She founded Alien Film in 2011 and is its owner and Managing Director since then. Since 2014 she is the President of New Romanian Cinema Association, and since 2015 Project Manager within Location Guide Romania, a project by New Romanian Cinema Association.
She produced several feature films, docs and short films selected and awarded abroad. She is currently developing Otto, the Barbarian, the debut feature by Ruxandra Ghițescu, which is selected at l’Atelier Cinéfondation Cannes 2017, Bycicle by Radu Barbulescu, Simin Dona (director TBA) and the omnibus project Chronochinezia. She is also coproducing Grandfather and Grandson by Ilija Piperkoski, which is currently in production.
Asked about what she offers as a coproducer, she told FNE, “It really depends on the project and the moment I enter the partnership. The involvement in a coproduction can start from the development stage, where I can offer support and guidance in all the creative processes. Sometimes the coproduction support can be strictly financial or logistic. We can also offer postproduction services. These are only few examples of what I can bring on a coproduction table. Generally, I try to listen to my partners and accommodate their needs, because every project has a different setup, even if the ground rules are the same.”
With regard to looking for funding sources in Romania, she says, “What I know from my experience is that you can access private founding (sponsorship, barters and investments), but the amounts are usually symbolic. Nevertheless, and especially for Romanian films, any contribution counts enormously, so every time I hear stories about businesses and private persons who came and met the needs of a production company, I appreciate the gesture.
Distribution is still a difficult area in Romania. “We are filmmakers, we find stories that inspire us and dream to bring them on screen so to reach as many people as we can. Idealistically, our hopes are to be able to distribute the films we produce both theatrically and on networks as much as possible and especially domestically,” she said. “Most of the Romanian cities don't have cinemas anymore, and even if I am sure that people would see Romanian movies, they don't have this option, not in cinema theaters. This is one of the things that sadden me the most. That is why I appreciate initiatives like film caravans, which bring our movies to audiences who request them. I hope this wave will grow and inspire other initiatives. I also hope we will grow sufficiently, so we can inspire a movement in the cultural policies sector, because we need those in order to evolve.”
Contact:
www.alienfilm.ro
Phone: +40 21 327 63 04
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Selected filmography:
Eastern Business - directed by Igor Cobileanski, 2016, Romania / Lithuania, feature film
Brutus - directed by Costa Fam, 2016, USA / Russia / Romania, feature film in postproduction
Ana Is Coming Back - directed by Ruxandra Ghitescu, 2016, short film
The Projectionist - directed by Norbert Fodor, 2016, hybrid documentary
0068 Sniper’s Test - directed by Radu Barbulescu, 2015, short film
Happy Motel - directed by Constantin Bazga, 2015, short film in postproduction
The Silence - directed by David Moya Sanjuan, 2014, Romania / UK, short film in postproduction
Together Forever - directed by Lina Luzyt, 2014, Lithuania / Romania
