Romanian Film Festival in Seattle -7th Edition

The connection between the mysterious death of the director’s grandmother and the history of the Soviet experiments in atomic gardening demands the unveiling of the Soviet agriculture policies and their health and ecological consequences. Initially encouraged, later threatened, Moldovan scientists had to engineer seeds to produce bigger crops. Combining archival footage with first-hand witnesses’ accounts, the film feels more like a mystery film than a documentary. Appreciated by film critics and the public at large, the documentary was nominated at the Astra Film Festival Award in Sibiu and at the Sarajevo Film Competition.

On Nov. 15 at 9pm PST there will be a live Q&A with the director Dragoș Turea. This talk will be LIVE on this page at that time, and will be automatically recorded and added to the end of the film playlist for later viewing. 

So… What’s freedom? is an adaptation of Ana Blandiana’s short story Past Projects. Inspired by true events, the film recreates the drama of a handful of people out of the 40,000 innocents who were deported to the huge fields of Bărăgan, a sort of no man’s land of Romania in the 1950s. A history teacher who puts his hopes in the change promised by communists, his intelligent wife who teaches French and dreams to go to Paris, a Hungarian Romanian, a German Romanian, the family of an Orthodox priest, and a former soldier have to build literally from ground up first a shack, then small adobe houses, in order to survive the harsh winters and hot summers. They trade their jewels for food and a few animals. Life goes on at a huge price but they never lose their dignity and that sets them free. The minimalistic, yet well informed script, the incredibly beautiful cinematography, excellent acting, and subtle music do not provide answers to the question in the title of the film, but suggest that the question is more important than the answer.

Join us for a live Zoom Q&A with the director Andrei Zinca who will tell us more about his film So, What Is Freedom? The Q&A is live on Nov. 21 at 7:30pm PST; watch the film any time Nov. 13–22.

Reserve your ticket to So, What Is Freedom and mark your calendar for the Q&A at https://watch.eventive.org/.../play/5f86229bffe1d1006200ca2b

Please note: this film program is available only to viewers in the United States.

The inspiring boxing story of the Roma single mother Ali follows her challenges both in Romania and in Germany. With the heart of a lioness, Ali is proud, doesn‘t complain, and works herself to the bone for her two children, Esmeralda and Mateo. She becomes a cleaner in Hamburg‘s famous „Ritze“ underground club, where she soon starts training with the owner of the club, former boxer. Recalling training with her father, she regains confidence in her boxing skills. Fully equipped and disappointed by life, Ali vents her fury on the punching bag as she hopes for a chance of a better life. Alina Serban received the Best Leading Actress Award for her role as Ali, and Tobias Moretti received the Best Supporting Actor for his role as Tanne from the German Screen Actors organization. Gipsy Queen won the Best Film Award at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival where Alina Serban also won the Best Actress Award.

On Nov. 21 at 11am PST there will be a live Q&A with the director and actress Alina Serban. This talk will be LIVE on this page at that time, and will be automatically recorded and added to the end of the film playlist for later viewing. 

Marona is a little dog who survives a car accident and recalls all her masters she loved unconditionally. Beautifully told and colorfully drawn, this animation presents ordinary episodes in a life of a pet from the pet’s point of view, imagining, or rather revealing, what animals go through in a world controlled by humans. Selected at numerous festivals, Marona’s Fantastic Tale won the Best Animated Feature at the Bucheon International Animation Film Festival, the Dublin Film Critics’ Special Jury Prize, the Audience Award at Gijon, and the Grand Prize at the Tokyo Anime Award.

On Nov. 22 at 11am PST there will be a live discussion on this animation film. This talk will be LIVE on this page at that time, and will be automatically recorded and added to the end of the film playlist for later viewing. 

In the household of a wealthy Romanian noblewoman in 1855, Maria, a Roma-Gipsy slave, fights to obtain freedom for her son Dinca. Based on a true story of a Roma mother and son whose life changed the course of Romanian history by bringing about the abolition of slavery sooner. Part of a future full-length project, the short film presents a day in the household in which Maria and her son, Dinca, serve as slaves. As important guests arrive for dinner and all the slaves are making preparations, Maria and her son see this day as a chance to take a step to change their fate. During slavery time, up until 1856, the Romanian equivalent of the word “forgiveness” was used when referring to freeing someone from slavery (the Roma slave was “forgiven” from slavery).

On Nov. 21 at 11am PST there will be a live Q&A with the director and actress Alina Serban. This talk will be LIVE on this page at that time, and will be automatically recorded and added to the end of the film playlist for later viewing. 

Recording the life of a family with 9 children, who lived in a shack in the Delta Văcăresti in Bucharest with no electricity and running water, the documentary raises questions about nature and civilization, individuals’ freedom and society rules, happiness and the standard of living. Radu Ciorniciuc's debut documentary received several international awards among which:  the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Cinematography at the Sundance Film Festival 2020, the Special Jury Award at the Thessaloniki Film Festival, the Human Rights Award at Sarajevo Film Festival 2020, the Golden Horn at Krakow International Film Festival 2020 and the Big Stamp at the International Documentary Film Festival ZagrebDox 2020.  The documentary is also part of the EFA Documentary Selection 2020, consisting of 13 films recommended to The European Film Academy Members for a nomination for the 33rd European Film Awards.

UiPath Foundation is the main partner of Acasă, My Home.

On Nov. 14 at 11am PST there will be a live Q&A with director Radu Ciorniciuc, and UiPath Foundation Executive Director, Raluca Negulescu-Balaci. This talk will be LIVE on this page at that time, and will be automatically recorded and added to the end of the film playlist for later viewing. 

The discussion will focus on equal opportunities and education for children from vulnerable areas. UiPath Foundation aims to amplify the powerful message of the documentary and to generate dialogue that fosters systemic changes necessary to support, in the long term, unprivileged children and their families across Romania and India.

A sincere and psychologically accurate examination of a teenager’s feelings ranging from grief and sadness to love and happiness, Ruxandra Ghițescu’s debut film lets the camera follow Otto’s wanderings as he tries to cope with his girlfriend’s suicide. Impeccably acted by a father and son both in the film and real life—Adrian and Marc Titieni—as well as Ioana Flora playing the victim’s mother, and Ioana Bugarin playing Laura, Otto’s girlfriend, the film is a coming-of-age story with an incredibly good press even though it had the world premiere only a couple of months ago at the Sarajevo Film Festival. 

On Nov. 2o at 9pm PST there will be a live Q&A with the director Ruxandra Ghițescu. This talk will be LIVE on this page at that time, and will be automatically recorded and added to the end of the film playlist for later viewing. 

Cristi Puiu’s most recent film is a three-in-one project: it is an adaptation of Vladimir Solovyov’s Three Conversations, a period drama beautifully recreating the turn of the twentieth century, and a philosophical symposium. Divided in 6 parts—one for each protagonist—this study of the well-mannered, yet intellectually fierce and, at times, condescending, theoretical debates, present a “slice of life” that froze in its eternal futility. Only years before WWI, in an aristocratic manor somewhere in Transylvania, the wealthy businessman Edouard, the landowner Nikolai, the young and naïve Olga, the mature and ironic Madeleine, Ingrida—the wife of a Russian general—and the butler Istvan exchange ideas on war and peace, good and evil, religion, identity, and politics. Malmkrog is a grand feast for the eye as it is for the mind: the abundance of visual details is matched by the dialogue packed with hard concepts. Winner of the Encounters Award for the Best Director at Berlin Film Festival, Cristi Puiu declared that his film is “prophetic.”

On Nov. 15 at 11am PST there will be a live Q&A with film critic Monica Filimon, author of "Cristi Puiu: Ineffable Experiences of the Profane World". This talk will be LIVE on this page at that time, and will be automatically recorded and added to the end of the film playlist for later viewing. 

An unusual love story, Olteanu’s debut feature film presents one day that leads to the breakup of a long-married couple. Reversing old clichés, the two protagonists—Dana and her husband, Artur—acknowledge the difficulty to let one another go, in spite of the fact that they both admit that there is no love between them, but only camaraderie. Questioning the reasons why couples stay together, the film is an honest portrayal of the complex ties that keep spouses together. Monsters received twenty nominations and several prizes for the best feature film at international film festivals in Romania, Bulgaria, and India, the best screenplay at Berlin, and Herceg Novi, and for the best actress in a leading role for Judith State at Gopo Awards, Romania.

Join us for a live Zoom Q&A with director Marius Olteanu, who will tell us more about his film, Monsters! The Q&A is live on Nov. 14 at 9pm PST; watch the film any time Nov. 13–22.

Reserve your ticket to Monsters and mark your calendar for the Q&A at https://watch.eventive.org/.../play/5f84f456901cc4003656fb12

Inspired by a 1981 real event—Mugur Călinescu, a high school student in a provincial city, writes graffiti messages about food shortages and lack of freedom—Jude’s film combines archival footage from Romania’s infamous secret police, old TV clips, and a cinematic recreation of Gianina Cărbunariu’s “documentary play” by the same title. Once caught, Mugur, his family, neighbors, and friends, all go through intimidation and interrogation, which break any form of resistance. Camera, like in Jude’s other films, is not simply a recording device, but a conscious witness who adds to the story its own point of view. Uppercase Print was nominated for the Best Feature Film award at IndieLisboa Independent Film festival in Portugal and at the Transilvania International Film Festival.

On Nov. 15 at 7:30pm PST there will be a live discussion with film critic Monica Filimon. This talk will be LIVE on this page at that time, and will be automatically recorded and added to the end of the film playlist for later viewing. 

Set in the mountains of Albania, the story of Besnik, a goat shepherd who takes care of a sick father, unfolds slowly as does the reclusive life of the village. Besnik’s accidental discovery of an old Roman Catholic fresco in the currently functional Mosque becomes an emblematic event both for himself and his village. Inspired by the real history of a church which has changed hands several times between Christians and Muslims for almost 600 years, the film delicately explores the relations in interfaith families, the tension between an individual’s faith and freedom, and religious tolerance, which in the end is embraced by the village. Internationally acclaimed, A Shelter among the Clouds won the Global Vision Award at San Jose, the Best Balkan Film prize at Prishtina, and the Cinema of Small Nations prize at Valletta.

On Nov. 22 at 5pm PST there will be a live discussion on this film. This talk will be LIVE on this page at that time, and will be automatically recorded and added to the end of the film playlist for later viewing. 

Join the American Romanian Cultural Society Seattle team for a virtual kick-off to the festival over Zoom! Bring your own cocktails and nibbles to the online party. 

Visit our website for details about the line-up 

For tickets and passes, visit our page on Northwest Film Forum's Eventive. 

Stay tuned for more details!
 

 

Join us for a live Zoom Q&A and discussion with director Radu Ciorniciuc and Raluca Negulescu-Balaci, Executive Director, UiPath Foundation, who will have a conversation about Acasă, My Home, and about equal opportunities for children from vulnerable areas. 

The Q&A is live on Nov. 14 at 11am PST and will be live streamed on FB; watch the film any time Nov. 13–22.

Reserve your ticket to Acasă, My Home and mark your calendar for the Q&A at 
https://bit.ly/rffs2020acasa

About the film:

Recording the life of a family with 9 children, who lived in a shack in the Delta Văcăresti in Bucharest with no electricity and running water, the documentary raises questions about nature and civilization, individuals’ freedom and society rules, happiness and the standard of living. Radu Ciorniciuc's debut documentary received several international awards among which: the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Cinematography at the Sundance Film Festival 2020, the Special Jury Award at the Thessaloniki Film Festival, the Human Rights Award at Sarajevo Film Festival 2020, the Golden Horn at Krakow International Film Festival 2020 and the Big Stamp at the International Documentary Film Festival ZagrebDox 2020. The documentary is also part of the EFA Documentary Selection 2020, consisting of 13 films recommended to The European Film Academy Members for a nomination for the 33rd European Film Awards.

UiPath Foundation is the main partner of Acasă, My Home. 

The discussion will focus on equal opportunities and education for children from vulnerable areas. UiPath Foundation aims to amplify the powerful message of the documentary and to generate dialogue that fosters systemic changes necessary to support, in the long term, unprivileged children and their families across Romania and India.

About Radu Ciorniciuc:

Radu Ciorniciuc co-founded the first independent media organization in Romania, Casa Jurnalistului. He works as a long-form writer and undercover investigative reporter, focusing on human rights, animal welfare, and environmental issues across the globe. His work has been published on Channel 4 News, the Guardian, and Al Jazeera and has received numerous international awards, including from Amnesty International, the Royal Television Society, and the Wincott Foundation.

About Raluca Negulescu-Balaci: 

Raluca Negulescu-Balaci is the Executive Director of UiPath Foundation, a global non-profit organization, founded by UiPath in January 2019, to empower underprivileged children from Romania and India to reach their potential through equal access to quality education. Previously, Raluca coordinated comprehensive educational programs under the umbrella of the Policy Center for Roma and Minorities for 9 years. In 2007, she worked as a Junior Consultant in a World Bank-supported national program, focused on enabling 250 disadvantaged communities in Romania to keep up with fast-technological challenges. In 2013, Raluca was a Legislative Fellow in the US Department of State professional program “Building grassroots democracy in minority communities” and she received the Annual Human Rights Award of the Embassy of France in Romania, for her local women empowerment initiative – Mothers' Club. Raluca is a fellow of Aspen Institute Romania’s Young Leaders Program and a member of the Global Shapers Community, an initiative of the World Economic Forum.

** All screenings in Romanian Film Festival in Seattle 2020 include a live discussion or filmmaker Q&A, available with purchase of admission to the associated film. 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. (Please note: all festival programs but the opening and closing night mixers are available only to viewers in the U.S.) **

To buy tickets for this or other programs in the festival, visit the Romanian Film Festival in Seattle Eventive page, hosted by Northwest Film Forum: 
https://watch.eventive.org/romanianfilmfestseattle2020

Join us for a live Zoom Q&A with director Marius Olteanu, who will tell us more about his film, Monsters! The Q&A is live on Nov. 14 at 9pm PST; watch the film any time Nov. 13–22.

Reserve your ticket to Monsters and mark your calendar for the Q&A at https://bit.ly/rffs2020monsters

About the film:

An unusual love story, Olteanu’s debut feature film presents one day that leads to the breakup of a long-married couple. Reversing old clichés, the two protagonists—Dana and her husband, Artur—acknowledge the difficulty to let one another go, in spite of the fact that they both admit that there is no love between them, but only camaraderie. Questioning the reasons why couples stay together, the film is an honest portrayal of the complex ties that keep spouses together. Monsters received twenty nominations and several prizes for the best feature film at international film festivals in Romania, Bulgaria, and India, the best screenplay at Berlin, and Herceg Novi, and for the best actress in a leading role for Judith State at Gopo Awards, Romania.

** All screenings in Romanian Film Festival in Seattle 2020 include a live discussion or filmmaker Q&A, available with purchase of admission to the associated film. 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. (Please note: all festival programs but the opening and closing night mixers are available only to viewers in the U.S.) **

To buy tickets for this or other programs in the festival, visit the Romanian Film Festival in Seattle Eventive page, hosted by Northwest Film Forum: 
https://watch.eventive.org/romanianfilmfestseattle2020

Join us for a live Zoom Q&A with film critic Monica Filimon, author of "Cristi Puiu: Ineffable Experiences of the Profane World". The Q&A is live on Nov. 15 at 11am PST; watch the film any time Nov. 13–22.

Reserve your ticket to Malmkrog and mark your calendar for the Q&A at https://bit.ly/rffs2020malmkrog

About Monica Filimon: 
Monica 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.

About the Film: 
Cristi Puiu’s most recent film is a three-in-one project: it is an adaptation of Vladimir Solovyov’s Three Conversations, a period drama beautifully recreating the turn of the twentieth century, and a philosophical symposium. Divided in 6 parts—one for each protagonist—this study of the well-mannered, yet intellectually fierce and, at times, condescending, theoretical debates, present a “slice of life” that froze in its eternal futility. Only years before WWI, in an aristocratic manor somewhere in Transylvania, the wealthy businessman Edouard, the landowner Nikolai, the young and naïve Olga, the mature and ironic Madeleine, Ingrida—the wife of a Russian general—and the butler Istvan exchange ideas on war and peace, good and evil, religion, identity, and politics. Malmkrog is a grand feast for the eye as it is for the mind: the abundance of visual details is matched by the dialogue packed with hard concepts. Winner of the Encounters Award for the Best Director at Berlin Film Festival, Cristi Puiu declared that his film is “prophetic.”

****All screenings in Romanian Film Festival in Seattle 2020 include a live discussion or filmmaker Q&A, available with purchase of admission to the associated film. 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. (Please note: all festival programs but the opening and closing night mixers are available only to viewers in the U.S.) ***

To buy tickets for this or other programs in the festival, visit the Romanian Film Festival in Seattle Eventive page, hosted by Northwest Film Forum: 
https://watch.eventive.org/romanianfilmfestseattle2020

Join us for a live Zoom discussion on Radu Jude's latest masterpiece Uppercase Print, with film critic Monica Filimon. The Q&A is live on Nov. 15 at 7:30pm PST; watch the film any time Nov. 13–22.

Reserve your ticket to Uppercase Print and mark your calendar for the Q&A at:  
https://bit.ly/rffs2020uppercase

About the film:

Inspired by a 1981 real event—Mugur Călinescu, a high school student in a provincial city, writes graffiti messages about food shortages and lack of freedom—Jude’s film combines archival footage from Romania’s infamous secret police, old TV clips, and a cinematic recreation of Gianina Cărbunariu’s “documentary play” by the same title. Once caught, Mugur, his family, neighbors, and friends, all go through intimidation and interrogation, which break any form of resistance. Camera, like in Jude’s other films, is not simply a recording device, but a conscious witness who adds to the story its own point of view. Uppercase Print was nominated for the Best Feature Film award at IndieLisboa Independent Film festival in Portugal and at the Transilvania International Film Festival.

About Monica Filimon:

Monica 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.

** All screenings in Romanian Film Festival in Seattle 2020 include a live discussion or filmmaker Q&A, available with purchase of admission to the associated film. 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. (Please note: all festival programs but the opening and closing night mixers are available only to viewers in the U.S.) **

To buy tickets for this or other programs in the festival, visit the Romanian Film Festival in Seattle Eventive page, hosted by Northwest Film Forum: 
https://watch.eventive.org/romanianfilmfestseattle2020

Join us for a live Q&A with the director Dragoș Turea who will tell us more about the personal story behind his documentary. The Q&A is live on Nov. 15 at 9pm PST; watch the film any time Nov. 13–22.

Reserve your ticket to The Soviet Garden and mark your calendar for the Q&A at https://bit.ly/rffs2020soviet

About The Soviet Garden

The connection between the mysterious death of the director’s grandmother and the history of the Soviet experiments in atomic gardening demands the unveiling of the Soviet agriculture policies and their health and ecological consequences. Initially encouraged, later threatened, Moldovan scientists had to engineer seeds to produce bigger crops. Combining archival footage with first-hand witnesses’ accounts, the film feels more like a mystery film than a documentary. Appreciated by film critics and the public at large, the documentary was nominated at the Astra Film Festival Award in Sibiu and at the Sarajevo Film Competition.

About Dragoș Turea

Dragoș Turea was born in Chisinau, Moldova in 1980. He graduated the Audiovisual Communication at the Academy of Theatre and Film, Bucharest. In 2006 earned his Master’s Degree in Film, at the Chisinau Academy of Music, Theatre and Arts. Dragos made his debut in cinema with his short documentary Vasile Mamaligă, which received the of the 2007 Union of Filmmakers from Moldova debut prize. Between 2007 and 2015 he worked as a producer for Publika TV, Prime TV, Jurnal TV. In 2010 he started his biggest project to date, the feature-length documentary film, The Soviet Garden.

** All screenings in Romanian Film Festival in Seattle 2020 include a live discussion or filmmaker Q&A, available with purchase of admission to the associated film. 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. (Please note: all festival programs but the opening and closing night mixers are available only to viewers in the U.S.) **

To buy tickets for this or other programs in the festival, visit the Romanian Film Festival in Seattle Eventive page, hosted by Northwest Film Forum: 
https://watch.eventive.org/romanianfilmfestseattle2020

Join us for a live discussion with director Ruxandra Ghițescu and her powerful debut film, Otto the Barbarian. The Q&A is live on Nov. 20 at 9pm PST; watch the film any time Nov. 13–22.

Reserve your ticket to Otto The Barbarian and mark your calendar for the Q&A at
https://bit.ly/rffs2020otto

About the film:

Otto the Barbarian is a sincere and psychologically accurate examination of a teenager’s feelings ranging from grief and sadness to love and happiness, Ruxandra Ghițescu’s debut film tells the story of Otto as he tries to cope with his girlfriend’s suicide.

About Ruxandra Ghițescu: 

Ruxandra Ghițescu is a Romanian visual artist and filmmaker. She is a graduate student of the Media Art School, in Karlsruhe, Germany. Ruxandra is currently working as a director on films, commercials and as a scriptwriter. She was selected to participate in Berlinale Talents in 2015, as well as in Sarajevo Talents and Transylvania Talents in 2014. Her debut feature Otto the Barbarian, a Romanian-Belgian coproduction, was part of L’Atelier de Cinefondation 2017, Berlinale Script Station 2016, CineLink Sarajevo 2016 - winner of the Macedonian Film Institute Prize, CineLink Work in Progress 2019 and premiered in 2020 at Sarajevo IFF.

** All screenings in Romanian Film Festival in Seattle 2020 include a live discussion or filmmaker Q&A, available with purchase of admission to the associated film. 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. (Please note: all festival programs but the opening and closing night mixers are available only to viewers in the U.S.) **

To buy tickets for this or other programs in the festival, visit the Romanian Film Festival in Seattle Eventive page, hosted by Northwest Film Forum: 
https://watch.eventive.org/romanianfilmfestseattle2020

 

In the 2015 tragic fire in a Bucharest club, 27 people died on one night and many more in the following weeks because of an inefficient and corrupt health system. Connecting the dots between the stories told by journalists, whistle blowers, doctors, politicians, the film allows images to speak for the suffering and the resilience of the Collective Club victims. Collective has an impressive list of awards, among which are the Best International Film at DocAviv Israel, the Grand Jury Prize at the One World International Human Rights Documentary Festival in Prague, the Documentary Award in Luxembourg, the Grand Prix at La Roche-sur-Yon and the Ulysses Award for the best documentary at Montpellier, France.

On Nov. 21 at 9pm PST there will be a live Q&A with the director Alexandru Nanau. This talk will be LIVE on this page at that time, and will be automatically recorded and added to the end of the film playlist for later viewing. 

Join us for a live Q&A with the director and actress Alina Serban (lead actress in Gipsy Queen, lead actress and director of Letter of Forgiveness). 

The Q&A is live on Nov. 21 at 11am PST; watch the film any time Nov. 13–22.

Reserve your ticket to Gipsy Queen and Letter of Forgiveness and mark your calendar for the Q&A at https://bit.ly/rffs2020gipsy

About Alina Serban: 

Alina Șerban is an independent Roma artist – award-winning actress, playwright, director and activist. Some of her most important artistic achievements are: pioneering Roma feminist political theatre in Romania and becoming the first Roma woman director to have a play included in the permanent repertoire of a state theatre in Romania. For her main role in Gipsy Queen, Alina Serban earned the Best Actress Award at the Actors Guild Awards in Germany in 2020. She also starred in Alone at My Wedding and she became the first Romanian Roma actress to participate at the Cannes International Film Festival. She won several international awards, including Best Actress. 

She made her debut in filmmaking with the short Letter of Forgiveness, the first film project about the Roma slavery, directed by a Roma. The film received a Special Mention at Transilvania International Film Festival and it is now in the international festival circuit. 

About the films: 

*Gipsy Queen (Romania, 2020) | Director: Hüseyin Tabak (Best Film Award at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival)

The inspiring story of a Roma single mother - Ali - who follows her ambition to become a boxing professional while working herself to the bone for her two children, Esmeralda and Mateo. Fully disappointed by life, Ali vents her fury on the punching bag as she hopes for a chance of a better life. 

*Letter of Forgiveness (Romania, 2020) | Director: Alina Serban

In the household of a wealthy Romanian noblewoman in 1855, Maria, a Roma-Gipsy slave, fights to obtain freedom for her son Dinca. Based on a true story of a Roma mother and son whose life changed the course of Romanian history by bringing about the abolition of slavery sooner. Part of a future full-length project, the short film presents a day in the household in which Maria and her son, Dinca, serve as slaves. During slavery time, up until 1856, the Romanian equivalent of the word “forgiveness” was used when referring to freeing someone from slavery (the Roma slave was “forgiven” from slavery).

** All screenings in Romanian Film Festival in Seattle 2020 include a live discussion or filmmaker Q&A, available with purchase of admission to the associated film. 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. (Please note: all festival programs but the opening and closing night mixers are available only to viewers in the U.S.) **

To buy tickets for this or other programs in the festival, visit the Romanian Film Festival in Seattle Eventive page, hosted by Northwest Film Forum: 
https://watch.eventive.org/romanianfilmfestseattle2020

Join us for a live Zoom Q&A with the director Andrei Zinca who will tell us more about his film So, What Is Freedom? The Q&A is live on Nov. 21 at 7:30pm PST; watch the film any time Nov. 13–22.

Reserve your ticket to So, What's Freedom? and mark your calendar for the Q&A at https://bit.ly/rffs2020freedom

About the film:
Inspired by true events, So, What's Freedom? recreates the drama of a handful of people out of the 40,000 innocents who were deported by the communist regime to the huge fields of Bărăgan, a sort of no man’s land of Romania in the 1950s. 

About Andrei Zinca: 
Andrei Zinca studied Film and TV Photography in Romania, at the Institute for Theatre and Film Arts (IATC) and Directing and Film Production at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. Before he left Romania in 1982, he contributed as a Camera Operator to 8 features. His debut as a Director/Producer happened in 1987, with “Rosa de America”, a 6 hour period TV mini-series. In 1988, Mr. Zinca moved to the U.S., where he established himself as a leading Director/Producer for the TV Hispanic U.S. and Latin American markets, with more than 1500 hours of television under his belt. In 1991 he was nominated for an Emmy Regional Award for a Special Program about Pope John-Paul II and the Vatican, which he directed and co-produced. In 2006 Mr. Zinca returned to Romania as a Line Producer for “Mirrors”, a New Regency/20th. Century Fox production. He also directed the local award winning TV series “La urgenta”. In 2013 he directed, co-wrote and co-produced “Puzzle for a Blind Man”, his first theatrical feature, awarded for best picture, script, lead actors and photography at various independent film festivals in the US. The film has been sold to various European countries, Turkey and the US. 

** All screenings in Romanian Film Festival in Seattle 2020 include a live discussion or filmmaker Q&A, available with purchase of admission to the associated film. 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. (Please note: all festival programs but the opening and closing night mixers are available only to viewers in the U.S.) **

To buy tickets for this or other programs in the festival, visit the Romanian Film Festival in Seattle Eventive page, hosted by Northwest Film Forum: 
https://watch.eventive.org/romanianfilmfestseattle2020

Raise another virtual glass with the Romanian Film Festival Seattle and Northwest Film Forum teams, as they say goodbye to another year of the festival! Share what your favorite films were this year, and discuss Romanian film and culture.

Visit our website for details about the line-up 

For tickets and passes, visit our page on Northwest Film Forum's Eventive.