Tatiana, an unemployed woman, spends her days selling her personal things in order to survive. Today she has an important deadline and she might end up selling a piece of her body in order to keep a roof over her head.
“Inspired by an event I witnessed a few years ago in which a woman was weighing a ponytail in a supermarket, this film shows a desperate act of somebody trying to raise enough money in order to keep a roof over their head. Although it’s a desperate situation, we also need to be aware of the absurd side of it. The crossing of the city to find the money becomes a sort of gold rush sprinkled with ads of various money-making methods. Alișveriș is a word of Turkish origin, meaning both bargaining, trade, successful business, but also a mixture. I considered it appropriate, because in relation to the two meanings, it encapsulates both the story of the film (with a slight bitterness, admittedly), but also its visual part, a melange of mediums and forms”, Vasile Todinca said in a statement.
The main cast includes Florentina Năstase, Ilinca Manolache, Gabriel Spahiu and Cătălina Romaneț.
The film is produced by Diana Caravia and Ada Solomon for microFILM and HiFilm Production. Carmen Rizac of Avanpost is the coproducer.
Acclaimed cinematographer Marius Panduru, known for his work with Radu Jude, lensed the film.
Italian The Open Reel is handling the international sales of Alișveriș and you can contact them This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Vasile Todinca studied acting and directing at the Babeș-Bolyai University, where he was mentored by Radu Jude. He directed the short film Try Again (2018) as part of his university degree, which was selected for Transilvania IFF and received the Best Script award at OKaua Festival (Romania), and the short film Jackpot (2024), co-directed with Vlad Popa, which was selected for Tallinn Black Nights IFF.
Click HERE to watch the trailer.