Romanian Film Festival in London – 4th edition, 26-29 April 2007 Curzon Mayfair, 38 Curzon Street, London W1J 7TY Tickets: £10.00/£7.00 concessions You can book in person, online at http://www.curzoncinemas.com or by phone 0870 756 4621 (a £1.25 booking fee applies to phone bookings only) ‘Why this title?’ you might ask. In short, we have chosen this name because we believe that the concept of the Festival – Past Imperfect, Future Continuous – plays on the strengths and weaknesses of modern Romania. One could say that that single line is a synopsis of the country’s history. We all know what our imperfect past was – communist dictatorship. After 1989, Romania entered years of transition, a transition that hasn’t ended and still has no clear end in sight. Only the entry into the EU has managed to bring a sense of timing to this problem. This is our ‘future continuous’. The film directors in this festival try to make various pieces of the puzzle fall into place. Our festival aims to present an image of Romania which is unknown in the UK. At the core of this year’s programme are a number of daring, irreverent, often hilarious takes on Romania’s past imperfect. Many of the film-makers included in the programme invite a meditation on the uses of imagery in the construction of an idea of history and historical consciousness. Some of them touch on the production of historical memory, and on the collisions and collusions among individual and collective memories. Past Imperfect, Future Continuous is an invitation to see some of the best Romanian films of recent years.

Programme:

Thursday 26 April

18.00 Gala night reception; followed by welcome speeches 19.00 Ion Ratiu - The Man Behind the Bow Tie (documentary) 12:08 East of Bucharest (this film will be released by Artificial Eye in selected cinemas nationwide on 21 September 2007) Q&A session (with the participation of film director Corneliu Porumboiu)

Friday 27 April

18.30 The Paper Will Be Blue Q&A session (with the participation of film director Radu Muntean)

Saturday 28 April

16.00 The Tube with a Hat (short film) Love Sick Q&A session 18.30 Paul Neagu - Heart of the Tornado (documentary), preceded by a short introduction about artist Paul Neagu (with the participation of film directors Laurentiu & Agnieszka Garofeanu) The Great Communist Bank Robbery (documentary) Q&A session

Sunday 29 April

16.10 Shorts programme: Marilena from P7 C Block Story, preceded by a short introduction about director Cristian Nemescu Tertium Non Datur 18.30 The Way I Spent the End of the World Q&A session (with the participation of film director Catalin Mitulescu) Closing night reception “This admirable festival suggests an industry very much in the ascendancy” David Parkinson, Empire on-line, http://www.empireonline.com/festivalsandseasons/main.asp?FID=247 For full introduction to the Festival, full programme, outlines of the films, critique and other details, please access the Festival’s website on http://www.romanianculturalcentre.org.uk/filmfestival/2007 Organisers: The Romanian Cultural Centre in London, The Ratiu Foundation UK, The National Centre of Cinematography (CNC) in Bucharest, Embassy of Romania in the UK, Curzon Cinemas With the kind support of The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Artificial Eye, RH Printing, Pro Patrimonio Sponsors: Pilon Ltd, IC Romania Ltd, Prodan Romanian Cultural Foundation, Cotnari Wines Media partners: Romani Online UK (http://www.romani-online.co.uk), Diaspora Romaneasca newspaper We are looking forward to seeing you at the Festival, and hope that you will enjoy the films.