Romanian cinema serves as a genuine bridge between cultures, stimulating a rich exchange of ideas and perspectives across various cinematic traditions. In the context of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Romania, the Romanian Cultural Institute in Beijing, in partnership with Switch Lab, invites you on Saturday, December 7, at 14:00, to the first edition of the Romanian Film Festival in China – UCCA 2024 Short Film Screening, to celebrate this cinematic heritage together. This edition offers a selection of 21 Romanian short films by some of Romania's most important directors, showcasing distinctive styles and profound themes typical of the new wave of Romanian cinema. The short films featured have won major international festival awards, solidifying Romanian directors within the global cinematic heritage.
Festival Program: 14:00-14:20 Opening Ceremony
14:30-19:30 Short Film Screenings
19:30-20:30 Conference "The History of Cinematic Cultural Exchanges Between China and Romania" by Associate Professor Dr. Wang Yao, Department of Filmology, Beijing Film Academy
I. Short Film Screening
Duration: 5 hours 6 minutes
Duration: 5 hours and 6 minutes
- " The Hand of Paulista" (1998, 15 min), Directed by Cristian Mungiu
One night, two beggars watch a soap opera through the window of a store, which is being robbed. Their concern is directed toward the fate of those on screen.
Cast: Valeriu Andriuţă, Florin Grigoraş, Hanno Höfer
Producer: UNATC
Grand Prix CineMAiubit 1998 - " Trip to the City" (2003, 19 min), Directed by Corneliu Porumboiu
A school short film that won Porumboiu an award at Cannes in 2004. A gem filmed in color film, gathering elements that the director would later use in his future feature films both thematically and visually.
Cast: Constantin Diţă, Ion Sapdaru, Teodor Corban
Producer: UNATC
2004 – Montpellier – Grand Prix for Short Film
2004 – Kerry – Special Jury Award
2004 – Cannes – Second Prize (Cinéfondation section) - " Gone with the Wine" (2002, 9 min), Directed by Corneliu Porumboiu
Costel doesn’t feel comfortable surrounded by his drunken fellow villagers, so he wants to leave for England.
Cast: Constantin Diţă, Ion Sapdaru
Producer: UNATC - " Cigarettes and Coffee " (2004, 13 min), Directed by Cristi Puiu
The father (Victor Rebengiuc), fired two years before his retirement, wants to be re-employed, seeking his son’s (Mimi Brănescu) help. A brief encounter between them shows two generations with different mentalities, yet guided by the same principle: a pack of Kent cigarettes and a pack of coffee can make the difference when trying to get a job.
Cast: Victor Rebengiuc, Mimi Brănescu
Producer: Mandragora
European Film Academy Awards – 2004
Golden Bear for Short Film, Berlin International Film Festival – Germany, 2004
Special Jury Award, Anonimul International Film Festival – Romania, 2004 - "Das Spektrum Europas" (2014, 8 min), Directed by Cristi Puiu
This film is part of a series of commemorative productions made for the centenary of the Sarajevo assassination, produced by Jean-Michel Frodon. In this short film, a couple of intellectuals, husband and wife, analyze on New Year's Eve, before going to bed, the interpretation of World War I from the book Das Spektrum Europas by the renowned German philosopher and scholar Hermann Keyserling.
Cast: Valeria Seciu, Marian Râlea
Producer: Obala Art Center
Les Séances Spéciales at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival Official Selection - " Late" (2008, 23 min), Directed by Paul Negoescu
In Târziu (22 minutes, 2007), a young journalist is assigned the task of making a report about his former high school.
Cast: Andrei Mateiu, Tudor Aaron Istodor, Constantin Diţă, Monica Mihăescu, Mihaela Sirbu, Simona Ghiţă, Diana Cavallioti
Producer: UNATC
58th Berlin International Film Festival (Nomination) - " The Tube with a Hat" (2006, 23 min), Directed by Radu Jude
The Tube with a Hat is a road movie about the father-son relationship and the importance of small things in life. One morning, Marian, a 7-year-old boy from a forgotten village, wakes up his father, insisting they go to the city to fix the TV. We follow their journey from the village to the big city, where the specialist Bichescu, the only one who can solve the problem, is found.
Cast: Marian Bratu, Gabriel Spahiu, Natalia Călin
Producer: HiFilm
Best International Short Film, Sundance Film Festival – USA, 2007
Best Short Film (second place), Almeria International Short Film Festival – Spain, 2007
Special Jury Award, AspenShortsfest – USA, 2007
Grand Prix, Bilbao International Documentary and Short Film Festival – Spain, 2006
Best Short Film, Cottbus Film Festival dedicated to East European Cinema – Germany, 2006
Best Short Film, Gopo Awards – Romania, 2007
Best Short Film, Hamburg International Short Film Festival – Germany, 2007
Grand Prix for Short Film, Indie Lisboa International Independent Film Festival – Portugal, 2007
Jury Award, Los Angeles Film Festival – USA, 2007
"Golden Gate" Award, San Francisco International Film Festival – USA, 2007
Grand Prix, Uppsala International Short Film Festival – Sweden, 2007 - " Waves" (2007, 16 min), Directed by Adrian Sitaru
A remarkably beautiful Western woman entrusts a Roma man with the care of her four-year-old child while she learns to swim under the guidance of a married and seductive man. Later, the woman disappears into the sea.
Cast: Sergiu Costache, Adrian Titieni, Karen Wallet
Producer: CNC, ADDA
Locarno Film Festival 2007, Winner Golden Pardino - Leopards of Tomorrow, International Competition
Dresden Film Festival, Best Short Film
Aspen Shortsfest, Best Drama, Cinematography, Winner BAFTA/LA Excellence
Namur International Film Festival 2007, Winner Golden Bayard, Best Short Film
Las Palmas Film Festival, Best Short Film
Sarajevo International Film Festival 2007, Winner Heart of Sarajevo, Best Short Film
Gopo Awards 2008, Winner Best Short Film - " The Cage" (2009, 17 min), Directed by Adrian Sitaru
The story is about Alex, a young boy who finds a sick pigeon in the street and brings it home, where he faces vehement resistance from his father. After a silent struggle, the pigeon finds a place on the balcony, but Alex now wants a cage.
Cast: Adrian Titieni, Clara Voda, Vlad Voda
Producer: CNC, 4 Proof Film
DAAD Trophy for Short Film at the Berlin International Film Festival – Germany, 2010
Grand Prix Ciudade de Vila do Conde at the Curtas Vila do Conde Film Festival – Portugal, 2010
Excellence Award by BAFTA at the Mill Valley Film Festival, Los Angeles – USA, 2010
Best Short Film in the International Competition at Valladolid International Film Festival – Spain, 2010
Grand Prix at Uppsala Film Festival – Sweden, 2010 - "Megatron" (2008, 14 min), Directed by Marian Crișan
It is Maxim's birthday. He is 8 years old. He lives with his mother in a village, far from the nearest city. On his birthday, his mother takes him to a McDonald's restaurant.
Cast: Maxim Adrian Strinu, Gabriela Crisu, Damian Victor Oancea
Producer: Mandragora
Palme d’Or (short film), Cannes Film Festival – France, 2008
Best Short Film, Stockholm International Film Festival – Sweden, 2008
Best Short Film, Lucania Film Festival – Italy, 2009 - "Traffic" (2004, 15 min), Directed by Cătălin Mitulescu
On his way to a business meeting, Tudor gets stuck in a traffic jam. Determined to make the most of the situation, he invites a woman for a coffee.
Cast: Bogdan Dumitrache, Maria Dinulescu, Ana Bart
Producer: StradaFilm
Palme d'Or for Short Film at the Cannes Film Festival 2004 - " Bucharest - Vienna, 8:15" (2000, 13 min), Directed by Cătălin Mitulescu
It is 5 in the morning. Niki gathers everything valuable in the house while his wife and child sleep. He is leaving for Germany. He has obtained a passport to work illegally. He leaves with his childhood friend, Crețu, hoping it will be easier together. However, the journey proves to be more problematic than they expected.
Cast: Andi Vasluianu, Cosmin Seleși, Florin Cătălina
Producer: UNATC
Cannes Film Festival, Nomination for Cinéfondation Award, 2001 - " A Good Day for a Swim" (2008, 10 min), Directed by Bogdan Mustață
The film raises questions about its issues rather than providing solutions. It does so in a very precise and unpredictable way. It is one of the most precious things when a film stays with you and continues to unfold long after the credits have rolled.
Cast: Florin Sinescu, Okan Kaya, George Hoffman
Producer: CNC, Axel Film
Golden Bear, the most important short film award at the 58th Berlin International Film Festival - "Superman, Spiderman or Batman" (2011, 11 min), directed by Tudor Giurgiu
Aron, a 5-year-old boy, wishes to have the powers of a superhero to save his mother, who is suffering from a heart condition.
Cast: Adriana Băilescu, Zsolt Bogdán, Ovidiu Crișan
Producer: Libra Film
BAFTA Award for Best Short Film, Jury Prize for Best Drama, Aspen Short Film Festival, Colorado – USA, 2012
Best Short Film, European Film Academy Awards – 2012 - "Lamb`s Snow" (1998, 20 min), directed by Cătălin Peter Netzer
In Lamb`s Snow, Cătălin Peter Netzer creates an impressive gypsy atmosphere. The final sequence, with the bride wandering through the forest and the lamb running through the fields, evokes a profound sense of freedom and innocence.
Producer: UNATC
Tampere 1999 – Winner of Best Fiction Award, International Competition - "The Call" (2019, 10 min), directed by Anca Damian
A phone call, a bath, and a woman find themselves at the intersection of worlds.
Cast: Jean-Marc Barr, Vlad Ivanov
Producer: Aparte Film
TIFF, 43rd Hong Kong International Film Festival, Jury Award – International Short Film Competition - "A Short History" (1957, 10 min), directed by Ioan Popescu Gopo
This 1957 Romanian animated short masterfully and artistically condenses the entire narrative of human evolution theory into just ten minutes.
Distributor: GOPO Foundation
Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival - " The Seven Arts" (1958, 11 min), directed by Ioan Popescu Gopo
Gopo's little man presents the birth of the arts: painting, sculpture, architecture, theater, dance, music, and cinematography.
Distributor: GOPO Foundation - "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" (1985, 8.44 min), directed by Ioan Popescu Gopo
In The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Gopo illustrates the story of a wooden apprentice who, through his learning, discovers the joy of creativity.
Distributor: GOPO Foundation
In MEMORIAM Ioan Popescu Gopo & Constantin Păun - " C Block Story" (2004, 14 min), directed by Cristian Nemescu
Andrei is a teenager madly in love with his neighbor Monica. He calls an erotic phone line for advice on the art of seduction.
Cast: Lucian Ciurariu, Maria Dinulescu, Alexandru Mărgineanu
Producer: UNATC
2004 Winner Prix UIP Angers (European Short Film) - "In the Fishbowl" (2013, 20 min), directed by Tudor Cristian Jurgiu
George and Cristina are desperately trying to separate, but they don’t seem to be able to finish the process.
Cast: Maria Mițu, Ionuț Vișan
Producer: UNATC
Cannes 2013 – Nomination for the Cinéfondation Award,
2013 – Winner of the Golden Pram Award, Zagreb Film Festival.
II. Conference: "The History of Cinematic Cultural Exchanges Between China and Romania" by Associate Professor Dr. Wang Yao (online)
Duration: 1 hour, 18:30 - 19:30
Location: UCCA, Cinematheque
Guest: Professor Wang Yao, film critic and expert on Romanian cinema, event moderated by Andreea-Ema Stoian, Senior Relations Officer, PhD in Filmology, Beijing Film Academy.
Description: This academic conference deeply analyzes the dynamics of cultural exchanges between Chinese and Romanian cinema, focusing on historical context, aesthetic influences, and bilateral collaborations. The presentation offers an interdisciplinary perspective, exploring how cinematic interactions have reflected and shaped cultural relations between the two countries over time.
UCCA (Ullens Center for Contemporary Art) is one of China's leading contemporary art centers, located in the 798 Art District in Beijing. Founded in 2007 by art collectors Guy and Myriam Ullens, UCCA serves as a venue for contemporary art exhibitions, presenting works by both Chinese and international artists. UCCA not only hosts exhibitions but also organizes cultural events, film screenings, workshops, and symposiums exploring contemporary culture and art, thus connecting the public with global trends in the field.
Access is free with registration. Scan the QR code on the poster or email us at ema.stoian@icr.ro.
We look forward to welcoming you!
