08-12-2009

Record of Romanian debuts in 2010

By Iulia Blaga

    Romania anticipates a record year (post-1990) for debut films in 2010, with nine first features among the 17 scheduled for release. The majority of those films are coproductions.

    Some of this debuts were expected to open in fall 2009, some are now being completed, and others are shooting or in postproduction.

    The list includes First of All, Felicia/ Felicia, înainte de toate, by Răzvan Rădulescu (Romanian-French-Belgian-Croatian coproduction), Portrait of the Fighter as a Young Man/Portretul luptătorului la tinereţe by Constantin Popescu, Mar Nero, by Federico Biondi (Italian-French-Romanian coproduction), The Childhood of Icarus/Copilăria lui Icar, by Alexandru Iordăchescu (Romanian-Swiss coproduction), Outskirts/Periferic, by Bogdan George Apetri (Romanian-Austrian coproduction), The Phantom Father/Tatăl fantomă, by Lucian Georgescu (Romanian-German coproduction), If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle/Eu când vreau să fluier, fluier, by Florin Şerban (Romanian-Swedish coproduction), Morgen, by Marian Crişan (Romanian-French-Hungarian coproduction) and Somewhere in Palilula/Undeva la Palilula, by Silviu Purcărete.

    Four films are second features - Medal of Honour/Medalia de onoare, by Călin Netzer (Romanian-German coproduction), Principles of Life/Principii de viaţă, by Constantin Popescu, Kino Caravan/Caravana cinematografică, by Titus Muntean (Romanian-German coproduction), and Wedding in Basarabia/Nuntă în Basarabia, by Nap Toader (Napoleon Helmis), a coproduction between Romania, Moldavia and Luxembourg.

    The third features of Cristi Puiu (Aurora, Romanian-Swiss-French-German coproduction) and Radu Muntean (Tuesday, after Christman/Marţi, după Crăciun) are also expected. The only features from veteran filmmakers are Poker, the second comedy of the popular filmmaker Sergiu Nicolaescu, and Tanti, by Şerban Marinescu.

    Since no grant session was organized in 2009, the number of premieres is expected to be smaller in 2011.