India. Recipient of several American and international awards, Kiki Skagen Munshi is also a successful columnist. She has collaborated with the Washington Post, Times of India, and other prestigious newspapers. During her stay in Romania, she earned her Ph.D. in19th century history from the University of Bucharest and contributed an article, “Occident Not Orient, Visual Perceptions of Romania in Nineteenth Century Europe”, to the volume Imagining Histories. Kiki Skagen Munshi is an intriguing novelist. Her first major literary work, Whisper in Bucharest, is a fictional reconstruction of the political, social, and cultural scene of the last years of communism in Romania. Partly autobiographical, the novel is not about her: it is about the people she met in Romania and about their stories. The protagonist, Stefan, opens up to her and shares his life. As all people who passed through WWII in Bukovina, the north part of Romania, an area too many times disputed by Russia, Austro-Hungary, and Romania, Stefan learns how to survive by appealing to people’s most humanistic values, those that go beyond national identity, political loyalty, and social class. As the story progresses, more and more characters are added as each of Stefan’s childhood friends, Carol and Mihai, build up their lives. Through a wonderful array of portraits, the reader learns about the ethnic diversity of Romania. Friendships and betrayals, fights and reconciliations, give a sense of what it meant to live in one of the most diverse parts of Romania, Bukovina, and how much all groups contributed to what is called Romanian identity today. Another major theme of the novel is the individual’s distress to adapt to a society of political and social pretenses of egalitarianism and democracy. The split between Romanians’ public and private lives is recorded with objective understanding: This began Fane’s second academic career, adding yet another layer between the public Stefan Vulcean and the private. More and more he worked in medieval studies, burying himself in ancient documents and half-remembered history. It needed to be modernized and updated to serve the [socialist] Revolution, but far enough away that the truth usually didn’t pose any threat. Completely hidden from all except his wife, Leri, and Andrei, the bookseller at the Curtea Veche Anticariat ,[used-book store] was his interest in the 19th century history which had been erased by the communists. Even the word “friend” had several meanings: close friends were only a few, the ones who someone could trust with their lives, as Stefan did with Carol and Mihai. With other “friends” one had to be “very affable and to whom you said absolutely nothing of importance while watching them carefully” (154-55). Kiki Skagen Munshi has the narrative talent and force to put into a perfect structure,Whisper in Bucharest, all rumors, personal stories, and political agendas. To have her with us talking about her book and experience as a diplomat in communist and post-communist Romania is both a great honor and opportunity.

Rumenye! Rumenye!
2015-11-19
One of Radu Gabrea’s most celebrated documentaries, ‘Rumenye! Rumenye!’ retraces the inseparable connection between Jewish, Romani (Gypsy) and Romanian culture, through Klezmer music. The director will be present for Q/A

Romanian Film Festival Seattle- 2nd Edition
2015-11-20 - 2015-11-22 | SIFF Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98109
Romanian Film Festival Seattle, 2nd Edition: Tales of ResistanceThis year's edition of the Romanian Film Festival in Seattle celebrates Romania's cultural, ethnic and religious diversity within a society where personal, unforgettable stories have challenged and altered the course of history. Through our selection of comedy-dramas, documentaries, and animation, you will discover the internationally praised 'New Romanian Cinema' and its precursors. Local and international special guests will present the movies and interact with the audience at the festival gala.All movies have English subtitles.FilmsAferim! by Radu Jude2015, Comedy/Drama, 108 minutes
Set in early 19th century Romania, a policeman, Costandin, is hired by a nobleman to find a Gypsy slave who has run away from his estate after having an affair...
Set in early 19th century Romania, a policeman, Costandin, is hired by a nobleman to find a Gypsy slave who has run away from his estate after having an affair with his wife. Q&A with co-screenwriter Florin Lăzărescu
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Closer to the Moonby Nae Caranfil2014, Comedy/Drama, 112 minutes
A Romanian police officer teams up with a small crew of old friends from the World War II Jewish Resistance to pull off a heist by convincing everyone at the...
A Romanian police officer teams up with a small crew of old friends from the World War II Jewish Resistance to pull off a heist by convincing everyone at the scene of the crime that they are only filming a movie.
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Crulic - The Path to Beyondby Anca Damian2011, Animated Documentary, 73 minutes While being in Poland, Romanian Claudio Crulic is wrongly accused of theft. In jail he goes on a hunger strike. Trading Germansby Răzvan Georgescu2014, Documentary, 90 minutes A first hand account of one of the biggest cases of human trafficking during the Cold War. A story of greed, courage, hope and remorse. Domestic by Adrian Sitaru2012, Animation, 82 minutes
Domestic is a story about people who eat the animals they love and animals who love people unconditionally. A rabbit, a hen, a cat, a dog and a dove pass...
Domestic is a story about people who eat the animals they love and animals who love people unconditionally. A rabbit, a hen, a cat, a dog and a dove pass through the lives of the main characters and influence their evolution.
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A Love Story, Lindenfeldby Radu Gabrea2014, Drama, 95 minutes
Klaus Bernath, a wealthy German citizen, decides, after many years, to visit his birthplace, of the Banat Swabian village Lindenfeld, in Romania. Since the village has been deserted for many...
Klaus Bernath, a wealthy German citizen, decides, after many years, to visit his birthplace, of the Banat Swabian village Lindenfeld, in Romania. Since the village has been deserted for many decades, his son and his biographer decide to reconstruct the whole space from scratch and present it as a populated place. Q&A with director Radu Gabrea and lead actress Victoria Cocias
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Goldfaden's Legacyby Radu Gabrea2004, Documentary, 58 minutes
The films follows the life and work of Abraham Goldfaden and highlights the pre-war cultural relations between the Romanian and local Jewish population, as well as the influence of the...
The films follows the life and work of Abraham Goldfaden and highlights the pre-war cultural relations between the Romanian and local Jewish population, as well as the influence of the New York Yiddish Theater on popular American culture. Q&A with director and lead actress
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GuestsRadu GabreaRadu Gabrea graduated from the Faculty of Construction and the Theatre and Film Art Institute in Bucharest. His film Too Small for such Great War (1969) participated at the Locarno Festival. Beyond the Sands (1973), forbidden by communist censorship, is considered his most important Romanian film of the 70s by Mira and Antonin Liehm, UCLA Press. Between 1974-1996, Gabrea lived in Germany. His first German film, Jakob, don't be afraid (1981) opened the Jewish Film Festival at the Kennedy Center in the US and was selected at Telluride, Colorado. In New York Times, Vincent Canby discussed his cult film A Man like Eve (1984) in a very laudatory manner. Returning to Romania in late the 1990s, the director and producer Gabrea made several documentaries, among which Struma (2000), awarded the Special Mention at the International Festival in Jerusalem, Goldfaden's Heritage (2004), and Rumenye, Rumenye (2006, 2013). He gained his Ph.D. in Film Studies from the Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, with a thesis on Werner Herzog and German medieval mysticism, about which Henri Agel wrote in Positif that "it is one of the most beautiful books on cinema ever written." In 2011 he received the Knight's Cross from the Federal Republic of Germany. Victoria CociașVictoria Cocias graduated from the Theatre and Film Art Institute in Bucharest in 1980. She has given life to classical roles in national and international plays from Caragiale to Chekov, from Shakespeare to Edward Albee. She worked with Romanian directors before '89 - Andrei Blaier, Dan Pita, Nicolae Margineanu, Lucian Pintilie, Radu Gabrea - as well as with directors of the Romanian New Wave: Adrian Sitaru, Cristi Puiu. She has also worked with Nae Caranfil in Asfalt Tango and Pericoloso Sporgersi. At the Romanian Film Days (2012) she received the Special Mention for her interpretation of Elena Ceausescu in Three days before Christmas, directed by Radu Gabrea. The show and film La Divina made after Terrence McNally's play Master Class, in which Victoria Cocias plays Maria Callas brings her international acclaim: Kyra Winthrop-St. Gery considers her performance exceptional and James Claridge writes that she is a "a great actress in a great show". Florin LăzărescuA very prolific and versatile writer, Florin Lăzărescu (b. March 28, 1974) is a well-established author leaving in Iași, Northeastern Romania. He is a graduate of the Faculty of Letters at the University of Iași (1998) and a founding member of FILIT - Iași International Festival of Literature and Translation. Screenwriter of the short film Lampa cu căciulă / The lamp with a Hat (2006, directed by Radu Jude, winner of best short film at the Sundance Film Festival). Co-writer of the medium-length film A Shadow of the Cloud… (directed by Radu Jude, which premiered at Cannes in 2014) and of the feature film Aferim! (2015, directed by Radu Jude, winner of the Silver Bear at the Berlinale, nominated for Best Screenplay at the European Film Academy Awards in 2015, winner of the Gopo Award for Best Screenplay in 2016). Florin debuted as an author in 2000 with a volume of short stories: Cuiburi de vîsc / Mistletoe Nests (Outopos, Iași). He has also published the novels Ce se știe despre ursul panda / What Is Known about the Panda Bear (Polirom, 2003), Trimisul nostru special / Our Special Envoy (Polirom, 2005, 2014), Amorțire / Numbness (Polirom, 2013), the collections of stories Lampa cu căciulă / The Lamp with a Hat (Polirom, 2009) and Întîmplări și personaje / Stories and Characters ( Polirom, 2015), and the children's book Puiul de balaur, puiul de zmeu și puiul de om / Dragon Baby, Ogre Baby and Human Baby (Cartier, 2019). His latest novel is entitled Noaptea plec, noaptea mă-ntorc / I Leave at Night, I Return at Night (Polirom, 2021). His books have been translated and published in 10 languages. Monica FilimonMonica Filimon was awarded a PhD in Comparative Literature by Rutgers University. She is Associate Professor of English at Kingsborough Community College, CUNY. She has published articles on French, German, and Romanian films. Her research focuses on the New Romanian Cinema, its sources, evolution, and major representatives. Her first book Cristi Puiu: Ineffable Experiences of the Profane World was published by the University of Illinois Press in February 2017. She is currently working on a second book tentatively titled Corneliu Porumboiu: Notes on the Absurd.

Dialogue with self: Art Exhibit and Workshops with Ramona Popliuc
2015-12-06 12:00 - 2015-12-22 17:00
Celebrate the beginning of the holiday season and join us for this unique ocasion! Artist Ramona Popliuc from Romania will display a few of her latest paintings in her show entitled “Dialogue with self” at Ocean Gallery and Art School, owned by Romanian artist Doina Cociuba-Terrano.
Join us for the opening reception on December 12th at 4pm.
Exhibit running Dec. 6th-22nd
339 Kirkland Ave, Ste B
Kirkland, WA 98033

Ramona Popliuc, who also teaches art in Romania, would love to meet with your children and all other family members, to celebrate Christmas traditions and hold two extraordinary workshops on homemade decorations.
– on December 12, at 10 am, at the Romanian Church Saints Ioachim and Ana, 4202 34th Ave W, Seattle, WA 98199-1309

– on December 20, at 11:30 am, at the Romanian Church Saints Trei Ierarhi, 6402 226th St SW, Mountlake Terrace, Washington, 98043

American-Romanian Cultural Intersections
2015-12-12
An Evening with Author Florin Lazarescu and Actress Victoria Cocias

Sasha Vlad - Surrealism: The Romanian Case of Gellu Naum
2016-02-24
Sasha Vlad, a translator of Gellu Naum’s work and a surrealist visual artist, talks about Naum’s life and work, within the frame of the surrealist movement.

ARCS at Balkan Night Northwest
2016-03-05 | Kirkland Performance Center, 350 Kirkland Ave, Kirkland, 98033, United States
Visit ARCS table at Balkan Night Northwest and craft your own martisoare.

ARCS Sponsors Romanian Films at SIFF
2016-05-24 16:30 - 18:00
ARCS Sponsors Romanian Films at SIFF
This year ARCS sponsors Illegitimate by Adrian Sitaru..

Second Generation Photo-Essay Award
2016-10-01 16:00 - 17:30 | Bellevue Library, 1111 110th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA, 98004, United States

Cântec de leagan
2016-10-08
O poveste despre Maria Tanase (Lullaby. A Story about Maria Tanase)

Iuliana Pana reads from Rigla de Aur
2016-10-11
Iulia Pană has a free reading and book signing event for her latest poetry volume Rigla de Aer. Reading will be in Romanian.

Iuliana Pana reads from Ebony Bones
2016-10-12
Iulia Pană has a free reading and book signing event for her latest poetry volume Ebony Bones. Reading will be in English.

Meet Author Carmen Francesca Banciu
2016-10-29 15:00 - 17:00 | Suzzallo and Allen Libraries, 4000 15th Ave NE, Seattle, WA, 98195, United States
ARCS is proud to host renowned author Carmen-Francesca Banciu, who is visiting Seattle to promote the recent publication of the English translation of “Mother’s Day: Song of a Sad Mother” and “Berlin is My Paris”.
Carmen-Francesca’s novels are semi-autobiographical narratives about living in and leaving Romania. Part “Bildungsroman” and part autobiographical memoir, “Mother’s Day” explores mother-daughter relations under the communist dictatorship in Romania and sparks dynamic questions about Eastern Europe, work, the woman artist, and women’s relationships with one another. “Berlin is My Paris” describes the experiences of the immigrant artist grappling with a new language, culture, and writer’s block following the fall of Communism.

Romanian Film Festival - 3rd Edition
2016-11-18 - 2016-11-20
The Romanian Film Festival Seattle, "One Eye Laughing, One Eye Crying: [be]longing", 3rd EditionFilmsDogs by Bogdan Mirică2016, Thriller, 104 minutes
Roman returns to the land he has just inherited from his grandfather. Fully decided to sell this vast but desolate property, he is warned by the local cop that his...
Roman returns to the land he has just inherited from his grandfather. Fully decided to sell this vast but desolate property, he is warned by the local cop that his grandfather was a local crime lord and his men will not let go of the land..
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By The Railsby Cătălin Mitulescu2016, Drama, 88 minutes
Radu has come back from Italy after an year and finds his wife totally changed. They spend the night trying to rediscover their selves. The distance has created distrust and...
Radu has come back from Italy after an year and finds his wife totally changed. They spend the night trying to rediscover their selves. The distance has created distrust and confusion between them but Radu hopes for a new beginning. Music resounds beyond the railroad. The night was never that long.
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Silent Weddingby Horațiu Mălăele2008, Comedy, 87 minutes
In a small isolated village, in 1953, a wedding is interrupted by the news about the death of Stalin. Because any public celebration is forbidden, they decide to turn the...
In a small isolated village, in 1953, a wedding is interrupted by the news about the death of Stalin. Because any public celebration is forbidden, they decide to turn the happy event into a silent wedding. Q&A with director Horațiu Mălăele
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Why Me?by Tudor Giurgiu2015, Drama, 125 minutes
Cristian, a young idealistic prosecutor whose career is on the rise, tries to crack a case against a senior colleague accused of corruption. The dilemma of choosing between his career...
Cristian, a young idealistic prosecutor whose career is on the rise, tries to crack a case against a senior colleague accused of corruption. The dilemma of choosing between his career and the truth weighs heavily on his shoulders. Looking further to solve the case, he enters a danger zone paved with unexpected and painful revelations. Q&A with director Tudor Giurgiu
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Aliyah Dada by Oana Giurgiu2015, Documentary, 115 minutes
A documentary about the Jewish people in Romania and their several migrations towards Israel, across history and changing political frames - everything presented in a self-proclaimed dadaist style.Q&A with director...
A documentary about the Jewish people in Romania and their several migrations towards Israel, across history and changing political frames - everything presented in a self-proclaimed dadaist style. Q&A with director Oana Giurgiu
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Happy Funeralsby Horațiu Mălăele2013, Comedy, 111 minutes
It's about three lifelong friends. One evening, all three of them go to a fortune teller and are told that they will die in a week, on a specific day...
It's about three lifelong friends. One evening, all three of them go to a fortune teller and are told that they will die in a week, on a specific day and in a certain way. Q&A with director Horațiu Mălăele
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Mercy Streetby Ștefan Buzea, Alexandru Buzea2016, Animation, 74 minutes The day when music stops. First stereoscopic 3D animation feature film ever made in Romania. GuestsHorațiu MălăeleFamous Romanian actor, director and cartoonist, Horațiu Mălăele, was born in 1952, in Targu Jiu. He had his first art exhibit in 12th grade. In 1975, he graduated from the Institute of Theater and Cinema in Bucharest. He began his professional acting career on the stage of the National Theater in Piatra Neamt. He then moved to Bucharest and has performed at legendary theaters such as the Nottara, Odeon, Bulandra, etc., where he has had many roles of great success. He started his career as a theater director with shows such as a Princely Feast by Theodor Mazilu, The Flea by Georges Faydeau, or Carlo against Carlo by Paul Ioachim, for which he won the Romanian Comedy Festival Prize, in 1994. He made his cinema debut in 1974, in The Hidden Mountain. He also directed movies such as The Hat(2004), Silent Wedding (2008) and Happy Funerals (2013). He had over 30 art exhibits and published an autobiographical book called Horatiu about Malaele, as well as Wanderings, a collection of short episodes, aphorisms, and memories. Tudor GiurgiuMember of the European Film Academy, Tudor Giurgiu is the founder and President of the Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF), the most prestigious film-related event in Romania. His directorial debut feature Love Sick was selected in Panorama section of 2006 Berlinale and awarded in several int’l festivals. His short Superman, Spiderman or Batman (2011) won Best European Short at the 2012 edition of European Film Academy Awards. Tudor’s 2nd feature, Of Snails and Men, was awarded in Warsaw IFF and Valladolid IFF. Why Me?, an unsettling legal thriller based on a real case of corruption in present-day Romania, premiered in 2015 Berlinale Panorama. His most recent films are Libertate / Freedom (2023), a story inspired by real events that happened during the Romanian Revolution and Nasty (2024), a documentary about the Romanian tennis legend Ilie Năstase co-directed alongside Cristian Pascariu and Tudor D. Popescu, which premiered as a Special Screening at Festival de Cannes in 2024. Oana GiurgiuA law and journalism graduate, Oana Giurgiu directed television documentaries before working in film on Cristi Puiu’s 2005 Cannes Un certain regard winner, “The Death of Mr Lăzărescu” and then on Kornél Mundruczó’s 2008 Cannes FIPRESCI winner, “Delta”.

She produced three of Tudor Giurgiu’s films: “Love Sick” (Berlinale 2006, Panorama); the 2012 Romanian box office hit “Of Snails and Men” (Warsaw IFF); and “Why Me?” (Berlinale 2015, Panorama). She also produced Peter Strickland’s “Katalin Varga” (Berlinale 2009, Silver Bear, European Discovery of the year at European Film Academy Awards) and Cristi Puiu’s “Sieranevada” (Cannes 2016). Oana co-produced Hungarian titles “Eden”, dir. Agnes Kocsis (Rotterdam IFF 2020) and “Spiral” (in post-production), dir. Cecilia Felmeri and the Slovak “The Servants”, dir. Ivan Ostrochovsky (Berlinale 2020, Encounters), and the Turkish “Before two Dawns” (in post-production), dir. Selman Nacar (working progress awards at Meetings on the bridge, Istanbul IFF 2020, and Antalia 2019), produced the greatest Romanian box office hit in recent years, “Moromete Family: On the Edge of Time”, which received ten Gopo Awards in 2019.

After working on several television documentary productions, she made her directorial debut with a feature-length historical documentary, “Aliyah DaDa”, screened in Astra Sibiu, Jerusalem Jewish IFF, alongside other Jewish festivals and screenings worldwide, and recognized as Best Romanian Documentary at the Gopo Awards 2015, now she just launched her new documentary “Occasional Spies”, Special mention of the Jury at Astra Film Festival 2021. Monica FilimonMonica Filimon was awarded a PhD in Comparative Literature by Rutgers University. She is Associate Professor of English at Kingsborough Community College, CUNY. She has published articles on French, German, and Romanian films. Her research focuses on the New Romanian Cinema, its sources, evolution, and major representatives. Her first book Cristi Puiu: Ineffable Experiences of the Profane World was published by the University of Illinois Press in February 2017. She is currently working on a second book tentatively titled Corneliu Porumboiu: Notes on the Absurd.

I'm A Blind Man/Sunt Un Orb
2016-11-21 19:00 - 21:00
Born out of the artist’s need and desire to share his favorite poems with his public, in his original interpretation, the show will add new layers of meaning to well-known Romanian texts from Nichita Stanescu, Emil Brumaru, George Toparceanu, Marin Sorescu, Spiridon Popescu or Adrian Paunescu. Alongside poetry, the artist will sprinkle his performance with music, theater and lots of improvisation.We invite you to experience a powerful performance full of subtleties, love, humor, contradictory feelings, hope and laughter. It is a show that, as the artist confesses, “is not only about me, but it’s about you, too.” This performance will be in Romanian.

Of Snails and Men - A Film by Tudor Giurgiu
2017-03-17 19:00 - 21:00 | ALK Asphalt, 12630 N 103rd Ave, Sun City, AZ, 85351, United States
Screening by the Alliance Française de Seattle as part of series of events celebrating unique Francophone cultures.
Join us on Friday, March 17, 7-9 PM, for the second film of the francophone series, Of Snails and Men (2012), a comedy by Tudor Giurgiu, with Andi Vasluianu, Monica Bârlădeanu, and Dorel Vișan. Selected by the American Romanian Cultural Society.
Screening at l’Alliance Française de Seattle, 4649 Sunnyside Ave N, #204(the Good Shepherd Center), Seattle, WA 98103. Subtitles in English.
RSVP required to attend.
Doors open 6:45 PM
This event is free for AFSeattle members. There is a $5 suggested donation for non-members.
Light refreshments served.

Comedia Remix
2017-03-25
Legendary actor George Mihăiță, together with theater critic and curator Cristina Modreanu, are coming to Seattle to present a documentary about the Golden Age of Romanian theater.

Club Piticot
2017-04-09
Club Piticot invites all children of Romanian heritage at a creative workshop where they learn about Romanian Easter traditions and prepare for the arrival of the beloved Easter Bunny: In asteptarea Iepurasului. We are waiting for you, your friends and family on April 9 between 4-6pm at Laurel Park Condominium 11200 NE 68TH St, Kirkland, WA 98033. (recommended for children between 3-12 years) The event will be mainly in Romanian. See you there!

Dinu Lipatti 100th Anniversary Concert
2017-04-27 | Kirkland Performance Center, 350 Kirkland Ave, Kirkland, 98033, United States
Alexandru Tomescu (violin) and Angela Draghicescu (piano), pay tribute to the birth centennial of the legendary pianist, in a concert featuring exquisite chamber works of Lipatti and other composers.

ARCS Sponsors Romanian Films at SIFF
2017-05-27
ARCS Sponsors Romanian Films at SIFF
This year ARCS sponsored the screening of Adrian Sitaru’s Fixeur (The Fixer).

Ion Creanga and His Literary Characters
2017-06-03
Illustrations by Ary Murnu and Puppet Theater A 2-Day Celebration of International Children's Day.

Special Exhibit: Romanian Identity, Royalty and Architecture
2017-09-27 10:00 - 2017-11-27 17:00
Free Opening Night Reception: Thursday, October 5, 5:30 PM
The exhibit “Romanian Identity, Royalty and Architecture” offers a chronological survey of Romanian architecture from 1870s to 1948 with a focus on the Royalties’ contribution to the modernization of the country and creation of a national style. The edifices built during the reign of Carol I present both a young country’s desire to become visible internationally and the dynasty founder’s ambition to update Romanian architecture to European traditions. It was at the beginning of the 20th century that the capital Bucharest was called “The Little Paris”, due to the French influence. After WWI, King Ferdinand and Queen Mary sponsored the implementation of the national style in their effort to put Romania on the map of the world. The exhibit identifies Queen Mary’s contribution to Romanian architecture landmarks, including her beloved Balchik Palace. The modern style developed during Carol II and continued by his son Michael round up the exhibit that is authored by three major architecture professors: Augustin Ioan, Marius Marcu Lapadat, and Ionel Stoicescu, in collaboration with CREART, Bucharest.
American Romanian Cultural Society is putting on this exhibit in collaboration with the UW Ellison Center for Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies.

Club Piticot Storytime
2017-10-14
Free Kids ages 3-13 Elizabeta Iliescu hosts storytime at the Bellevue Library for children ages 3-13. Club Piticot supports children and their families in developing communication skills in Romanian while also preserving cultural heritage. October features Halloween-themed games and stories including George Topârceanu’s “Ballad of a Tiny Cricket” and Adina Rosetti’s “Why do Witches Fly on a Broom and 10 Other Fantastic Questions.” Event in Romanian.

Lucian Ban & Elevation: Songs From Afar
2017-11-10 | Kirkland Performance Center, 350 Kirkland Ave, Kirkland, 98033, United States
“Songs from Afar”(in collaboration with Earshot Jazz), a unique concert that will bring together 12 musicians from Romania, New York, and Seattle, with rich and diverse musical backgrounds.
Celebrating the music of Romania this concert event is an amalgamation of Transylvanian folk with jazz and improvisation. Featuring Lucian Ban’s ELEVATION Quartet; master saxophonist Abraham Burton; Transylvanian singer Gavril Tărmure; and the Angela Drăghicescu Ensemble paying tribute to famed composer George Enescu with a new arrangement of the Romanian Rhapsody.
This event sets off the 4th Edition of the Romanian Film Festival: “One Eye Laughing, One Eye Crying: TALES FROM AFAR”, celebrating the connection between cinema, music and the other arts.

Book Signing and Romanian Film Event - Cristi Puiu by Monica Filimon
2017-11-16 | University of Washington, 1410 NE Campus Pkwy, Seattle, WA, 98195, United States
New York-based film critic and professor Monica Filimon will sign copies of her new book Cristi Puiu (University of Illinois Press 2017) and deliver a talk about the beginnings of New Romanian cinema with a specific focus on the black comedy The Death of Mr. Lazarescu. In Cristi Puiu, Filimon explores the works of an artist dedicated to truth not as an abstract concept, but as the ephemeral revelation of the fuller ungraspable world beyond the screen. (Event in English) Monica FilimonMonica Filimon was awarded a PhD in Comparative Literature by Rutgers University. She is Associate Professor of English at Kingsborough Community College, CUNY. She has published articles on French, German, and Romanian films. Her research focuses on the New Romanian Cinema, its sources, evolution, and major representatives. Her first book Cristi Puiu: Ineffable Experiences of the Profane World was published by the University of Illinois Press in February 2017. She is currently working on a second book tentatively titled Corneliu Porumboiu: Notes on the Absurd.

Romanian Film Festival - 4th Edition
2017-11-27 | SIFF Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98109
The Romanian Film Festival in Seattle "One Eye Laughing, One Eye Crying: Tales from Afar", 4th EditionWe are thrilled to present our special guests at the 4th edition of the Romanian Film Festival! Director Paul Negoescu (Two Lottery Tickets, director Iulia Rugina (Breaking News), actress Ioana Flora (Breaking News & Back Home) from Romania; director Bogdan Darev (This Baba), singer Penka Encheva and producer Mary Sherhart from Seattle, will attend Q&A sessions after the screenings, moderated by film critic and author Monica Filimon ("Cristi Puiu", University of Illinois Press 2017). Pre-Event: Cântece de departe/Songs from Afar, a concert that brings together Lucian Ban & Elevation Quartet from New York (jazz), Angela Drăghicescu (chamber music pianist from Seattle), and Gavril Țărmure (singer of Romanian Folk music from Bistrița) @ Seattle Art Museum on November 10, 7:30 PM. FilmsTwo Lottery Tickets by Paul Negoescu2016, Comedy, 86 minutes
Three men from a provincial town are in urgent need of money and decide to buy a lottery ticket. They win the lottery, but soon after their ticket gets stolen.Q&A...
Three men from a provincial town are in urgent need of money and decide to buy a lottery ticket. They win the lottery, but soon after their ticket gets stolen. Q&A with director Paul Negoescu
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Sieranevadaby Cristi Puiu2016, Drama, 173 minutes
A doctor and his wife are having a family meal in Bucharest to mark the passing of his father when an argument about 9/11 breaks out and deteriorates into a...
A doctor and his wife are having a family meal in Bucharest to mark the passing of his father when an argument about 9/11 breaks out and deteriorates into a settling of personal scores.
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Breaking Newsby Iulia Rugină2017, Drama, 81 minutes
While working on an in memoriam piece for a dead colleague, a famous news reporter loses track of the TV story and becomes part of a father-daughter relationship with the...
While working on an in memoriam piece for a dead colleague, a famous news reporter loses track of the TV story and becomes part of a father-daughter relationship with the teenager left behind. Q&A with director Iulia Rugină and actress Ioana Flora
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Scarred Heartsby Radu Jude2016, Drama, 141 minutes
Emanuel spends his days at a sanatorium. Falling in love with another patient, he narrates his and his fellow patients' attempts to live life to the fullest as their bodies...
Emanuel spends his days at a sanatorium. Falling in love with another patient, he narrates his and his fellow patients' attempts to live life to the fullest as their bodies slowly fade away, but their minds refuse to give up.
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Back Homeby Andrei Kohn2015, Drama, 91 minutes
Robert is a young journalist passing through a difficult period in his life. He returns to his native village for a day. One day to meet with his father, with...
Robert is a young journalist passing through a difficult period in his life. He returns to his native village for a day. One day to meet with his father, with whom he has had a difficult relationship, and with two former classmates: Petrică - his old best friend, now married with children - and Paula, his teenage sweetheart. The time has come for Robert to change his destiny. Q&A with actress Ioana Flora
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This Bababy Bogdan Darev2014, Documentary, 31 minutes This Baba is the story of Bulgarian Voices singer Penka Encheva, who was an extraordinary traditional singer as a young woman in her native country of Bulgaria. The Rest is Silenceby Nae Caranfil2007, Drama, 114 minutes
In 1911-12, the Romanian movie director Grigore Brezianu and the financial tycoon Leon Popescu made together the 2 hours long movie "Romania's Independence" - an as faithful as possible screen...
In 1911-12, the Romanian movie director Grigore Brezianu and the financial tycoon Leon Popescu made together the 2 hours long movie "Romania's Independence" - an as faithful as possible screen adaptation of the real Independence War that had been fought in 1877. Now, "Restul e tăcere" tells us, in a loose and half-fictionalized way, the story of this movie making.
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The New Gypsy Kingsby Liviu Tipuriță2016, Documentary, 59 minutes A look inside the world of Romania's super-rich Gypsy pop stars: a world of fast cars, lavish houses, and gangsters. GuestsPaul NegoescuBorn in 1984, Paul Negoescu studied film directing at the national film school in Bucharest. His short films were selected in many international festivals (Semaine de la Critique, Berlinale). His debut film, "A month in Thailand", premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2012, while his second feature, "Two Lottery Tickets", became one of the most successful Romanian films at the box office. "The Story of a Summer Lover", his 3rd feature, was distributed by Netflix in over 30 territories. Iulia RuginăIulia Rugină is a Bucharest based director and screenwriter. She has a BA and a MA degree in film and television directing at Bucharest’s National University of Theatre and Film (UNATC). In 2020 she completed a PhD on low budget cinema at the same university.

She has written and directed twelve shorts and three feature films, among which Stuck on Christmas (2010), Love Building (2013), Dying from a Wound of Love (2014), Breaking News (2016). In 2018 she made her theater debut with the multimedia show Neverland, which she wrote and directed. In 2020 she directed six of the eight episodes of the HBO Max series Ruxx.

Since 2099 she is also actively involved in cultural management (through Control N, the cultural NGO she has co-founded), and film education (through various projects she has participated in, as a film tutor), having worked with professional screenwriters, amateur filmmakers, children, ethnic minorities, inmates and drug addicts.

She taught screenwriting at the National University of Theater and Film in Bucharest for 10 years, before switching to script consultancy in national and international projects.

Ioana FloraOne of the most appreciated Romanian actresses, appearing in films, television, on stage, also having been awarded for many roles. Being a mother of two, Ioana has been actively involved in children’s performances, personal development workshops for both children and adults and training programs in film and theatre. Person not found Mary SherhartMary Sherhart is a Seattle-based musician who specializes in traditional singing from the Balkans. She is a performer, teacher, choir director, producer, board member and student.

Ciprian Popescu - Meet the Author
2017-12-09 12:00 - 13:00 | Bellevue Library, 1111 110th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA, 98004, United States
Ciprian Popescu, Romanian-language author based in Montreal, will read from his awarded debut Mile End (2016, Max Blecher Publishing House Romania). The book is a construction of 77 days about the new life as immigrant in Canada and the memory of the motherland. A previous text, Revolutia din departare/ The Revolution from Afar (2011, Curtea Veche, ed.C.Hermeziu), will also be discussed with former colleague in Romania and neighbor in Montreal, ARCS member Alexandra Dorca. The author will sign books following the talk. (Event is free In Romanian)

Romanian Films at SIFF 2018, sponsored by ARCS
2018-05-03 - 2018-06-10 | SIFF Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98109
Thank you all for attending!

Club Piticot
2018-06-02 | Redmond Library, 15990 NE 85th St, Redmond, WA, 98052, United States
Free Kids ages 3-13 Let’s get together to celebrate International Children’s Day! Event in Romanian.

Documentary screening and celebration
2018-08-05 14:00 - 16:00 | St. John the Baptist Romanian Orthodox Church, 3749 W Behrend Dr, Glendale, AZ, 85308, United States
You are warmly invited to the final screening of the documentary “Romanian in Seattle”, filmed during ARCS Summer Camp (July 23-Aug 4) with director Iulia Rugină and actress Ioana Flora.
