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17-03-2015

Aferim! With Best Domestic Opening in 13 Years

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    Aferim! premiere Aferim! premiere credit: Adi Marineci

    BUCHAREST: Radu Jude's third feature, Aferim! opened in Romania on 13 March selling 20,039 tickets in the first weekend and beating the record set in 2013 by Calin Peter Netzer's Child's Pose produced by Parada Film with 19,729 admissions. Jude’s film thus had the most successful opening for a domestic film in the last 13 years.

    Aferim! cashed in 58,500 EUR/ 257,404 RON. The reason for the audience's curiosity is not only the Silver Bear for Best Director received by Jude in Berlin, but also the fact that the film deals with the sensitive issue of the gypsy minority, placing it in 1835 when gypsies were still slaves.

    Micro Film and Parada Film released Aferim! in approximately 30 towns and the team is promoting it throughout the country. Tudor Giurgiu’s political drama Why Me? produced by Libra Film had set an opening and box office record no longer than two weeks ago. Released by Transilvania Film in more than 25 towns on 27 February 2015, it had 14,983 admissions in its first weekend cashing in 50,538 EUR / 222,369 RON.

    By comparison Răzvan Săvescu’s debut feature, the comedy America, Here We Come!/America,venim! produced by Libra Film racked up 14,257 admissions and had 29,594 EUR/130,342 RON gross in its first weekend in 2014, more than Cristina Iacob’s youth comedy #Selfie by Zazu Film, the biggest hit of 2014, which sold 12,648 tickets and cashed in 47,184 EUR/207,814 RON in the first weekend.

    Both Aferim! and Child's Pose were produced by Ada Solomon, but through different production companies. Aferim! was produced by Romania's Hi Film in coproduction with Bulgaria's Klas Film, Endorfilm from the Czech Republic and Romania's Mulberry Development.