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Romanian Film Festival Seattle, 9th Edition
THE ROMANIAN FILM FESTIVAL, 9TH EDITION: "HomeLands"
WHEN: NOVEMBER 11-27, 2022
WHERE: Online, Nov. 11-27
Northwest Film Forum, Nov. 11-13 and Nov. 18-20
Nov. 11, 7:30pm - Metronom
Nov. 12, 6pm - Things Worth Weeping For
Nov. 13, 5pm - The Island
Nov. 18, 7:30pm - Blue Moon
Nov. 19, 6pm - Metronom
The 9th edition of the RFF titled Homelands reflects on this year’s current events, while celebrating the power of film to map out new meanings into a world where people have been displaced by wars, economic crises, political instability, and natural disasters. The internationally acclaimed movies featured in our carefully curated selection, covering all forms and genres, as well as our film related events with special guests, will redefine our sense of homelands and belonging, in relation to our families, neighbors, countries of origin, and, by extension, to our planet itself. As Daniel Ursache’s poster illustrates, movies remain, year after year, our main path and answer, when everything else seems out of place.
After two successful virtual editions in 2020 and 2021, the festival will continue to showcase the best of the newest film productions from Romania and Europe, promoting outstanding directors, both established and up-and-coming. It will also keep its partnership with Northwest Film Forum, Romanian Film Fest Arizona and its sister-organizations ARCS Arizona and ARCS Detroit. The Romanian Film Festival Arizona, will have its in person screenings November 19-20 at Majestic Tempe 7 in Tempe, AZ.
We will offer you virtual opportunities to interact with local, national and international special guests.
In the meantime, please support our fundraising efforts. So far we raised over $16,000 from 60+ donors through Facebook and the ARCS website and we could not be more grateful to you! Will you help us reach our next target of $17,000? No amount is too small! Our goal is to raise $20,000 in two months. Let’s keep the story going for the 9th time!
If you have a business or reprezent an organization, please check out our sponsorship package and let us know if you would like to benefit from our advertising opportunities.
Festival Official Partners and Co-organizers:
Festival Institutional Partners: 
Supporting Sponsors: 
Festival Ambassadors: 
This project is carried out with the support of the Department for the Romanians Abroad. (Acest proiect este realizat cu sprijinul Departamentului pentru Românii de Pretutindeni.)
Community Partners - Thank you for helping us spread the word about the film festival: 
Please follow the Festival on social media!
FILM FORMATS:
All virtual film programs in the 2022 festival are available to view ONLY in the U.S. You can purchase our films and watch them when it is most convenient for you, during the period of the festival. You have 48 hours to finish watching a film after you start playing it.
**Many online screenings in Romanian Film Festival in Seattle 2022 include a live discussion or filmmaker Q&A, available on zoom. All panels and talks take place over Zoom, and will be automatically recorded and added to the end of the film playlist on Northwest Film Forum's Eventive virtual cinema for viewing throughout the fest.
Note to in-person attendees: NWFF patrons will be required to wear masks that cover both nose and mouth while in the building. Disposable masks are available at the door for those who need them. We are not currently checking vaccination cards. Read full Covid policies here.
Fundraising Campaign
Thank you for your generosity! Our goal is to raise $20,000 to cover costs associated with programming, publicity, technical support and film distribution rights. We will keep the fundraising campaign open on our website and Facebook.
Checks are welcome. Please address them to:
American Romanian Cultural Society
1931 E Lynn St
Seattle, WA 98112
Films
Immaculate
by Monica Stan and George Chiper-Lillemark
2021, Drama, 114 min
(Romania)
When her junkie boyfriend ends up in prison, Daria is taken by her parents to rehab to quit heroin and become a good daughter again. Inside the clinic, Daria’s unwavering...
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When her junkie boyfriend ends up in prison, Daria is taken by her parents to rehab to quit heroin and become a good daughter again. Inside the clinic, Daria’s unwavering...
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Metronom
by Alexandru Bell
2022, Drama, 102 min (Romania, France)
Bucharest, 1972. Ana, 17, dreams of love and freedom. One night, while partying with her friends, they decide to send a letter to Metronom, the musical program which Radio Free Europe broadcasts...
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Bucharest, 1972. Ana, 17, dreams of love and freedom. One night, while partying with her friends, they decide to send a letter to Metronom, the musical program which Radio Free Europe broadcasts...
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Man and Dog
by Ștefan Constantinescu
2022, Drama, 107 min
(Romania, Bulgaria, Sweden, Germany)
After having received a mysterious text message, Doru (42) returns home from Sweden in the midst of the Corona outbreak due to the suspicion that his wife is having an affair....
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After having received a mysterious text message, Doru (42) returns home from Sweden in the midst of the Corona outbreak due to the suspicion that his wife is having an affair....
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Wood
by Monica Lăzurean-Gorgan, Michaela Kirst, Ebba Sinzinger
2020, Documentary, 97 min (Austria, Germany, Romania)
Illegal logging is a global business worth billions. Alexander von Bismarck, descendant of the Iron Chancellor and head of the Environmental Investigation Agency in Washington D.C., successfully pursues the machinations of the...
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Illegal logging is a global business worth billions. Alexander von Bismarck, descendant of the Iron Chancellor and head of the Environmental Investigation Agency in Washington D.C., successfully pursues the machinations of the...
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A Higher Law
by Octav Chelaru
2021, Drama, 125 min
(Romania)
Ecaterina, a high school Religion teacher and wife of the town priest, gets involved with Iuliu, a 16-year-old student with a troubled past. Ecaterina tries to keep him under control,...
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Ecaterina, a high school Religion teacher and wife of the town priest, gets involved with Iuliu, a 16-year-old student with a troubled past. Ecaterina tries to keep him under control,...
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The Island
by Anca Damian
2022, Animation, 84 min
(Romania, France, Belgium)
Discover a musical fable on the Robinson Crusoe myth: The Little Prince meets Monty Python. Robinson is a doctor and his solitude is voluntary in an island invaded by migrants, NGOs...
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Discover a musical fable on the Robinson Crusoe myth: The Little Prince meets Monty Python. Robinson is a doctor and his solitude is voluntary in an island invaded by migrants, NGOs...
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Things Worth Weeping For
by Cristina Groșan
2021, Comedy/Drama, 87 min (Hungary)
Maja’s life is finally coming together and her boyfriend couldn’t be more pleased. In the midst of moving out from their student flat, Maja’s evening takes a surprising turn when...
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Maja’s life is finally coming together and her boyfriend couldn’t be more pleased. In the midst of moving out from their student flat, Maja’s evening takes a surprising turn when...
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Us Against Us
by Andra Tarara
2020, Documentary, 74 min
(Romania)
The director and her father take a camera in hand and film each other during interviews in which they discuss schizophrenia, their own pasts, and their personal conceptions of happiness. The film...
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The director and her father take a camera in hand and film each other during interviews in which they discuss schizophrenia, their own pasts, and their personal conceptions of happiness. The film...
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The Certainty of Probabilities
by Raluca Durbacă
2021, Documentary, 90 min
(Romania)
As an instrument of ideological domination, language, both verbal and visual, defines, describes, delimits and dissimulates the manner in which the social, political and economic reality of a society is...
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As an instrument of ideological domination, language, both verbal and visual, defines, describes, delimits and dissimulates the manner in which the social, political and economic reality of a society is...
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Plastic Semiotic
by Radu Jude
2021, Stop motion short, 22 min
(Romania, France, Belgium)
The life of human beings, seen from birth to old age. Only that this generic life is not represented with humans, but with the artifacts that we the humans have...
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The life of human beings, seen from birth to old age. Only that this generic life is not represented with humans, but with the artifacts that we the humans have...
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The Man Who Would Be Free
by Mihai Mincan and George Chiper-Lillemark
2019, Documentary, 106 min (Romania)
July 1999, Bucharest. A dead man’s body is found in a small apartment. The case is quickly classified by the police as suicide. That man’s name was Cezar Mititelu and...
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July 1999, Bucharest. A dead man’s body is found in a small apartment. The case is quickly classified by the police as suicide. That man’s name was Cezar Mititelu and...
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Ukrainian Sheriffs
by Roman Bondarchuk
2015, Documentary, 85 min
(Ukraine, Latvia, Germany)
Like a bird, the Ukrainian flag flies along perched on the car of two affable "sheriffs" deputized by the mayor of a village in southern Ukraine. There's a sly bum...
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Like a bird, the Ukrainian flag flies along perched on the car of two affable "sheriffs" deputized by the mayor of a village in southern Ukraine. There's a sly bum...
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Spiral
by Cecília Felméri
2020, Drama, 98 min
(Hungary, Romania)
Spiral is about letting go. A strange triangle story by a mysterious lake, between one man and two women. Sometimes we can’t let go and this might result in consequences that...
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Spiral is about letting go. A strange triangle story by a mysterious lake, between one man and two women. Sometimes we can’t let go and this might result in consequences that...
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Amok
by Balázs Turai
2022, Animated short, 14 min
(Hungary, Romania)
After losing his fiancée and his good looks in a freak accident, Clyde must confront his inner demon.
Blue Moon
by Alina Grigore
2021, Drama, 85 min (Romania)
The film follows a girl’s psychological journey to her dehumanizing process. While struggling to achieve higher education and escape the violence of her extended dysfunctional family, Irina metamorphoses from victim...
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The film follows a girl’s psychological journey to her dehumanizing process. While struggling to achieve higher education and escape the violence of her extended dysfunctional family, Irina metamorphoses from victim...
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The Deer Passed in front of Me
by Vlad Petri
2020, Documentary short, 27 min (Romania)
During the Covid-19 lockdown the director's grandmother passed away. As he sifted through personal archives, he found an audio recording of her and some old photo albums. Composed entirely from photographs, this...
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During the Covid-19 lockdown the director's grandmother passed away. As he sifted through personal archives, he found an audio recording of her and some old photo albums. Composed entirely from photographs, this...
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The Marshal's Two Executions
by Radu Jude
2018, Historical fiction short, 10 min
(Romania)
The film confronts two different views of the execution of General Ion Antonescu, Romania’s leader during the Second World War. On one side is silent black-and-white footage of the execution as...
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The film confronts two different views of the execution of General Ion Antonescu, Romania’s leader during the Second World War. On one side is silent black-and-white footage of the execution as...
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Opening Night Reception
When: Nov. 11, 2022 at 6:00 PM PST
Where: Northwest Film Forum.
After two years of clinking our glasses virtually, we are excited to celebrate the 9th edition of the festival in person! Please join us Nov. 11 at 6pm for the Opening Night Reception at Northwest Film Forum. We'll enjoy light refreshments and some catching up.
After the reception, there will be a screening at 7:30pm for "Metronom" by Alexandru Belc.
Q&A Sessions
Q&A with director Cristina Groșan
When: Nov. 13, 2022 at 10:00 AM PST
Where: Online
Register HERE for the live discussion.
Q&A with director Anca Damian
When: Nov. 14, 2022 at 10:00 AM PST
Where: Online
Register HERE for the live discussion. Moderated by Ileana Marin, Ph.D.
Q&A with director Ștefan Constantinescu and actress Ofelia Popii
When: Nov. 15, 2022 at 10:00 AM PST
Where: Online
Register HERE for the live discussion.
Q&A with director Andra Tarara
When: Nov. 17, 2022 at 12:00 PM PST
Where: Online
Register HERE for the live discussion.
Q&A with director Raluca Durbacă
When: Nov. 18, 2022 at 10:00 AM PST
Where: Online
Register HERE for the live discussion.
Q&A with director Cecília Felméri
When: Nov. 19, 2022 at 9:00 AM PST
Where: Online
Register HERE for the live discussion.
Q&A with director Monica Lăzurean-Gorgan and Michaela Kirst
When: Nov. 19, 2022 at 11:00 AM PST
Where: Online
Register HERE for the live discussion.
Q&A with directors Mihai Mincan and George Chiper-Lillemark
When: Nov. 20, 2022 at 9:00 AM PST
Where: Online
Register HERE for the live discussion.
Q&A with director George Chiper-Lillemark and actress Ana Dumitrașcu
When: Nov. 20, 2022 at 11:00 AM PST
Where: Online
Register HERE for the live discussion.
Q&A with director Alina Grigore and actress Ioana Chițu
When: Nov. 21, 2022 at 12:00 PM PST
Where: Online
Register HERE for the live discussion. Moderated by Luiza Pîrvu.
Q&A with director Alexandru Belc and actress Mara Bugarin
When: Nov. 22, 2022 at 10:00 AM PST
Where: Online
Register HERE for the live discussion. Moderated by film critic Robert Horton.
Q&A with director Roman Bondarchuk and Andrei Dăscălescu
When: Nov. 23, 2022 at 10:00 AM PST
Where: Online
Register HERE for the live discussion. Moderated by Kateryna Ruban.
Guests
Cristina Groșan
Cristina Grosan is a Hungarian-Romanian filmmaker and visual artist working on fiction films screened at festivals worldwide. Her award-winning short “Holiday at the Seaside” exploring a mother-daughter relationship screened at more than 40 festivals. Cristina is keen on connecting to the places she’s lived in, working in both her homecountries, Hungary and Romania. Her debut feature “Things Worth Weeping For” premiered at the Sarajevo International Film Festival's main competition and received several nominations for Best Film at film festivals. The film’s lead actress, Nóra Rainer-Micsinyei was awarded Best Actress at the Bosphorus International Film Festival in 2021. Her second feature, “Ordinary Failures”, was developed with Czech writer Klára Vlasákova. The film premiered at the Giornate degli Autori competitive section in September 2022, as part of the Venice Biennale where Cristina was awarded the “Autrici under 40 - Valentina Pedicini award” for Best Director.
Anca Damian
Anca Damian studied at the Academy of Theatre and Film Arts in Bucharest where she majored in cinematography and later obtained a doctor’s degree in Arts, Cinema and Media. She worked as a director, screenwriter, and producer for several documentaries on art related topics. She was director of photography of two long feature films and several shorts. Her second feature the animated documentary, “Crulic: The Path to Beyond” (2011, Cristal Award in Annecy), has been selected in more than 150 international festivals like Locarno IFF, Telluride, New Director new films, and received more than 35 international prizes. Her extensive filmography includes Crossing Dates (2008), A Very Unsettled Summer (2013), The Magic Mountain (2015), Moon Hotel Kabul (2018), and Marona′s Fantastic Tale (2019). Her films were distributed worldwide and she has been awarded with numerous international prizes, including Cristal for Best Feature Film Award at Annecy, Best Director Award at Warsaw, Mirada International Award at Madrid, and Audentia Award by Eurimages. The Island is her seventh feature.
Ileana Marin, Ph.D.
Ileana Marin teaches interdisciplinary courses at the University of Washington in Seattle and at the Center of Excellence in Image Studies at the University of Bucharest. Her long-standing academic career on both sides of the ocean has given her the opportunity to establish contacts between Romanian and American scholars, artists, and institutions. She, thus, initiated the first UW Exploration Seminar to Romania, and to Eastern Europe, and opened the fund for Romanian Studies, hoping that Romanian language will be taught regularly in Seattle. With a BA in Romanian and a PhD. in Comparative Literature from the University of Bucharest (2000), and one in Textual Studies from the UW (2011), Ileana is a strong believer in the power of education and bilingualism. In ARCS, she advocates the expansion of the Romanian language programs in the US and for disseminating the most recent Romanian cultural achievements. On her agenda as president, Ileana Marin has two major tasks: board development and recruitment to ensure the successful implementation of ARCS mission through meaningful programs.
Ştefan Constantinescu
Ştefan Constantinescu (1968, Bucharest) is a Romanian filmmaker and artist. He works in multiple mediums, including film, photography, artist books and painting. He has studied classical painting, film and video at the Bucharest Academy of Art and Film and at the Royal Art Academy in Stockholm. In 2009 he represented Romania at the Venice Biennale with the film Troleibuzul 92. In 2012 his short film Family Dinner screened in Semaine de la Critique in Cannes, and in 2013 his short film Six Big Fish premiered in the competition of the Locarno Film Festival. His feature length documentary My Beautiful Dacia (2009) went on to numerous international festivals (IDFA, Jihlava, Montreal, among others) and received the Jury Prize in Documenta Madrid. "Noah’s Ark – An Improbable Space Survival Kit" is a book he created alongside Corina Ilea.
Ofelia Popii
Ofelia Popii is a prolific Romanian film and theater actress. She graduated from The Faculty of Theater of the Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca in 2001. She holds a PhD in Theater and Performance Arts. In 2001, she played first role in the movie Grand Hotel Victoria. In 2015 she won the Gopo Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for the film Quod erat demonstrandum by Andrei Gruzsniczki. In 2019 she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Moon Hotel Kabul by Anca Damian.
Andra Tarara
Andra Tarara (b.1994) is an artist working in cinema, video art, photography. She is a UNATC Bucharest graduate in Film (2016) and a master's degree graduate in Visual Anthropology from SNSPA Bucharest (2018). Us Against Us (premiered at Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival 2020) is Tarara’s first feature film, a documentary made in collaboration with her father, which explores their relationship through an authentic dialogue about the illness that affected both their lives. It was selected in various Romanian and international film festivals, won Best Romanian Film Award at Astra Film Festival 2021, and it was also part of cultural initiatives that aim to fight against the stigmatization of mental illnesses.
Raluca Durbacă
Raluca Durbacă (b. 1983) is a Romanian director and film critic. She is a graduate of the National Film and Theatre School in Bucharest (2015) with a degree in Film Studies and of the National School for Communication and Public Relations (2006) with a degree in Political Communication. She has been a contributing editor for well-known Romanian film magazine Film Menu from 2012 to 2016 and has published film studies essays in two editions of the collective volume The Politics of Film in 2014 and 2018. She has has over 10 years experience in film production and development and is an alumni of Talents Sarajevo 2014 and Torino FilmLab's 2012 AdaptLab programe. The Certainty of Probabilities is her first feature documentary.
Cecília Felméri
Cecília Felméri (b.1978) graduated from the Sapientia University of Cluj-Napoca and then at the Bucharest I. L. Caragiale National Film Academy finished masterclass of filmmaking. She is currently the Assistant Professor at the Sapientia University Film-Photography-Media School in Cluj-Napoca. She is a one of the founding member and vice-president of the Hungarian Film Association of Transylvania. Filmography as a Director: 2012 The Pill of Happiness – short fiction film, 12 min 2011 Infinite Minutes – short fiction film, 19 min 2010 Matthias, Matthias – animated documentary, 13 min 2008 Cuckoo - short fiction film, 17 min
Monica Lăzurean-Gorgan
Monica Lăzurean-Gorgan was the delegate producer of Adina Pintilie's Golden Bear Winner Touch Me Not. With her newly established company Manifest Film, she produced Acasă, My Home, recipient of the Special Jury Award for cinematography in the World Cinema Documentary at Sundance 2020. She also directed A Mere Breath (2016), which won Best Documentary at LET'S CEE Film Fest and in Sarajevo. Filmography: Free Dacians (2018), A Mere Breath (2016), My Vote (2011)
Michaela Kirst
Michaela Kirst worked for many years as a journalist in New York and has headed the Berlin office of Sagafilm since 2011. She creates documentaries for TV and cinema as director and/or producer. Her films like DISGUSTINGLY HEALTHY, BROWN BABIES – GERMANY'S LOST CHILDREN or CRIME SCENE RAIN FOREST have won many awards. Filmography: Darwin on Times Square (2020), Himmel über Peking (2013), Tatort Regenwald: Undercover gegen die Holzmafia (2012), Jesus Loves You (2011).
Mihai Mincan
Mihai Mincan is a Philosophy graduate from the University of Bucharest. Between 2004 and 2016 he worked as a journalist, editing many articles and investigative materials for the most important newspapers in Romania. In 2008 we wrote the script for the short film "The Palm Lines", which premiered at the Locarno Film Festival. Since then he wrote and directed the shorts The Comet (2017) and Idilă (2019) and the documentaries Bondoc (2015), Emigrant Blues (2019) and The Man who would be free (2019). In 2022 his feature film debut To the North had its premiere at the Venice Film Festival in the Orizzonti section, and received the Bisato d'Oro prize for best film.
George Chiper-Lillemark
George Chiper-Lillemark is a director of photography and director living in Copenhagen. He has photographed numerous feature and short films, including Touch Me Not (2018) by Adina Pintilie. He also co-directed the short The Sandpit #186 (2009) with Adina Pintilie and The Man who would be free (2019) with Mihai Mincan. His short The Palm Lines (2009) was screened by Locarno and Rotterdam IFF. The drama Immaculate, which he co-directed with Monica Stan, was selected as Romania's entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 2023 Oscars.
Ana Dumitrașcu
Ana Dumitrașcu was born on December 5 1997 in Dragasani, Romania. She studied Acting at the National University of Theatre and Film "I.L.Caragiale" in Bucharest, Romania. Before graduating, she played her first leading part in Immaculate (2021), awarded the Lion of the Future Award for Best Debut at the 2021 Venice Film Festival. Ana Dumitrașcu's performance was praised in Cineuropa, ICSfilm along with several Romanian publications. Immaculate is Romania's Oscar entry for 2023, and it won the Lion of the Future Award for Best Debut at the Venice Film Festival in 2021, GdA Directors' Award in Giornate degli Autori Section, and the FIPRESCI award at TIFF Romania and a few other prizes and nominations. Ana is also a member of the Berlinale Talents community as she participated in Sarajevo Talents Program this year, in the Acting Studio Section. She is also known for several theatre shows and several short films including the musical "Crezi că-i grav" (2019), the queer drama "Our home" (2021), and the upcoming experimental,,Arcane/Anarhe’’. She started her career as a producer in 2021 by enrolling in the MA Program for film production at the same university, and she started producing several short films including Alin Duruian’s ,,Payday” and a feature, the upcoming ,,Loyal Customers’’ directed by Bogdan Balla. She is also a writer for the film publication ,,Film Menu’’ where she constantly challenges her vision upon cinema.
Alina Grigore
Alina Grigore has a bachelor degree at UNATC - Bucharest, Acting/Directing department, Adrian Titieni’s class. She is now a PhD student at the same university and an assistant researcher at CINETIC “International Research and Education Center for Innovative and Creative Technologies” in Bucharest. While preparing the release of Blue Moon and its festival track for 2021, she is producing her second feature “Some Irrelevant Stories about Moms” (working title) having attached the Oscar winning actress Melissa Leo (The Fighter, Frozen River, 21 Grams, Prisoners) to star in it. -Alumni Berlinale Talents 2018 -Best Actress, Subtitle Film Festival, Ireland 2016 for Illegitimate -Best Script, Subtitle Film Festival, Ireland 2016 for Illegitimate -Best Actress Europe, Autour De L’Europe Film Festival, France 2016 for Illegitimate
Luiza Pârvu
Luiza Pârvu is a filmmaker and educator based in Tempe, AZ. She is a member of the European Film Academy. She holds an MFA in Film Production from New York University - Tisch School of The Arts, New York, USA. She is an experienced media maker with professional working knowledge of all areas of production and post-production. Her directing and editing work covers a variety of genres, in both fiction and creative non-fiction: documentary, multimedia installation, and immersive media. Her debut feature documentary, Ubi Bene Ibi Patria, is currently in post-production. Shot across Europe and the US, the film explores the theme of immigration and issues of ethnicity, gender and class in the form of an urgent and personal movie diary. The award winning films she has directed or edited so far have been recognized in over 150 film festivals and events worldwide such as Karlovy Vary IFF, Sundance FF, BFI London, Busan IFF, Transilvania IFF, Tribeca FF or Abu Dhabi IFF. In 2012, she was a nominee in the Rising Star category at the GOPO Romanian Film Industry Awards for directing her short film Draft 7.
Alexandru Belc
Alexandru Belc was born in 1980 in Romania. He graduated from the Bucharest Film School in 2007 and obtained a master’s degree in political sciences in 2012. During his studies, he made several short films and documentaries. He then worked as an Assistant Director for Corneliu Porumboiu and Cristian Mungiu. He worked as script supervisor on Cristian Mungiu's 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 1 DAY (Palme d'Or in 2007). His first feature documentary, MARCH 8th, about women in the workplace, screened in numerous international festivals in 2013. His second feature documentary, CINEMA MY LOVE, a portrait of a Romanian art-house exhibitor, was distributed by Outplay Films in France and released in theaters in May 2017. METRONOM, his first fiction film, is in the Official Selection Un Certain Regard at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.
Mara Bugarin
Mara Bugarin is a Romanian film and theatre actor, who was born in 2001 in Timisoara, Romania. She graduated from the German High School in 2020, and next year she will complete her studies at the National University of Theatrical Arts and Cinematography. Mara played the leading role of ‘Ana Stefan’ opposite Vlad Ivanov in Alexandru Belc’s feature film METRONOM, which premiered in Un Certain Regard at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, and which won the director’s prize there. Mara also played the part of ‘Alice’ in the television series EXPORT ONLY, which was directed by Cristina Iliescu. She is a frequent collaborator with the German Theatre in Timisoara, and since 2012 she has performed in plays with SAS Theatre in Bucharest. Next year, Mara will star in two major new productions in Romania.
Robert Horton
Robert Horton is the film critic for Seattle Weekly and the Everett Herald, and a longtime contributor to Film Comment. He curated the Magic Lantern film-discussion program at the Frye Art Museum for ten years, teaches film at Seattle University, and is a guest speaker for Smithsonian Journeys. His books include Frankenstein (Columbia University Press) and Billy Wilder: Interviews (University Press of Mississippi) as well as the zombie-Western graphic novel Rotten (Moonstone Books), and he blogs on movies at The Crop Duster (roberthorton.wordpress.com). He is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association. In 2012 he curated the Museum of History & Industry's "Celluloid Seattle: A City at the Movies" exhibit.
Roman Bondarchuk
Roman Bondarchuk graduated from the Kyiv state University of Theatre, Cinema and TV. His teacher was Yuriy Illenko – one of the founders of Ukrainian Poetic Cinema school. Roman has created a number of short films, documentaries and music videos. He's an author of the book of novels, photography and contemporary art exhibitions. He's also been an award-winner at national and international film festivals. Roman works as art director and member of Selection Committee of International Human Rights documentary film festival Doucdays UA. As a documentary director he collaborated with MDR, ZDF, Arte and other TV channels. Among his famous films "The taxi-driver", "Radunytsia", "Cafe "Voyage", "Euromaidan. Rough cut". "Ukrainian Sheriffs" is his first feature-length documentary.
Andrei Dăscălescu
Andrei Dăscălescu is an established Romanian documentary film director, cinematographer and editor. His first two feature documentaries, Planet Petrila (2016) and Constantin and Elena (2008) have won prestigious awards (including awards at IDFA and Sarajevo Film Festival), have been selected in major international film festivals across the world (IDFA, San Francisco, Vancouver, Krakow, DocLisboa, Docaviv, Sarajevo, Montpellier etc.). Andrei was nominated 4 times and won "Best Documentary Award" in 2018 at the Gopo Awards (the Romanian equivalent to Academy Awards) with his documentary, Planet Petrila. His third documentary, Holy Father (2020) premiered at the Sarajevo Film Festival, where it won the Jury Award. It also won the Audience Award at Astra Film Festival (Sibiu, Romania), the Best Director Award at Qara Film Festival (Almaty, Kazakhstan) and has been screened at festival such as Black Nights Tallinn, Magnificent 7 Belgrade, Go East Wiesbaden, Trieste Film Festival, Zagreb Dox and others). He is the founder and owner of FilmLab production company since 2007.
Kateryna Ruban
Kateryna Ruban is a Ukrainian historian. In September 2022 she received a PhD from New York University. In her dissertation, Dr. Ruban explores the role of abortion in Soviet life. Earlier, she earned masters degrees in Central European University in Hungary and in Kyiv Mohyla Academy in Ukraine. Before coming to the US, Kateryna was a part of the Visual Culture Research Center in Kyiv. Starting from December 2022, Dr. Ruban will be a Junior Visiting Fellow at the Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies at the George Washington University and will focus on turning her dissertation into a book. She will also continue her research on how Russian academia presents the war in Ukraine and its role in this war for the Western audience.
Supporters
Private donors
Supporting sponsor · $1,000 and more
| Tracy Sharpe and Roxana Arama |
| Cedar River Animal Hospital |
| Adrian Potra |
Festival ambassador · $500 and more
| Ana and Radu Bacioiu |
| Gloria, Andrei, Stefi and Andra Marinescu |
| Dana and Catalin Cozmei |
| Gabriel and Teodora Ghizila |
| Betty and Jeff Gossett |
| Gabriel and Raluca Hera |
| Andreea Larhs |
| NW Family Dental - Daciana Buse, DDS, MSD |
| Cristi and Irina Salvan |
| Alexandrina Maicaneanu and Radu Simionescu |
| Mary Sherhart |
| Cosmin and Elena Catrinescu |
| Zaha Wolfe |
| Suren Aghajanyan |
| Jeff Colella |
Festival benefactor · $250 and more
| Marius and Alina Popa |
| Ciprian and Maria Gerea |
| Nick Voicu |
| Claudiu and Laura Diaconu |
| Ioana and Cristi Pop |
| Isabella Fu and Radu Palanca |
| Tudor and Otilia Baraboi |
| Roxana Teodorescu |
| Ioana and Doru Nica |
| Nicoleta and Andrei Zlati |
| James Augerot and Ileana Marin |
| Luana and Marian Stanescu |
| Irina and Iulian Calinov |
| Ionut Gusu |
Festival supporter · $100 and more
| Ligia Cicos |
| Smaranda Lieuallen |
| Cristian and Ana Maria Ilac |
| Alexandra Dorca - In memory of Alexandru Dorca |
| Monica Boris |
| Elena and Adrian Fanaru |
| Elizabeta and Adrian Iliescu |
| Elena Apreutesei |
| Valentina and Petru Moldovanu |
| Camelia and Ciprian Clinciu |
| The Schowengerdt-Kuzmany family |
| Liliana and Dragos Sambotin |
| Helene Kaplan |
| Gino and Cristina Sega |
| Ionela Popescu |
| Nora Chiran |
| Edward C. Blau |
| Steve Kaye |
| Tomasz Bialon |
| Nadia and Willy Schmieder |
| Katalin Molnar |
| Oana Zayic |
| Gina Popa |
Festival friend · $50 and more
| Carmen and Bogdan Rautu |
| Michele Anciaux Aoki |
| Claudia and Daniel Pravat |
| Anca and Catalin Zaharia |
| Tudor and Adina Trufinescu |
| Monica Ene-Pietrosanu |
| Georgiana Lucache |
| George Roth |
| Magda Nica |
| Andrew Heffron |
| Cristian Petculescu |
| Oana Stepan |
Special thanks · $25 and more
| Gigel Avram |
| Daniela Ivanova-Nyberg |
| Cristina Amaral |
| Mihai Lehene |
| Adriana Cordali |
| Tatiana Chihai |
| Marina Shadeck |
Many thanks · $10 and more
| Marius Ra |
| Sriram Krishnaswamy |
| Luciana Lallaizon |