Romanian Film Festival

Crossing Dates (Intalniri incrucisate)

Romania-Finland, 2009 (Drama, 100 min)
Directed by Anca Damian
Screenplay: Anca Damian
Cinematography: Liviu Marghidan
Cast: Mimi Branescu, Oxana Moravec, Matti Ristinen, Andi Vasluianu, Marius Chivu, Doru Boguta, Diana Cavaliotti

"An intelligent script is the key selling point of "Crossing Dates," a relay drama that offers multiple viewpoints" (Jay Weissberg, Variety) Read synopsis

-Day Bar and Other Stories (Bar de zi si alte povestiri)

Romania, 2007 (Documentary, 57 min)
Directed by Corina Radu
Screenplay: Corina Radu
Cinematography: Dragan S. Nikolic

"The modest entrance into a day bar becomes, in fact, a doorway to an intense, passionate and delightful world; a deep reflection on human nature and destiny." (ICR, New York)  Read synopsis

Tache (Tache)

Romania, 2008 (Comedy, 76 min)
Directed by Igor Cobileanski
Screenplay: Mara Nicolescu
Cinematography: Dan Alexandru
Cast: Mircea Diaconu, Constantin Draganescu, Gabriel Radu, Mara Nicolescu, Gabriel Spahiu, Bogdan Cotlet

"It’s a film to make one laugh, says Cobileanski in an interview, meaning that it’s easier to make your audience cry than provoke laughter." (Mihai Chirilov, www.tiff.ro - Transilvania IFF's official website). Read synopsis

Sequences (Secvente)

Romania, 1982 (Drama, 98 min)
Directed by Alexandru Tatos
Screenplay: Alexandru Tatos
Cinematography: Florin Mihailescu
Cast: Geo Barton, Mircea Diaconu, Emilia Dobrin-Besoiu, Ion Valcu, Alexandru Tatos, Dragos Paslaru, Florin Mihailescu

“Mr. Tatos draws our attention to the movie maker's techniques, shooting from darkened areas into lighted ones and keeping up the hum of sounds off screen, never letting us forget the artifice of it all. Now and then, the extras take time out from their argument to taste and criticize the food on their plates. Present unreality becomes more real than past reality”. (Walter Goodman, New York Times)  Read synopsis

Elevator (Elevator)

Romania, 2008 (Drama, 85 min)
Directed by George Dorobantu
Screenplay: Gabriel Pintilei
Cinematography: George Dorobantu
Cast: Cristi Petrescu, Iulia Verdes

"The event of the year in Romanian cinema" (Tudor Caranfil, film critic)

"What this beautiful dying couple goes through in 85 minutes would take most people 30 years (and several divorces) to live through. Elevator evokes Gus Van Sant's Gerry (despite using the opposite device of confined space rather then open desert), and even his Last Days in its glorious final sequence." (Fabien Baumann, Positif) Read synopsis

Short Films:

-Waves (Valuri)

Romania, 2007 (Short, Drama, 16 min)
Directed by Adrian Sitaru
Screenplay: Adrian Sitaru
Cast: Sergiu Costache, Karen Wallet, Bors Roberto, Adrian Titieni, Clara Voda
Read synopsis

-Megatron (Megatron)

Romania, 2008 (Short, 15 min)
Directed by Marian Crisan
Screenplay: Marian Crisan
Cast: Gabriela Crisu, Maxim Strinu, Damian Oancea, Erwin Simsinsohn
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-A Good Day for a Swim (O zi buna de plaja)

Romania, 2008 (Short, Drama, 10 min)
Directed by Bogdan Mustata
Screenplay: Catalin Mitulescu
Cinematography: Barbu Balasoiu
Cast: Florin Sinescu, Okan Kaya, George Hoffman, Cerasela Iosifescu, Marian Ghenea
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-Alexandra (Alexandra)

Romania, 2008 (Short, 25 min)
Directed by Radu Jude
Screenplay: Andrei Butica, Radu Jude
Cinematography: Andrei Butica
Cast: Serbian Pavlu, Alexandra Pascu, Gabriel Spahiu
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-Mr. G’s Fear (Frica domnului G)

Romania, 2006 (Short, Experimental, 20 min)
Directed by Adina Pintilie
Screenplay: Adina Pintilie
Cinematography: Marius Iacob, Cristian Turcanu
Cast: Doru Ana, Richard Bovnoczki
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Exchange (Schimb valutar)

Romania, 2008 (Drama, 98 min)
Directed by Nicolae Margineanu
Screenplay: Tudor Voican after an idea of Catalin Cocris
Cinematography: Mihai Sarbusca
Cast: Cosmin Selesi, Aliona Munteanu, Andi Vasluianu, Rodica Ionescu, Valentin Uritescu

"This is a film about the victims of the transition [from socialism to present-day capitalism, following the 1989 regime change in Romania], a drama, but narrated with much humor" (Nicolae Margineanu, Director)

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ANNOUNCING

Wisconsin Film Festival - April 2-5 2009

The full film program and schedule will be posted online early March.  TICKETS will be available starting the first week of March 2009. These are sold through the festival's website and at their box office location in the Memorial Union, 800 Langdon St., Madison, Wisconsin.