FNE at TIFF: Groundbreaking Edition for the Romanian Film Festival

07-06-2010

FNE at TIFF: Groundbreaking Edition for the Romanian Film Festival

By Iulia Blaga

CLUJ: The 9th edition of TIFF (www.tiff.ro) in Cluj-Napoca from 28 May-6 June screened 240 films from 47 countries - 40 more films than last year, despite budget cuts. There were also new sections, new venues and open air screenings. The annual Romanian Film Days, was joined by a Hungarian Day, Focuses on Israel and Chile, and a doc programme

More than 480 Romanian and foreign guests attended and many screenings were sold out.
The top prize in the international competition, the Transilvania Trophy, went to Mundane Story by Anocha Suwichakornpong (Thailand). The Special Prize of the Jury was received by Last Conversation by the Dutch Noud Heerkens. The Danish film R by Michael Noer and Tobias Lindholm received the Best Cinematograhy Award.
The Romanian films from the competition shared the rest of the awards. Medal Of Honor (www.medaliadeonoare.ro) by Călin Peter Netzer produced by Scharf Film was awarded for director and leading actor (Victor Rebengiuc), while Felicia, înainte de toate (www.feliciafilmul.ro) by Răzvan Rădulescu and Melissa de Raaf produced by HiFilm Productions (www.hifilm.ro) received the awards for screenplay and leading actress (Ozana Oancea).

Another international jury decided the prizes for the Romanian Days programme: the Best Feature - If I Want To Whistle, I Whistle (www.vreausafluier.ro) by Florin Şerban, produced by Strada Film (www.stradafilm.ro) the Best Short Film - The Cage by Adrian Sitaru, and the Best Debut - Ozana Oancea (First Of All, Felicia). The FIPRESCI award went to Christmas Navidad by Sebastian Lelio (Chile), and the Audience Award went to Gordos (www.gordoslapelicula.com) by Daniel Sanchez Arevalo (Spain). Another Spanish film, The Twin Girls Of Sunset Street by Marc Riba and Anna Solanas received the award for the Best Short Film from the Shadows programme.

Wim Wenders, who was the special guest of the 9th edition of Transilvania IFF, received the Lifetime Achievement Award for an European Film Personality. The Romanian filmmaker and stage director Liviu Ciulei received the Excellency Award and the actress Dorina Lazăr the Lifetime Achievement Award. The readers of the newspaper Adevărul de seară, Cluj-Napoca edition awarded Tuesday, After Christmas by Radu Muntean produced by Multimedia Est (www.mme.ro) the Best Romanian Film.

HBO Romania (www.hbo.ro) award for the best feature screenplay went to Tion Lucian for Ronaldo and Iuliana. The HBO award for the best short film screenplay went to Veronica Niculescu for Curierul, and the HBO Award For The Best Documentary Screenplay was received by Pavel Cuzuioc for Doina groparilor.