Dragi prieteni, *

It is a great pleasure to introduce to you another edition of the Romanian Film Festival in London – the seventh. As many of you probably know, we started our Festival back in 2003, with the intention of showcasing the very best Romanian films, thereby raising awareness of the cinematic talent of our country. We hope and believe we have fulfilled this task successfully, and we mean to continue with this yearly event into the foreseeable future.

Through our festivals we wish to demonstrate that Romanian cinema can hold both national and international appeal. Directors such as Cristi Puiu, Cristian Mungiu, Corneliu Porumboiu, Radu Muntean, Nae Caranfil, Lucian Pintilie, Mircea Daneliuc, Stere Gulea, or the late Cristian Nemescu, whose films we have presented, have become already household names amongst film lovers.

Since last year, our small but very dedicated team of professionals in the field of cinema and cultural management have worked hard to make sure that ‘Romanian, Adjective’, the seventh edition of the Romanian Film Festival in London, will live up to your highest expectations.

We have selected some of the newest and best Romanian productions and all the films presented are showing exclusively for the first time in London. We are honoured also with an array of special guests from Romania who will attend the screenings and Q&A sessions, giving you the opportunity to meet and talk at first hand with some of the greatest names in Romanian film. And – to judge by previous editions – we always have in you the best and most dedicated audience in the field. Enjoy the Festival!

* – Dear Friends, in Romanian

Nicolae Ratiu
Chairman, Ratiu Foundation

What’s in a name?

Shakespeare’s reply – “That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet” – applies here as well. Good cinema is always good cinema, and good film-makers are always good film-makers, no matter the country they come from. I am sure you will agree this to be the case with Romanian cinema; its international success from 2000 onwards has fully demonstrated the enormous wealth of talent of our country, garnering critical acclaim and a strong contingent of fans.

You might want to ask next why this year’s edition of the Festival is called ‘Romanian, Adjective’. Here’s the dictionary definition:

ROMANIAN
–noun: 1. a native or inhabitant of Romania. 2. the Romance language of Romania, spoken also in the Republic of Moldova.
–adjective: 3. of or pertaining to Romania, its inhabitants, the language Romanian, high quality film, or film festival.

The simple answer would be that the title is in homage to the opening film, Corneliu Porumboiu’s POLICE, ADJECTIVE.

We might add that “Romanian” has an attractive ring to it when it is attached to nouns such as “Cinema” or “Director” and – by extension – to “Culture”. I like to think that if someone should ask you to characterise a film from our country, you might simply say “it’s Romanian, of course it’s good”.

I hope this short explanation satisfies you. But don’t just take my word for it: come and see the films, meet the Romanian guests in the Festival, talk to them, and make up your own mind.

Ramona Mitrica
Director, Ratiu Foundation / Romanian Cultural Centre

Seven years on and our annual showcase of new Romanian cinema doesn’t seem as exotic as it did in the beginning.

With international recognition in the bag, and notwithstanding the enormous exposure gained by Romanian directors at Cannes and Berlin film festivals, we’re happy to produce another snapshot of the country’s most exciting talents.

We will open the festival with Corneliu Porumboiu’s POLICE, ADJECTIVE – a real treat for arthouse fans, in the company of the director. Not ignoring the greats from the past, we will introduce the rarely screened subversive (and once banned) classic SAND CLIFFS in the presence of director Dan Pita and actor Victor Rebengiuc (you can also catch Rebengiuc give a terrific performance in the 2009 film MEDAL OF HONOUR, too).

Our closing night film IF I WANT TO WHISTLE, I WHISTLE,screened with lead actress Ada Condeescu in attendance, has its very own voice in comparison with the recently billed “Romanian New Wave”. This shows that the time has come for a truly diverse “Romanian Cinema”.

There will be an opportunity to learn more about this “wave” following a DocDay screening at Curzon Soho of THE NEW WAVE OF ROMANIAN CINEMA,with a panel discussion including producer Dan Burlac.

As in every year we screen short films and this time we have added a range of special events and discussions surrounding historically and politically relevant themes. So look out for these, too.

We hope you enjoy the wealth of films and look forward to seeing you at the festival.

Verena von Stackelberg
Programme Curator