Romanian Film Festival at San Francisco State University, Coppola Theatre – November 6 – 7. 2015.

November is about great films from Central Europe at SFSU! This year our Hungarian Film Festival will be complemented by a Romanian Film Festival the weekend before. Moderated in part by our very own Steven Kovacs. Romanian films at San Francisco State Univ., Coppola Theater, Fine Arts building room 101, Friday, November 6, 4:00pm to 10:30pm and Saturday, November 7th, 9am to 8pm. OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, free event. Presented by Professor Steve Kovacs and Florentina Mocanu-Schendel.

— Friday, November 6, 2015 —

4:00-4:30–Introduction

4:30–6:30 — ALIYAH DADA by Oana Giurgiu, documentary, Romania, 2015

6:30-7:00–Welcome by Dana Beidlman, Honorary Consul of Romania, and Q&A with director Oana Giurgiu

7:00-7:45–Dinner/Reception

7:45-9:30–Q.E.D. by Andrei Gruzsniczki, drama, Romania, 2013

9:30-10:00–Q&A with director Andrei Gruzsniczki

— Saturday, November 7, 2015 —

9:00 – 11:15 — CHILD’S POSE by Calin Peter Netzer, drama, Romania, 2013

11:30-1:15–CRULIC–THE PATH TO BEYOND by Anca Damian, documentary, Romania and Poland, 2011

1:15–2:15–Lunch

2:15–3:45–WAITING FOR AUGUST by Teodora Ana Mihai, documentary, Belgium, 2014

3:45–4:30 — 
Q&A with director Teodora Ana Mihai

4:30–5:00–Discussion and Summary

5:00 – 7:00–THE Happiest Girl in the World by Radu Jude, comedy, Romania and Netherlands, 2009

Films

Q.E.D. by Andrei Gruzsniczki
drama, Romania, 2013, 107′
with Sorin Leoveanu, Ofelia Popii, Florin Piersic Jr., Virgil Ogăşanu, Tora Vasilescu, Marc Titieni, screenplay Andrei Gruzsniczki, cinematography Vivi Dragan Vasile, producer Velvet Moraru

In 1984, a brilliant mathematician, his best friend’s wife, and the secret police agent who’s tracking them both are drawn together in this tense story of paranoia and betrayal. The palette is black and white, but the issues explored are anything but. (trailer)
Special Prize, Rome Film Festival, 2013
A New Directors/New Films 2014 selection

CHILD’S POSE by Calin Peter Netzer
drama, Romania, 2013, 112′
with Luminita Gheorghiu, Bogdan Dumitrache, Ilinca Goia, Natasa Raab, Vlad Ivanov, screenplay Calin Peter Netzer & Răzvan Rădulescu, cinematography Andrei Butica, producer Calin Peter Netzer, Ada Solomon

Romanian director Calin Peter Netzer won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival for this sardonic tale about a wealthy, aging Bucharest matriarch who greases more palms than she can shake as she tries to buy her son’s way out of a hit-and-run conviction. (trailer)
Golden Bear, Berlinale, Berlin International Film Festival, 2013
Telia Film Award, Stockholm International Film Festival, 2013
Official submission of Romania to the Oscars 2014, Best Foreign Language Film category.

THE HAPPIEST GIRL IN THE WORLD by Radu Jude
comedy, Romania, Netherlands, 2009, 100′
with Andreaa Bosneag, Vasile Muraru, Serban Pavlu, Adi Vasluianu, screenplay Radu Jude & Augustina Stanciu, cinematograpy Marius Panduru, producer Ada Solomon

Delia, a teenage girl, comes to Bucharest with her parents to claim the prize she has won in a soft drink contest – a brand new car – and to shoot a commercial. Everything seems fine until it becomes clear that Delia and her parents have different views on what they should do with the car. (trailer)

WAITING FOR AUGUST by Teodora Ana Mihai
documentary, Belgium, 2014, 88′
screenplay Teodora Ana Mihai, cinematographers Mihnea Popescu & Joachim Philippe, producers Hanne Phlypo & Antoine Vermeesch

Seven children are living alone in a social house in Bacău. Their mother, who left to work in Italy, is only digitally present by phone or Skype, while the children are looking forward for her return in August. Until then, Georgiana, the older sister, has to be the head of the household at only 15 years old. Torn between adolescent life and teenage issues and caring for her siblings, the film depicts Georgiana’s struggles and the fragility of the family balance. (trailer)
Best International Feature Documentary, Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, 2014
Best Long Documentary Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, 2014

ALIYAH DADA by Oana Giurgiu
documentary, Romania, 2015, 123′
screenplay Oana Giurgiu, cinematography Mihai Tanase, producer Tudor Giurgiu

Following the 130 years of history of the Romanian Jewry’s emigration to the Holy Land, the film reassembles moments from Eastern European and Israeli history through stories and playful collages that celebrate the art of Tristan Tzara, the famous Jewish-Romanian French avant-garde artist, born in the same town from where first Jews emigrated to Palestine in 1882… (trailer)

CRULIC – THE PATH TO BEYOND by Anca Damian
documentary, Romania, Poland, 2011, 73′
screenplay Anca Damian, animation Dan Panaitescu, Raluca Popa, Dragos Stefan, Roxana Bentu, Tuliu Oltean, producer Anca Damian

The animated feature-length “Crulic – The Path to Beyond” tells the story of the life of Crulic, the 33 years old Romanian who died in a Polish prison while making hunger strike. Romanian actor Vlad Ivanov provides the first-person voice-over narration from the point of view of the victim. (trailer)
Best Feature, Annecy International Animated Film Festival, 2012
Special Prize of the Jury, Istanbul International Film Festival

Map: http://www.sfsu.edu/~sfsumap/southeast.htm