Just as usual, DaKINO brings this year, too, in premiere in Romania, internationally well-known films, such as If Beale Street Could Talk (directed by Barry Jenkins), Stan & Ollie (directed by John S. Baird), On Her Shoulders (directed by Alexandria Bombach). There will also be a screening of the film The Distance Between Me and You (directed by Mona Nicoară), followed by a Q&A with Mona Nicoară and Dana Bunescu.

The DaKINO 2019 competition features a selection of 18 international fiction and animation shorts selected by film critics Ionuţ Mareş, Cristi Mărculescu and George Mihalcea. These include:

Ave Eva (Greece, 2018) directed by Oliwia Twardowska: Ave Eve is the story of a little girl who, one night, catches her parents making love. Seeing the unusual scene, Eva is shocked. After learning from school colleagues what sex really is, her anxiety increases. Terrified by the idea of a new family member, Eva develops her first obsession, clouding her mind and distorting her reality.

Beyond Money (Spain, 2018) directed by Kike Maíllo: In a near future where people can sell and buy experiences stored in their memory, we meet Lucía, a young and wealthy woman who apparently lives the life we all wish to have.

Butterfly & Mouse (Bulgaria, 2019) directed by Mira Yankova: People often say, “This man has a heart of a lion, and that one – of a rabbit”. Some people hide lions in their chests, others – rabbits, and others – mice. There are also those who wouldn’t dare to meet the animal of their inner spirit.

What could happen to someone who is so afraid of finding out what is following him?

Silence (Romania, 2018) directed by Alex Iureș: Two siblings who haven’t seen each other in a long time, meet now to fix the details of their mother’s funeral. Their mother died unexpectedly as a result of a stroke. The meeting brings up suffering and accusations, untold things, and painful confessions. And one final question that remains unanswered: are they still a family? Have they ever been?

Stuck in the middle (France, 2018) directed by Denis Fleurion, Etienne Bonafini, Romain Marchetti, Cécile Minaud, Julien Adoum, Léo Nezot: Four French friends leave on a car trip in the United States. In the middle of the desert, they take a very strange hitchhiker with them. From now on, their journey will not go as well as they thought.

This year’s jury consists of Mary Kate O. Flanagan (screenwriter, Ireland) – the Jury President, Anamaria Antoci (producer), Diana Cavallioti (actress), Nuno Rodrigues (Curtas Vila do Conde curator and programmer, Portugal), and Bogdan Mureșanu (screenwriter and film director). The awards include the DaKINO 2019 Trophy for Best Short Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, the Special Jury Mentions, and the Audience Award, and the winners will be announced during the Closing Gala, on March 10th.

The 28th edition of DaKINO Film Festival will take place between March 7th-10th, 2019. Tickets can be purchased on Eventbook. For more information visit DaKINO website.

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.