After studies in Sociology at the University of Bucharest, and a Master's degree in Social Sciences in Paris at the Sorbonne, the internationally educated Mitulescu went on to earn a Master's degree in Audiovisual studies at Madrid's Carlos III University.
He worked as production assistent for Cătălin Mitulescu's Trafic (Palme d'Or for short in 2004) and production coordinator for Ruxandra Zenide's Ryna, moving up to the position of producer for Cătălin Mitulescu's How I Celebrated the End of the World (2006).
He is currently producing If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle (from debuting director Florin Şerban) and is in preproduction with Cătălin Mitulescu's second film, A Heart Shape Balloon (pre-production).
"I like this job because it requires many different qualities. You need to know how to communicate with people, you need to be stress-proof, you have to solve the problems very quickly. People say the right film comes at the right time, but the producer has to feel when the right time arrives," Mitulescu says.
The independent-minded producer used to head off to the movies on his own at age 10, and as a young adult supported his journey to France. His older brother, Cannes-wining Cătălin Mitulescu, is his biggest critic. "We just had a quarrel. The fact is that I am very demanding. I may exaggerate a little, but when you are family, you don't go smooth. Daniel is better and better, but I am less and less content."
Daniel aknowledges that his brother's career was inspiring for him. "It was essential for me that my brother was a filmmaker, and one I could totally trust. Otherwise, I don't know if I would have been tempted."
In fact, the idea of working in the film business came in 2000, while attending a film festival in France. He realised that there weren't many Romanian producers like the producers he met there: young and eager to dig for money.
Daniel Mitulescu doesn't consider himself an accomplished producer yet. He says one has to make five or six movies first. "Good decisions require experience."
What shape will the future will take for the young Romanian? Obviously, he wants to produce films. But he is also in the film distribution business, running Metropolis Film since 2005. His other activities include organizing concerts, music production, and directing of the first Romanian children film festival, due to bow in September.
When it comes to the future of the film industry in his country, Mitulescu thinks the situation is ironical. "When things started working and good projects started to win grants from the state, the financial crisis began." While waiting for legal measures to be taken, Mitulescu is philosophical. "Romania has some experience in making very good movies with a small amount of money. But this makes a producer's work more difficult."
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