From 20–27 March 2026, the multi-award-winning Romanian documentary film director, Andrei Dăscălescu, will visit Beijing to present a documentary film retrospective and to participate in the International Festival “Rencontres des Films Francophones”, organized at the headquarters of the French Institute in Beijing, the Alliance Française, and the French Consulates in China (Shanghai, Shenyang, Xi’an, etc.), with the support of ICR Beijing. This visit marks the director’s first presence in China and offers a unique opportunity to explore contemporary Romanian documentary cinema in an international context.
Within the “Rencontres des Films Francophones” Festival, Andrei Dăscălescu will present multiple screenings of his documentary “Planeta Petrila”, included in a selection of 18 Francophone cinematic productions, with a thematic focus on innovation and technology, in accordance with the directions of Francophonie Month 2026. The selection includes films proposed by the diplomatic representations of Francophone states in China, namely Canada, the Quebec Office, Tunisia, Romania, and Wallonie-Bruxelles International.
The screenings of “Planeta Petrila” will take place at the French Institute in Beijing, in the Cinematheque, within the French Studies departments, and across the Alliance Française network in China, according to the following schedule:
- Saturday, 21 March, 19:30 – screening at the French Institute in Beijing;
- Sunday, 22 March, 16:00–21:00 – Andrei Dăscălescu Retrospective: marathon of three documentaries at ICR Beijing;
- 21–31 March – screenings in Jinan, Xi’an, and Shenyang (Beihua University and Changchun University of Foreign Languages), exact dates to be announced by the organizers.
On the occasion of the Beijing premiere, the director will inaugurate the photography exhibition “Planeta Petrila” at the French Institute, open to the public for three months in the Library space, as part of the Francophonie Month activities. The project gathers 17 photographs taken by the author during filming, capturing the visual and human universe of Petrila, and includes an art installation by Ion Barbu — a large panoramic panel inspired by a film sequence in which the artist and a colleague digitally intervene on a monumental group photograph by inserting portraits of personalities. The original photograph was purchased in China and given to Ion Barbu by his son, Mihai Barbu, giving the work a symbolic connection to the Chinese cultural space. The print, originally measuring 2.5 m × 30 m, will be proportionally adapted for exhibition, preserving its panoramic character and visual impact.
Complementing the visit, Andrei Dăscălescu will hold two masterclasses titled “Great Romanian Directors: Andrei Dăscălescu Retrospective”, scheduled on Tuesday, March 24, 18:00–21:00, at the Beijing Film Academy (Room C619), and on Wednesday, March 25, at 16:50, at Minzu University of China – Department of Visual Anthropology, Communication and Media. These sessions, hosted at the Beijing Film Academy and partner institutions, are dedicated to exploring contemporary Romanian documentary cinema.
Filmography Presented by the Author
16:00 Constantin and Elena (Romania, 2009, 102 min) is the debut documentary of director Andrei Dăscălescu and follows the everyday life of Constantin and Elena Vîncu, a couple from rural Romania who have been married for more than 55 years. Constructed entirely in an observational style, without commentary or explanatory intervention, the film follows over the course of one year the routine, conversations and intimate relationship of the two. The film is produced by Filmlab (Romania) in co-production with Chello Multicanal (Spain). It had its world premiere at IDFA – International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (2009), where it won the First Appearance Award, received the Special Jury Prize at Sarajevo Film Festival, the Best Romanian Debut Award at Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF), and was selected at festivals such as Visions du Réel (Nyon) and DOK Leipzig.
18:00 Holy Father (Romania, 2020, 85 min) is a feature documentary directed by Andrei Dăscălescu, which starts from the personal experience of the director at the moment he becomes a father and tries to understand his own lineage, in the context of a broken relationship with his father, who became an Orthodox monk on Mount Athos. The film is produced by Filmlab (Romania) in co-production with HBO Europe, and the main characters are Andrei Dăscălescu, Paula Niculescu, Constantin Dăscălescu and Ana Sofia Dăscălescu. The documentary had its world premiere at the Sarajevo Film Festival 2020, where it won the Special Jury Prize – Documentary Competition, received the Last Stop Trieste Award, and was selected at international festivals such as MakeDox – Creative Documentary Film Festival (Skopje), One World Romania, and Dokumentale Berlin.
19.30 Planeta Petrila (Romania, 2016, 80 min) is a creative documentary directed by Andrei Dăscălescu, documenting the closure of the Petrila coal mine and the artistic and civic reaction of the former miner and artist Ion Barbu, in the context of the disappearance of an entire industrial identity. The film is produced by Filmlab Romania, in co-production with HBO Europe, with the support of the Romanian National Film Center and the Romanian Cultural Institute, and distributed by Transilvania Film. It had its world premiere at IDFA – International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (2016), won the Audience Award at Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF 2017), the Black Sea Docs Award at Pelicam Film Festival 2017, and was selected at festivals such as DocsBarcelona, DOK.fest München and One World Human Rights Documentary Film Festival.
21:00 Q&A with director Andrei Dăscălescu
Andrei Dăscălescu is a Romanian director, producer and professor, recognized for his remarkable contribution to the development of contemporary documentary cinema. A graduate of the National University of Theatre and Film in Bucharest, he has established himself through a distinctive style based on poetic observation, introspective reflection and the exploration of the spiritual dimensions of everyday reality.
In 2007, he founded the production company Filmlab, becoming a promoter of artistic independence and of fully assumed cinematic creation. He is also the founder and director of the Piatra Film Festival, dedicated to discovering and supporting the new generation of filmmakers.
His filmography includes reference titles such as Constantin and Elena (2008), Planeta Petrila (2016) and Holy Father (2020), all noted for their humanistic depth and formal accuracy. His films have been awarded at prestigious international festivals such as IDFA – International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, Sarajevo Film Festival and Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF), confirming his status as a notable author of European documentary cinema.
Since 2015, Andrei Dăscălescu has continued his mission as educator and researcher, teaching documentary film at Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, where he contributes to shaping a new generation of visual non-fiction authors defined by artistic rigor, ethics and cultural reflection.
