This year’s edition of the Ceau, Cinema! Festival will take place between July 15-18, in Timisoara, at the Capitol Summer Garden, and at Faber.

Since most Romanian films could not reach the public last year due to the closure of cinemas, the festival organizers decided that the main theme of the edition should be the Romanian film itself, under the motto Film’s Not Dead. Moreover, many of the filmmakers participating in the competition are at the beginning of their careers.

“By selecting in competition six films made by emerging directors, Ceau, Cinema! seeks to support the young Romanian cinema, severely affected by the crisis. We wanted a balance between fiction films and documentaries as a way to celebrate the great period Romanian documentary has had of late. We also considered the independent cultural sector in Timisoara, so we invited three of its most active representatives to be part of the jury”, stated the organizers.

The festival selection includes titles such as Mia Misses Her Revenge (dir. Bogdan Theodor Olteanu), the opening film of this year’s edition, Otto the Barbarian, Ruxandra Ghițescu’s feature debut, Spiral (dir. Cecilia Felméri), ​​Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn (dir. Radu Jude) – the Golden Bear at this year’s Berlinale.

According to the organizers, “although there’s still a lot of uncertainty around due to the ongoing pandemic and the unreliable funding programmes, we decided to organize a new limited edition of the festival. We want it to be an edition that inspires optimism and comes as a chance for a reboot. Therefore, we will focus on the young and emerging Romanian cinema. Inspired by the film Otto the Barbarian, but also by other titles in the program that are soon to be announced, we set out for a more punk edition, to show that Film’s Not Dead.”

Ceau, Cinema! also brings to the public several important documentaries such as Wood (dir. Monica Lăzurean-Gorgan, Michaela Kirst, and Ebba Sinzinger), Holy Father (dir. Andrei Dăscălescu), The Exist of the Trains (dir. Radu Jude), The Certainty of Probabilities (dir. Raluca Durbacă), and Swamp City (dir. Ovidiu Zimcea, Bogdan Pușlenghea)–- presented in premiere. Among the festival’s special guests are young documentary directors Andra Tarara (Us Against Us), Tudor Platon (House of Dolls), and Alina Manolache (Lost Kids on the Beach).

The recipient of the “Răzvan Georgescu” Trophy, offered by Vitas Romania, will be decided by three representatives of the independent cultural sector in Timișoara: Christine Cizmaş (co-founder and actor at “Auăleu”), Răzvan Cornici (member of the artist collective “Balamuc / loc de joacă și altele”), and Raluca Selejan (co-founder of the “La Două Bufniţe” Bookstore).

Film workshop for young people, organized by the Contrasens Association and the Ceau, Cinema! Festival

A special event of this year’s edition is the production, acting and directing workshop held during the festival by three professionals in the field – producer Anda Ionescu, actress Ioana Bugarin, and director Andrei Dăscălescu. Participation is free. To register, fill out the form available on the festival website.

The Ceau, Cinema! Festival will take place between July 15-18. For more info, visit the official website and Facebook page.

Melissa Antonescu

Writer, photographer and videographer. For Films in Frame she writes news about the latest happenings in the film world and brings to the readers' attention the productions that can be seen at the cinema. When she's not writing articles, she's photographing people in a small studio or searching for new cake recipes.