“A film that impressed us with its mise-en-scène, a historical narrative devoid of mannerisms that surprised us, a film that plunged us into the chaos of the events of 1989, along with Ceaușescu’s escape. A film where the agitation of the Revolution is captured not only in various locations in Sibiu but also in the reactions and language of the characters.” This is the jury’s motivation for awarding the Critics’ Prize to the Romanian film “Libertate” (dir. Tudor Giurgiu) at this year’s ewhich concluded on Sunday, November 12, in northern France. The jury was chaired by Perrine Quennesson, one of France’s most active film journalists (she writes, among other things, for the Cinema Teaser magazine and has worked for cinema shows Tchi Tcha and Le Cercle at CANAL+). Alongside Quennesson, the jury included Thomas Baurez (Première, FRANCE 24), Christophe Caron (La Voix du Nord), Boris Szames (SO FILM, Gone Hollywood), and Caroline Veunac (Télérama).
This is not the only trophy won by the Romanian production over the weekend. The film also won the FIPRESCI Prize (International Federation of Film Critics) at the 33rd edition of the Cottbus Film Festival in Germany: “Experiencing a revolution on screen can be uncomfortable and captivating at the same time. The director manages to shape historical chaos, creating a film that goes beyond the aesthetics of the Romanian New Wave.” The jury included Italian journalist Giuseppe Sedia, German journalist Katrin Hillgruber, and Romanian historian Angelo Mitchievici. Cottbus is one of the most important film festivals dedicated to Eastern European cinema.
The cast of “Libertate” includes some of the most well-known and appreciated Romanian actors: Iulian Postelnicu, Mirela Oprișor, Alex Bogdan, Alexandru Papadopol, Alex Calangiu, Andreea Grămoșteanu, Cuzin Toma, Leonid Doni, Andi Vasluianu, Ștefan Iancu, or Ionuț Caras.
This year, the film won the Award for the Most Popular Romanian Film at TIFF, the CICAE Prize at Sarajevo, the Ecumenical Jury Prize at Cinefest Miskolc, and the Award for Best Costumes and Set Design (signed by Viorica Petrovici and Vali Ighigheanu, respectively) at the Waterloo Historical Film Festival.