Romania 2011 Country Profile

BUCHAREST: The Romanian domestic film industry remained steady in 2011, while coproductions and foreign films were on the rise. The foreign interest in the Romanian films continues and national films again received numerous prizes in festivals and attracted distribution internationally, while new festivals emerged inside the borders. Despite the regulation that there be two calls for grants, in 2011 there was just one session of the production grant contest organized by the National Centre for Cinema (www.cncinema.abt.ro). However, many co-productions were shot in Romania in 2011 as well as foreign productions, including Ghost Rider 2: Spirit of Vengeance the biggest American film shot in Romania since Cold Mountain (2002).

BOX OFFICE

A total of 20 Romanian features hit the local screens in 2011 (they were 19 in 2010 and 16 in 2009), some of them postponed from 2010. From the list expected at the beginning of the year, just four films have been postponed their 2011 release date: Dan Chişu's Şi caii sunt verzi pe pereţi /The Horses Are Green on the Wall; Silviu Purcărete's Undeva la Palilula /Somewhere in Palilula; Bogdan Iuga's animated feature Micul spartan /The Little Spartan; and Lucian Georgescu's Tatăl fantomă /The Phantom Father.

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Romanian Grants procedure

The grants contest in Romania takes place twice a year, following the Government's Ordinance No.39/2005 and the contest regulations approved by the Minister of Culture and National Trust by Decree No.2335/2006. The main body for film and film financing is the National Centre for Cinema/ Centrul National al Cinematografiei (4-6  Dem. I. Dobrescu street, Sector 1, Bucuresti 010026, Romania, Phone:+4.21. 310.43.01, Fax:+4.21 3104300, www.cncinema.abt.ro, cnc@cncinema.ro).

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FNE at DISCOP Budapest 2011: Romania

BUCHAREST: MediaPro Pictures (www.mediapropictures.com), the Romanian-based production arm of Central European Media Enterprises (CME), is leading the way in exporting original content from Central and Eastern Europe. Thus far, 11 original formats produced by MediaPro Pictures for Romanian commercial channels Pro TV (www.protv.ro) and Acasă TV (www.acasatv.ro) have been sold by MediaPro Distribution (www.mediaprodistribution.com).

Among them are the telenovellas In the Name of Honor/Iubire si onoare, Gypsy Heart/Inimă de ţigan, Only Love/Numai iubirea and Little Angels/Îngeraşii. This is a major achievement for local TV channels, with Romania seen as a relative newcomer in a very competitive market. "If an original program is successful in Romania, chances are it might find buyers abroad," said Anca Budinschi, Head of Television Pro TV SA. She added, "Although there are many original formats, it is not that easy to sell them, given the fact that they need to be adapted locally."

FNE 2010 Year in Review: Romania Secures its Place on the Cinema Map 

Romanian filmmakers were the stars of 2010, while TV saw growth and administrative changes, all of which set the stage for future success.