BREAKING NEWS
Iulia Rugina| Director | Iulia Rugina |
| Producer | Oana Giurgiu, Bogdan Craciun, Tudor Giurgiu |
| Writer | Ana Agopian, Oana Rasuceanu, Iulia Rugina |
| Cast | Andi Vasluianu, Voica Oltean, Dorin Andone, Ioana Flora |
| Editor | Catalin Cristutiu |
| Camera | Vivi Dragan Vasile |
| Sound | Alexandru Dumitru, Florin Tabacaru |
| Screening | 2 November 2017 | 21:00 hours | Filmhuis Den Haag 4 November 2017 | 19:45 hours | Filmhuis Den Haag |
| Year | 2016 |
| Length | 81 min |
| Country | Romania |
| Subtitles | English |
| Section | ROMANIA - 10 YEARS LATER |
A compelling drama questioning how much we truly know about the people in our lives. With wonderful performances by famous Romanian actor Andi Vasluianu and talented newcomer Voica Oltean. Screenings are followed by Q&A with the scriptwriter Ana Agopian.
Synopsis
After the tragic death of his cameraman which he indirectly caused, the reporter Alex Mazilu has to make an in-memoriam reportage covering his life. Three days before Christmas, in a small town on the Black Sea coast, Alex puts together puzzle pieces of this man’s life, all seen through the eyes of his troubled 15-year-old daughter. Trying to redeem the dead father, he slowly starts taking his place. A psychological journey of redemption that turns into a coming-of-age experience for a 35-year-old famous news reporter who, in a crucial moment of his life, discovers that things have somehow taken a wrong turn. This third feature film by Iulia Rugina was selected for Karlovy Vary IFF, where actress Voica Oltean received a Special Mention for the Best Newcomer for her performance.
Festivals & Awards (selection)
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, 2017 – Special Jury Mention for the Best Newcomer (Voica Oltean) | Transilvania International Film Festival, 2017 – Romanian Days section | ScriptEast training initiative, 2009-2010 | Nipkow Program, 2008 | Sources 2, Graz 2008
Director's bio
Iulia Rugină (b. 1982, Bucharest) holds a master’s degree in direction from the National University of Theater and Film in Romania. She has a dozen short films to her credit, on which she cooperated as writer and director. Bună, Cristina! Pa, Cristina! (2006), Vineri în jur de 11 (2006), and Captivi de Craciun (2010) – together they collected awards at festivals in Oberhausen, Munich, Trieste, Brussels, and Poitiers. Despite its ultralow budget of €50,000, in the year of its production, Love Building (2013) became the second most commercially successful movie in Romanian theaters. A year later she shot the sequel Alt Love Building (2014). In addition to directing, Rugină organizes cultural events and social projects. At present she is slogging away at her doctoral dissertation on the topic of low-budget films; she also teaches screenwriting.