DocAviv, the International Documentary Film Festival in Tel Aviv, takes place from May 6 to 15 at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque. The festival, organized annually, is one of the world's most highly regarded festival of its kind. DocAviv hosts important international filmmakers, offers a rich program including, apart from the Israeli and international competition, special screenings, lectures and workshops.
In this year's edition of the festival, with the support of the Romanian Cultural Institute in Tel Aviv, the documentary film "Constantin and Elena" (Romania/Spain, 2008), directed by Andrei Dăscălescu, is included in the special screening series. The director will be present for opening remarks and a dialogue whith the audience members after the screenings on May 11, 13 and 14.
Alongside the many young and surprising filmmakers who have appeared on the Romanian cinema scene in the last years, Andrei Dăscălescu in his debut offers further evidence that the Romanian New Wave is a project with a real future. His social, observational, character driven documentary, "Constantin and Elena" has been acclaimed at numerous international festivals, among which the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam in 2008, where it received the First Appearance Award, and Bucharest GOPO Awards in 2009 (Best Documentary Nomination). In this context, the film was selected by DocAviv to be included in the special screenings section, in the presence of the director.
Andrei Dăscălescu has worked with Francis Ford Coppola and Walter Much on "Youth without Youth", Coppola's 2007 film. A well-known film editor and sound engineer, Andrei Dăscălescu has also been awarded for his own short films and photography. His professional experience is already impressive for his young age, and "Constantin and Elena" is his feature-length documentary debut. (www.constantinandelena.com)
Synopsis: She helps him dress, he helps her put on her shoes. They have been married for 55 years and they have lots to do and many things to passionately discuss as though they met only the day before yesterday. They continue to work side by side laboriously, in admirable tenderness and intimacy. There is need for repairs, planting, weaving, preparing food, tending to the animals, and also sing beloved old songs and hymns, breath the fresh air of a small and picturesque village somewhere in Romania. Their grandson, the director, cinematographer, soundman and editor, accompanies them as a fly on the wall, managing to completely disguise his presence in the small house, laden with furniture and objects, and allows us to participate in the lives of two beautiful people.
Screenings - followed by Q&A sessions with the film's director
Tel Aviv Cinematheque (2 Shprinzak St., Tel Aviv) 11/05 Tue 20:00 CIN2 13/05 Thu 10:00 CIN2 14/05 Fri 10:00 CIN2
Ticktes: www.docaviv.co.il
The event is supported by the Romanian Cultural Institute in Tel Aviv.
More information on the documentary and its director, Andrei Dăscălescu: http://www.constantinandelena.com/, www.filmlab.ro
More details on DOCAVIV: www.docaviv.co.il
