250 actors attend the second edition of Managing Talents workshop
A weekend full of premiers, guests and special events awaits film lovers at the 8th edition of Les Films de Cannes à Bucarest. Managing Talents workshop, taking place on Saturday, October 21st at Cinema PRO, starting 11.00, will bring to Bucharest some of the most active casting directors of the moment: Frank Moiselle (Ireland), Vicki Thomson (Great Britain), Nathalie Cheron (France), Elizaveta Shmakova (Russia), Victor Jenkins (Great Britain) and Richard Cook (Ireland). Tickets for Saturday’s panel talks are still available on Eventbook.ro.
Tonight, Christian Berger, director of photography for Happy End directed by Michael Haneke, who has worked with the director on some of his previous films like The White Ribbon or Caché, will introduce the film at Cinema PRO, starting 20.15. Mr. Berger is also in Bucharest for the Masterclass organized by the Romanian Society of Cinematographers this weekend. Details are available on Facebook.com/rscmasterclass. This very evening too, at Cinema Elvire Popesco, director Valeska Grisebach will be talking to the audience via Skype, for the screening of Western.
On Sunday October 22nd, at the festival’s closing evening, Italian director Antonio Piazza, will have a q&a session at Cinema PRO for the screening of Sicilian Ghost Story, that was shown this year for the opening of Semaine de la Critique section in Cannes, and at Cinema Elvire Popesco, cinematographer Alexander Nanau will attend the screening of the documentary Nothingwood, by Sonia Kronlund, shown in Quinzaine des Réalisateurs.
The second edition of Managing Talents workshop seeks to facilitate meetings between Romanian actors and renowned casting directors from around the world as well as with Romanian and foreign actors with remarkable international careers. The event will comprise a series of talks and meetings tackling various issues, where attendees will have the opportunity of discussing with actors that have developed international careers, Romanian directors and renowned casting directors. In the first panel, Actori pentru actori (Actors for Actors), Valentina Lodovini (award winning actress for her role as Maria in the film Benvenuti al sud, directed by Luca Miniero), Dylan Smith (known for his parts in 300, Total Recall, The Mummy) and Vlad Ivanov (one of the most popular Romanian actors of the moment, known for his role in 4 luni, 3 săptămâni şi 2 zile / 4 months, 3 weeks, and 2 days – d. Cristian Mungiu, Poliţist, adjectiv / Police, adjective – d. Corneliu Porumboiu, Poziţia copilului / Child’s Pose – d. Călin Peter Netzer and Câini / Dogs – d. Bogdan Mirică) will converse with attendees over the opportunities, specificities and conditionalities of an international acting career. In the second half of the event, directors Cristian Mungiu and Radu Muntean will be talking about directors’ expectations following the casting meeting, and at the end, in the panel Listening to casting directors, experienced casting directors will be discussing about self-tapes, strategies, opportunities and preparation for international castings.
On the last night of the festival, the audience will have the opportunity of talking to director Antonio Piazza, who will be attending the screening of Sicilian Ghost Story, made together with Fabio Grassadonia with whom he’s worked on all his films so far. The two had a strong start in 2020 with Rita, one of the Italian short films that has won a significant number of awards – over 40 – in recent years, and was selected in about one hundred festivals. Salvo, their feature film debut launched in 2013 won the Grand Prix and the award Révélation France 4 in Cannes’s Semaine de la Critique. On Sicilian Ghost Story, the two Italian directors’ latest film, The Hollywood Reporter writes : ‘’Superb technical work transforms cruel reality into a fable with many ramifications(…) A recurring image is the ruins of a magnificent Greek temple that towers above the sea, like the longing for a return of the gods who once were said to populate the island.’’
On Sunday, at 20.30, at Cinema Elvire Popesco, director Alexander Nanau (Toto și surorile lui / Toto and His Sisters, 2014) will be at the premiere of Nothingwood, this time in his role of director of photography for the documentary directed by Sonia Kronlund about Salim Shaheen, the most prolific and well known actor-director-producer from Afghanistan. Salim Shaheen’s trip around Kabul to show some of his over 110 films and to shoot his next one is a unique occasion to meet this cinema aficionado and relentless maker of Z movies, in a country that’s been at war for over 30 years now. Nothingwood tells the story of a life dedicated to fulfilling a childhood dream.
On Saturday, October 21st, at Cinema PRO, film lovers will have the opportunity of watching in a single day this year’s winners of the three most prestigious awards: the Golden Bear (On Body and Soul), Palm d’Or (The Square) and the Golden Lyon (The Shape of Water). Ziua de Aur (Golden Day) will expand this year as the festival will also show at Cinema Elvira Popesco the winner of the Golden Leopard, Mrs Fang.
The Preview section continues at Cinema Muzeul Țăranului, with screenings of the latest Romanian films, getting ready for their participation at international festivals. Thus the film Aniversarea/Anniversary, the seventh feature film in the work of director Dan Chișu, to be presented in the official selection in Warsaw, will be shown on Friday, October 20th. On Saturday, October 21st Romanian film lovers will have the opportunity of watching two other previews – Pororoca (d. Constantin Popescu, the critics’ favourite at San Sebastian, where it was awarded the Prize for Best Actor – Bogdan Dumitrache) and Meda sau Partea nu prea fericită a lucrurilor/ Meda or the Not So Bright Side of Things (d. Emanuel Pârvu, at Sarajevo IFF the film received the Best Director and the Best Actor awards). The weekend will end with the long-awaited premiere of Soldații. Poveste din Ferentari / Soldiers. Story from Ferentari, the feature film debut of director and actress of Serbian origins Ivana Mladenovic. Each of the above mentioned screenings will be followed by Q&As with the film crews Tickets are available online on Eventbook.ro or at the theatre’s box office.
Les Films de Cannes à Bucarest action to support projects developed by NGOs in Romania by donating the proceeds of special screenings is continuing this weekend. Thus on Saturday, October 21st, at 15.00, Cinema Muzeul Țăranului Român will host a special screening of Amintiri din Epoca de Aur, partea 1/ Tales from the Golden Age, part 1, the proceeds from which will go to the ActivRandom association for the support of people with refugee status. Several thousand refugees in Romania, including those who have contributed to the translation into Arabic language of the film’s dialogues, will be attending the event. The proceeds from the screening of Moartea domnului Lăzărescu/ The Death of Mr. Lazarescu to take place on Sunday 17.30, at Cinema Muzeul Țăranului, will go to the Association Dăruiește viață, for the project of the first integrated oncology and radiotherapy unit at the Marie Curie Children’s Hospital.
If you feel close to any of these causes, you are invited to support them through your presence at the screenings and through additional donations you will be able to give directly into the accounts of these associations, by way of specific forms made available at the screenings.
After Cluj-Napoca and Brașov, another three special editions of the festival will be happening in several cities around the country: from October 20th to 22nd in Timișoara (Banatul Philarmonic), Arad (Cinema ARTA) and Iași (Iași Atheneum), Les Films de Cannes à Suceava will take place from November 10th to 12th in Suceava (Cinema Modern).
The full schedule of the festival and further details on the films and guests can be found on filmedefestival.ro and tickets are available on the Eventbook network.
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The festival is presented by Orange Romania, a traditional partner of the event.
Supported by: BRD Groupe Société Générale
Official car of the festival: Renault
With the support of: Catena, Apa Nova, Groupama Asigurări, Silva, TASTEmakers
Official Coffee of the festival: Nespresso
The eighth edition of Les Films de Cannes à Bucarest is organized by the Cinemascop Association and Voodoo Films, in partnership with the Embassy of France and the French Institute in Bucharest.
Les Films de Cannes à Bucarest is a cultural project financed by the The Ministry of Culture and National Identity, the National Center of Cinematography, SACD / Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques (Society of Dramatic Authors and Composers), the Cultural Project Centre of the Bucharest City Hall – ARCUB, within the Cultural Program “Bucureşti Oraș Participativ” 2017 and the Romanian Cultural Institute.
Partners: Hotel Mercure, S.E.R.V.E, UPS, Media Image Factory, PiArt Vision, Ţuca Zbârcea & Asociaţii.
Media partners: Europa FM, TVR, Zile și Nopți, Cinemap, Glamour, VIVA!, ELLE, News.ro, A List Magazine, Observator Cutural, Scena9, Agerpres, LiterNet, The Institute, Cinemagia, Movie News, AaRC, Cinefan, Umblat.ro, Urban.ro
Media monitoring partner: mediaTRUST
The local editions of the festival, taking place in the 7 other cities are carried out in Brașov with the support of the Local Council of Brașov, through the program “Project co-financed by the Brașov Local Council”, in Cluj-Napoca with the support of the Local Council of Cluj Napoca, the City Hall of Cluj Napoca and the “Suedia” Association, in Sibiu in partnership with ASTRA Film Festival, in Arad through the program “Co-financed by The Municipal Cultural Center Arad”, in Timișoara with the support of the City Hall of Timișoara, The Cultural House Of The City Of Timișoara and the Philharmonic of Banat, in Iași with the support of The City Hall of Iași and the Athenaeum, and in Suceava with the help of the City Hall of Suceava.
