Romanian Film Before and After 1989

Romanian Cinema

For some time the press has been raving about a new generation of Romanian filmmakers. Although they themselves try to avoid such labels and don’t form part of any movement, their work does share a series of common features.

The most outstanding characteristic of this new Romanian cinema is its almost documentary-life realism and direct narrative style. Until December 1989, Romania was under the harsh communist regime of Nicolae Ceausescu and filmmakers had to include educational values supporting the regime, employ convoluted metaphors or shoot escapists productions.

Directors such as Mungiu and Puiu decided to become filmmakers in response to these kinds of productions. Their biting work is not a direct, explicit criticism of the previous regime, though; films like 4 luni, 3 saptamâni si 2 zile aim to understand what was happening at the time. In these films, the last thirty years in Romania are dissected realistically with the odd dash of black humour.

To better understand young Romanian Cinema, l'Alterntiva offers a roundtable where Romanian professionals and creative minds will explain the origins, cultural references and the development of this area of cinematography.

Films

California Dreamin' (nesfârşit) (California Dreamin' (unfinished))
Cristian Nemescu (Romania)

Cea mai fericită fată din lume (The Happiest Girl in the World)
Radu Jude (Romania)

Hârtia va fi albastră (The Paper Will Be Blue)
Radu Muntean (Romania)

Moartea domnului Lăzărescu (The Death of Mr Lăzărescu)
Cristi Puiu (Romania)

Pas în doi (Pasodoble)
Dan Piţa (Romania)

Reconstituirea (Reenactment)
Lucian Pintilie (Romania)

Secvenţe (Sequences)
Alexandru Tatos (Romania)