November 18 and 19, 2023
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the very First Edition of a Romanian Film Festival, St Paul, MN! The theme of this year’s film festival was: “Tales of Our Destiny”.
The festival took place in person at Landmark Center, 75 West 5th street, St Paul MN 55102 on November 18th and 19th 2023. All movies were in Romanian language with English subtitles.
Ancient Greeks believed in moira, or fate. According to Greek mythology, humans can not escape their predestined, predetermined fate. At birth, each individual is visited by three Fates or goddesses who spin the thread of life and ‘give to mortals both good and evil to have’. The same belief is also found in Norse mythology, where three sisters lived underneath the world tree and wove the tapestry of fate for each person.
Romanian cinema is capturing humans as beautifully complicated creatures following the path of their inexorable, unavoidable destiny. Characters are raw, unpolished, hard to decipher under multiple layers. They are desperately trying to escape their fate, but to no avail. In a harsh environment, their entire life is convoluted, tumultuous, and hard to navigate. Romanian movies are not “feel good movies”. They are deep, uncomfortable, emotion stirring, and thought-provoking. That is why they are highly appreciated at prestigious international film festivals, such as Berlin, Venice, and Cannes.
Having a Romanian Film Festival in the Twin Cities has been a dream of HORA since its beginnings, but now it has become a reality. We aim to educate the American public about it and we hope to attract a large audience and start a tradition and have a Film Festival every year, as part of our mission to enrich Minnesota’s diverse cultural landscape by sharing Romanian culture.
Freedom (Libertate)
Saturday November 18, 1-3 pm
2023, 109’, subtitles
Followed by Q&A
In the chaotic days of the December 1989 revolution that overthrew the Communist regime, the Transylvanian city of Sibiu becomes the scene of a violent assault on a Police unit that quickly escalates into a bloody confrontation between soldiers, policemen, civilian protesters and representatives of the secret police. In a desperate attempt to escape the siege, Police captain Viorel is captured by the army and thrown into an empty swimming pool along with hundreds of prisoners accused of being terrorists.
Director Tudor Giurgiu
Member of the European Film Academy, Tudor is the founder and President of the “Transylvania International Film Festival” (TIFF), the most prestigious film-related event in Romania. His directorial debut feature “Love Sick” was selected in Panorama section of 2006 Berlinale and awarded in several int’l festivals. His short “Superman, Spiderman or Batman” (2011) won Best European
Short at the 2012 edition of European Film Academy Awards. Tudor’s 2nd feature, “Of Snails and Men”, was awarded in Warsaw IFF and Valladolid IFF. “Why Me?”, an unsettling legal thriller based on a real case of corruption in present-day Romania, premiered in 2015 Berlinale Panorama.
Men of Deeds (Oameni de treaba)
Saturday November 18, 4-6 pm
2022, 105’, subtitles
Followed by Q&A
Ilie, a small-town police chief, wants to build a modest comfortable life for himself, but ends up making the wrong choices. Middle-aged and alienated, he feels the need to be a part of something – to build an orchard, even a home. Although dubious things happen in the village, Ilie only sees what suits him. The moment he gets involved in the village marks the beginning of his collapse. In a vacuum of solutions, he tries to be what he has never been before: the justice seeker who arrests everyone guilty.
“An exceedingly mordant comedy that gradually bleeds out to tragedy, Paul Negoescu‘s “Men of Deeds” is another Romanian exercise in finding personal and institutional corruption under every upturned stone, behind every unlocked small-town door, in every heavily conditional handshake. Audiences won’t be nearly as startled, but it’s bleakly compelling all the same.” (Variety)
To the North (Spre nord)
Sunday, November 19, 1:00 pm
2022, 123’, subtitles
Followed by Q&A
Based on a true story. 1996, open sea.
During his shift on a transatlantic ship’s deck, Joel, a religious Filipino sailor, discovers Dumitru, a Romanian stowaway hidden between some containers.
If he is spotted by the Taiwanese officers running the vessel, Dumitru is at risk to be thrown overboard. Joel decides to hide him, as a sign of his gratitude towards God. Soon, a dangerous cat and mouse game begins. When his crew, his own friends, even God Himself starts to turn their backs on him, Joel learns that he has to face his cruel destiny alone.
Director Mihai Mincan
Mihai Mincan, born in 1980, graduated from the University of Philosophy in Bucharest in 2002, and with and MA in Philosophy of Architecture, from the University of Poitiers, in 2003. Mihai studied Philosophy, dreaming of writing „the ultimate treatise” on anonymity, which never saw the light of day. He was a journalist for 13 years, writing every day about events varying from funerals of unknown people, big court cases and poverty, to interviews with writers, musicians, and theatre or film directors. Since his first script, back in 2008, he wrote and directed short films, documentaries and long features, while still searching for the perfect short sentence. In 2022, his debut feature “To the North” premiered in the Orizzonti competition of the 79th Venice International Film Festival.
Day of the Tiger (Tigru)
Sunday November 19, 4-6 pm
2023, 80’, subtitles
Followed by Q&A
Vera is a small-town veterinarian from Transylvania, whose marriage with actor-director Toma is going through a difficult period. On a particular day, while a new tiger is brought to the zoo where she works, Vera finds out that her husband is hiding something. While going through an emotional breakdown, Vera has to search for an escaped tiger.
Director Andrei Tănase
After graduating from the National University of Theatre and Film, Bucharest (UNATC), Andrei Tănase worked as a translator, tour guide, freelance writer-director for a couple of television shows, participated in Sarajevo’s 2010 Talent Campus and made a few critically acclaimed fiction shorts. The most recent one, “First night”, premiered in Venice, 2016 and received several awards in festivals around the world. Andrei is now preparing his debut feature.
“Day of the Tiger”, written and directed by Andrei Tănase, is one of the most anticipated debuts of the year. In an interview published by Films in Frame, Andrei Tănase said: “I like it when drama is deflated by the absurd”. The director manages to perfectly describe, in just one sentence, a vital essence of his feature film debut.
Thank You to Our Sponsors and Donors
We are very proud of our interns’ work: Isabel Avery designed this first edition posters and Andrew Pana designed the promo video. We would also like to thank our volunteers for helping organize each event day and the video team interns for immortalizing the event.
This Film Festival was created in partnership with the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York and with support from private sponsorships and donations. We would like to start a tradition and have this event every year in the Twin Cities, but we need your help. Please consider making a contribution toward this goal here. Any amount is welcomed. Contact us for next year’s sponsorship opportunities horamn.media@gmail.com.
Thank you all for your continuous support!
