Film Series: Bucharest Stories: New Films from Romania

November 16, 18, and 25
December 1, 8, 15, 16, 23, 29, and 30

The Paper Will Be Blue
Humanitarian Aid
12:08 East of Bucharest
Death of Mr. Lăzărescu
California Dreamin'
The Great Communist Bank Robbery
The Way I Spent the End of the World
The Reenactment
Tertium non datur
C Block Story
Occident
Short Films from Romania
The Rest Is Silence

***All film programs are held in the East Building Auditorium except where noted***

The Paper Will Be Blue

November 16 and 18 at 4:00 p.m.

"From an armored squadron patrolling the sedate Bucharest suburbs to an impetuous soldier who need not search too hard for the battle he craves, The Paper Will Be Blue strikingly recreates the emotions that boiled over during the Romanian revolution. An adept blend of docudrama and wry humor, told from a memorably ground-level point of view"—Seattle Film Festival. (Radu Muntean, 2006, 35mm, Romanian with subtitles, 95 mins.)
Calendar of Events | Bucharest Stories: New Films from Romania

Humanitarian Aid

November 25 at 4:00 p.m.

In the short film Humanitarian Aid, three young men from Western Europe arrive in a Romanian mountain village to (they think) distribute the goods according to need. (Hanno Höfer, 2003, 35mm, Romanian with subtitles, 16 mins.)
also
12:08 East of Bucharest
During the days following December 22, 1989—the date Romania's Stalinist tyrant Ceauşescu was executed—there was no real consensus about what had actually transpired. With unassuming, tongue-in-cheek humor, 12:08 East of Bucharest offers a resolutely proletarian yet satirical view of Romania's recent past as local talk-show host Jderescu (Teo Corban) tries to solicit answers to the question, "Was there, or was there not, a revolution in our town?" (Corneliu Porumboiu, 2006, 35mm, Romanian with subtitles, 89 mins.)
Calendar of Events | Bucharest Stories: New Films from Romania

Death of Mr. Lăzărescu

December 1 at 2:00 p.m.

A retired engineer shares his dour Bucharest apartment with three cats. One night he becomes ill and calls an ambulance. No hospital, however, is willing to accept him, and as the night wears on, his condition gets worse. This seemingly bleak scenario, awarded Un Certain Regard at the 2005 Festival de Cannes, depicts a universal theme—death and hospitals—with humanity and dark humor. "Inspired by real events, its appeal is the clever way it involves the viewer emotionally, keeping him breathless in a race against the clock"—Alex Şerban. (Cristi Puiu, 2005, 35mm, Romanian with subtitles, 150 mins.)
Calendar of Events | Bucharest Stories: New Films from Romania

California Dreamin'

December 8 and 15 at 2:30

Lauded at this year's Festival de Cannes, director Cristian Nemescu (tragically killed in a crash before the film's final postproduction) was inspired by an event that had occurred in the late 1990s during the Kosovo war. A village station master in a Bucharest suburb blocks a train filled with military equipment and American marines for lack of legitimate customs papers. The scenario unfolds over the course of several days, as village locals mingle with the stranded troops. Forced to live side by side, both groups discover that life can never again be quite the same. Pascale Ferran, awarding the film top prize for Cannes' Un Certain Regard, said, "far and above, California Dreamin' is the most lively and liberated film proposal we've seen in our entire ten days." (Cristian Nemescu, 2007, 35mm, Romanian with subtitles, 150 mins.)
Calendar of Events | Bucharest Stories: New Films from Romania

The Great Communist Bank Robbery

December 15 at 1:00 p.m.

A strange robbery at the Romanian National Bank in 1959 triggered a massive police search. When the alleged burglars were caught and arrested, they reenacted their crime for a television film in which they played themselves. Although evidence suggests the criminals believed they would be spared the death sentence by appearing in the film, their reality was otherwise. "A bizarre recreation of a crime of which the motive is still difficult to fathom and an astonishing evocation of a lost world of Romanian Stalinism"—Nick Fraser. (Alexandru Solomon, 2004, 70 mins.)
Calendar of Events | Bucharest Stories: New Films from Romania

The Way I Spent the End of the World

December 16 at 4:00 p.m.

Set during the final months of Ceauşescu's communist dictatorship, The Way I Spent the End of the World portrays the daily lives of radiant young Eva, her brother, and her boyfriend as they grapple with coming-of-age issues. Eva's woes, though largely a consequence of her personal and family relationships, are still shaped by the era in which she is living. Actress Dorotheea Petre's luminous performance won the best actress award in the 2006 Un Certain Regard division of the Cannes Festival. (Cătălin Mitulescu, 2006, 35 mm, 106 mins.)
Calendar of Events | Bucharest Stories: New Films from Romania

The Reenactment

December 23 at 4:00 p.m.

A key Romanian artist from the period before the end of communism, Lucian Pintilie (b. 1933) works in opera and theater as well as cinema. His earlier films have been compared to the plays of Chekhov, his favorite writer. Upon its completion in the late 1960s, The Reenactment was banned because, according to one critic, "It was dominated by a sense of the tragic...and nourished by a profound civil and cultural awareness." Ripu and Vuica are students who celebrate one evening by drinking too much. They attack the bar owner and break a window. Days later a policeman, a judge, and a film crew take them to the crime scene—instead of spending time in jail, they will work as actors in a state-sponsored documentary about alcoholism. (Lucian Pintilie, 1968, 35mm, Romanian with subtitles, 106 mins.)
also
Tertium non datur
Pintilie describes his new short film Tertium non datur as "a tragicomic parable about the integration of the poorest of the poor, tormented by complexes, into the fiction we provisionally call Europe." Near the end of the war, two high-ranking German officers visit a Romanian military unit in their schoolhouse headquarters. Warmed by champagne, the German major shows his hosts his prize possession, the most expensive stamp in the world, the Aurochs Head. As it passes around the table, the legendary stamp disappears. (Lucian Pintilie, 2006, 35mm, Romanian, German, and French with subtitles, 39 mins.)
Calendar of Events | Bucharest Stories: New Films from Romania

C Block Story

December 29 at 2:30 p.m.

In C Block Story, shy teenager Andrei falls hopelessly in love with neighbor Monica. Completely clueless about what to do, Andrei relies on a telephone hotline to find out how to seduce Monica in his building's elevator. (Cristian Nemescu, 2003, 35mm, Romanian with subtitles, 14 mins.)
also
Occident
An early work by Cristian Mungiu (the recent Cannes Palme d'Or winner), Occident is a narrative triptych connected by overlapping settings and by the premise that many young Romanians are departing for the West (the Occident) in search of a better life. The characters are sensitive and sometimes capricious, and, to the outsider, encompass a snapshot of daily life in Bucharest. "It's unusual to come across a script so accomplished. Cristian's strength clearly lies in his writing"—Neil Young. (Cristian Mungiu, 2002, 35mm, Romanian with subtitles, 105 mins.)
Calendar of Events | Bucharest Stories: New Films from Romania

Short Films from Romania

December 30 at 2:00 p.m.

Creativity in the recent Romanian new wave has not been limited to works of feature length. Displaying a flair for the shorter form, this program includes the following works: Cigarettes and Coffee (Cristi Puiu, 2004, 13 mins.); Traffic (Cătălin Mitulescu, 2004, 15 mins.); The Apartment (Constantin Popescu, 2004, 20 mins.); The Tube with a Hat (Radu Jude, 2006, 23 mins.); and Liviu's Dream (Corneliu Porumboiu, 2004, 39 mins.). All films are 35mm, Romanian with subtitles.
Calendar of Events | Bucharest Stories: New Films from Romania

The Rest Is Silence

Washington Premiere
December 30 at 4:30 p.m.

In 1911 Bucharest was the "Paris of the East." Grand receptions, lavish lifestyles, and luxuriant architecture were all central to the city's existence. If theater was the preferred art form, the city's nascent cinemas were still holding their own. In the midst of Bucharest's theatrical life we find Grig, a would-be film director for the French-based Gaumont company. Grig manages to alienate his famous father, a celebrated Romanian stage actor who only has contempt for the new cinemas. The lavishly styled The Rest Is Silence vividly recreates turn-of-the-century Bucharest and the turbulence of the early film industry. (Nae Caranfil, 2007, 35mm, Romanian with subtitles, 140 mins.)
Calendar of Events | Bucharest Stories: New Films from Romania

Film Programs | Film Series | Art Films and Events | Children's Films

	Film Series: Bucharest Stories: New Films from Romania November 16, 18, and 25 December 1, 8, 15, 16, 23, 29, and 30 The Paper Will Be Blue Humanitarian Aid 12:08 East of Bucharest Death of Mr. Lăzărescu California Dreamin' The Great Communist Bank Robbery The Way I Spent the End of the World The Reenactment Tertium non datur C Block Story Occident Short Films from Romania The Rest Is Silence *****All film programs are held in the East Building Auditorium except where noted* The Paper Will Be Blue November 16 and 18 at 4:00 p.m. "From an armored squadron patrolling the sedate Bucharest suburbs to an impetuous soldier who need not search too hard for the battle he craves, The Paper Will Be Blue strikingly recreates the emotions that boiled over during the Romanian revolution. An adept blend of docudrama and wry humor, told from a memorably ground-level point of view"—Seattle Film Festival. (Radu Muntean, 2006, 35mm, Romanian with subtitles, 95 mins.) Calendar of Events \| Bucharest Stories: New Films from Romania Humanitarian Aid November 25 at 4:00 p.m. In the short film Humanitarian Aid, three young men from Western Europe arrive in a Romanian mountain village to (they think) distribute the goods according to need. (Hanno Höfer, 2003, 35mm, Romanian with subtitles, 16 mins.) also 12:08 East of Bucharest During the days following December 22, 1989—the date Romania's Stalinist tyrant Ceauşescu was executed—there was no real consensus about what had actually transpired. With unassuming, tongue-in-cheek humor, 12:08 East of Bucharest offers a resolutely proletarian yet satirical view of Romania's recent past as local talk-show host Jderescu (Teo Corban) tries to solicit answers to the question, "Was there, or was there not, a revolution in our town?" (Corneliu Porumboiu, 2006, 35mm, Romanian with subtitles, 89 mins.) Calendar of Events \| Bucharest Stories: New Films from Romania Death of Mr. Lăzărescu December 1 at 2:00 p.m. A retired engineer shares his dour Bucharest apartment with three cats. One night he becomes ill and calls an ambulance. No hospital, however, is willing to accept him, and as the night wears on, his condition gets worse. This seemingly bleak scenario, awarded Un Certain Regard at the 2005 Festival de Cannes, depicts a universal theme—death and hospitals—with humanity and dark humor. "Inspired by real events, its appeal is the clever way it involves the viewer emotionally, keeping him breathless in a race against the clock"—Alex Şerban. (Cristi Puiu, 2005, 35mm, Romanian with subtitles, 150 mins.) Calendar of Events \| Bucharest Stories: New Films from Romania California Dreamin' December 8 and 15 at 2:30 Lauded at this year's Festival de Cannes, director Cristian Nemescu (tragically killed in a crash before the film's final postproduction) was inspired by an event that had occurred in the late 1990s during the Kosovo war. A village station master in a Bucharest suburb blocks a train filled with military equipment and American marines for lack of legitimate customs papers. The scenario unfolds over the course of several days, as village locals mingle with the stranded troops. Forced to live side by side, both groups discover that life can never again be quite the same. Pascale Ferran, awarding the film top prize for Cannes' Un Certain Regard, said, "far and above, California Dreamin' is the most lively and liberated film proposal we've seen in our entire ten days." (Cristian Nemescu, 2007, 35mm, Romanian with subtitles, 150 mins.) Calendar of Events \| Bucharest Stories: New Films from Romania The Great Communist Bank Robbery December 15 at 1:00 p.m. A strange robbery at the Romanian National Bank in 1959 triggered a massive police search. When the alleged burglars were caught and arrested, they reenacted their crime for a television film in which they played themselves. Although evidence suggests the criminals believed they would be spared the death sentence by appearing in the film, their reality was otherwise. "A bizarre recreation of a crime of which the motive is still difficult to fathom and an astonishing evocation of a lost world of Romanian Stalinism"—Nick Fraser. (Alexandru Solomon, 2004, 70 mins.) Calendar of Events \| Bucharest Stories: New Films from Romania The Way I Spent the End of the World December 16 at 4:00 p.m. Set during the final months of Ceauşescu's communist dictatorship, The Way I Spent the End of the World portrays the daily lives of radiant young Eva, her brother, and her boyfriend as they grapple with coming-of-age issues. Eva's woes, though largely a consequence of her personal and family relationships, are still shaped by the era in which she is living. Actress Dorotheea Petre's luminous performance won the best actress award in the 2006 Un Certain Regard division of the Cannes Festival. (Cătălin Mitulescu, 2006, 35 mm, 106 mins.) Calendar of Events \| Bucharest Stories: New Films from Romania The Reenactment December 23 at 4:00 p.m. A key Romanian artist from the period before the end of communism, Lucian Pintilie (b. 1933) works in opera and theater as well as cinema. His earlier films have been compared to the plays of Chekhov, his favorite writer. Upon its completion in the late 1960s, The Reenactment was banned because, according to one critic, "It was dominated by a sense of the tragic...and nourished by a profound civil and cultural awareness." Ripu and Vuica are students who celebrate one evening by drinking too much. They attack the bar owner and break a window. Days later a policeman, a judge, and a film crew take them to the crime scene—instead of spending time in jail, they will work as actors in a state-sponsored documentary about alcoholism. (Lucian Pintilie, 1968, 35mm, Romanian with subtitles, 106 mins.) also Tertium non datur Pintilie describes his new short film Tertium non datur as "a tragicomic parable about the integration of the poorest of the poor, tormented by complexes, into the fiction we provisionally call Europe." Near the end of the war, two high-ranking German officers visit a Romanian military unit in their schoolhouse headquarters. Warmed by champagne, the German major shows his hosts his prize possession, the most expensive stamp in the world, the Aurochs Head. As it passes around the table, the legendary stamp disappears. (Lucian Pintilie, 2006, 35mm, Romanian, German, and French with subtitles, 39 mins.) Calendar of Events \| Bucharest Stories: New Films from Romania C Block Story December 29 at 2:30 p.m. In C Block Story, shy teenager Andrei falls hopelessly in love with neighbor Monica. Completely clueless about what to do, Andrei relies on a telephone hotline to find out how to seduce Monica in his building's elevator. (Cristian Nemescu, 2003, 35mm, Romanian with subtitles, 14 mins.) also Occident An early work by Cristian Mungiu (the recent Cannes Palme d'Or winner), Occident is a narrative triptych connected by overlapping settings and by the premise that many young Romanians are departing for the West (the Occident) in search of a better life. The characters are sensitive and sometimes capricious, and, to the outsider, encompass a snapshot of daily life in Bucharest. "It's unusual to come across a script so accomplished. Cristian's strength clearly lies in his writing"—Neil Young. (Cristian Mungiu, 2002, 35mm, Romanian with subtitles, 105 mins.) Calendar of Events \| Bucharest Stories: New Films from Romania Short Films from Romania December 30 at 2:00 p.m. Creativity in the recent Romanian new wave has not been limited to works of feature length. Displaying a flair for the shorter form, this program includes the following works: Cigarettes and Coffee (Cristi Puiu, 2004, 13 mins.); Traffic (Cătălin Mitulescu, 2004, 15 mins.); The Apartment (Constantin Popescu, 2004, 20 mins.); The Tube with a Hat (Radu Jude, 2006, 23 mins.); and Liviu's Dream (Corneliu Porumboiu, 2004, 39 mins.). All films are 35mm, Romanian with subtitles. Calendar of Events \| Bucharest Stories: New Films from Romania The Rest Is Silence Washington Premiere December 30 at 4:30 p.m. In 1911 Bucharest was the "Paris of the East." Grand receptions, lavish lifestyles, and luxuriant architecture were all central to the city's existence. If theater was the preferred art form, the city's nascent cinemas were still holding their own. In the midst of Bucharest's theatrical life we find Grig, a would-be film director for the French-based Gaumont company. Grig manages to alienate his famous father, a celebrated Romanian stage actor who only has contempt for the new cinemas. The lavishly styled The Rest Is Silence vividly recreates turn-of-the-century Bucharest and the turbulence of the early film industry. (Nae Caranfil, 2007, 35mm, Romanian with subtitles, 140 mins.) Calendar of Events \| Bucharest Stories: New Films from Romania Film Programs \| Film Series \| Art Films and Events \| Children's Films
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