Making Waves: New Romanian Cinema 2014
Co-presented with the Romanian Film Initiative
The vibe of this year’s showcase of contemporary Romanian cinema is perhaps best captured by Faulkner’s famous words “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” Twenty-five years have passed since the fall of Communism, but for most of the films in this series—from Quod Erat Demonstrandum to I’m an Old Communist Hag to Viktoria to Roxanne—the past remains unfinished business, proof that Romania’s recent history has left an indelible mark on its collective consciousness. When not addressing history, Romanian films embrace the present and attempt to break free from a haunted past, begging the question: can it really be left behind? The ninth edition of Making Waves offers some possible answers.
Lineup
The vibe of the ninth edition of Making Waves: New Romanian Cinema is perhaps best captured by Faulkner’s famous words “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” Twenty-five years have passed since the fall of Communism, but for most of the films in this series, the past remains unfinished business.
The Japanese Dog
Legendary Romanian stage and screen actor Victor Rebengiuc brings a stoic, fragile dignity to his role as an elderly man who reunites with his estranged son after losing his wife and home in a devastating flood. Director Tudor Cristian Jurgiu in person for both screenings.
Viktoria
Closing Night followed by a reception open to all ticket holders!
A Bulgarian/Romanian co-production, Viktoria is a truly innovative epic infused with strikingly surreal images that offers a unique perspective on the communist chimera.
I’m an Old Communist Hag
Q&A with director Stere Gulea and actress Ana Ularu at both screenings.
A bittersweet drama about the generation gap that contrasts Romanian national identity before and after the ’89 Revolution.
The Journey
Introduction by director Stere Gulea.
This remarkable adaptation of Marin Preda’s novel covers the years preceding World War II in a village in the Danube Plain, with its visible and invisible tensions as its residents contend with the early consolidation of capitalism in the rural area. Featuring a monumental lead performance by Victor Rebengiuc.
Quod Erat Demonstrandum
North American Premiere. In mid-1980s Romania, the Securitate investigate a gifted mathematician when it comes to their attention that he has secretly arranged for an academic paper on his new theorem to be published in an American journal. Director Andrei Gruzsniczki in person for both screenings.
Roxanne
A decent but immature guy in his late thirties finds out from his secret police file that he might have fathered a son, but this proves to be just the first blast from a complicated past…
The Second Game
Director Corneliu Porumboiu watches a 25-year-old historic soccer match with his father, who was the referee, in this look at the ways in which we relate to the past and, to a certain extent, to our parents.
Where Are You Bucharest?
Q&A with director Vlad Petri.
This funny and furious documentary chronicles the street protests that took over Bucharest 23 years after the Revolution.
Special Program: Creative Freedom Through Cinema
Making Waves continues its special program devoted to the relationship between art and politics in Eastern Europe, and the importance of art in addressing controversial topics and forging a dialogue around challenging issues. This year’s focus is on LGBTQ rights, with two powerful cases in point—Winter’s Journey and Children 404—from guest country Russia, where artists courageously continue to give voice to LGBTQ identities.
Creative Freedom Through Cinema
Free and open to the public!
The relationship between arts and politics is explored through a free panel conversation with filmmakers and film historians from Romania, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia.
Children 404
Introduction by co-director Pavel Loparev.
Forty-five Russian teens share their stories through anonymous interviews and video diaries in the wake of Putin’s 2013 law forbidding “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations with minors.”
Winter Journey
The tempestuous attraction between a talented opera student and an aggressive provincial bully is charted in this provocative film whose release was restricted by Russian officials.
Panel: Creative Freedom Through Cinema
Free event followed by a reception!
The topic of LGBTQ rights and how the arts help in addressing them will be at the core of this conversation between artists and intellectuals from Romania, Russia, and the U.S. Panelists include Masha Gessen, Andrew Solomon, and Pavel Loparev; moderated by Mona Nicoară.
New Romanian Shorts
Free event!
Inspired by the biggest hit of one of Romania’s greatest pop singers, Angela Similea, the dark and crazily inventive musical Dying from a Wound of Love leads this eclectic bunch of shorts that also includes a tribute to Tarantino’s snappy dialogue in Kowalski and the Fassbinder-eque The Walk.
Special Event: Hedda Sterne Rediscovered
Free event followed by a reception!
Visual artist Hedda Sterne created a body of work known for its stubborn independence from styles and trends. After fleeing to the U.S. from Bucharest, the work she left behind, closely guarded by her friend and fellow artist Medi Wechsler Dinu for over 50 years, has been recently rediscovered by the director of PostModernism Museum, who will share for the first time Sterne’s early output and Wechsler Dinu’s testimonies.
Making Waves: New Romanian Cinema 2014
The vibe of the ninth edition of Making Waves: New Romanian Cinema is perhaps best captured by Faulkner’s famous words “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” Twenty-five years have passed since the fall of Communism, but for most of the films in this series, the past remains unfinished business. Read More
Making Waves: New Romanian Cinema 2013
Film as propaganda tool. Filmmaking as metabolic process. Throw in a triple dose of Transylvanian flavor from a popular series of Red Westerns, the complete works of Corneliu Porumboiu, Golden Bear award winner Child’s Pose, and the World Premiere of Closer to the Moon, and you’ll have the 8th edition of Making Waves. Read More
Making Waves: New Romanian Cinema 2012
Following on the success of the six previous editions of the Romanian Film Festival in New York, the newly rechristened Making Waves will offer a week of impressive recent films from the much-discussed Romanian “new wave” (including this year’s Romanian Oscar entry, Beyond the Hills), plus special panel discussions, classic film revivals and a retrospective devoted to influential master filmmaker Alexandru Tatos. Read More
