The Audience Award at Les Films de Cannes à Bucarest XV edition was won by TATA, written and directed by Lina Vdovîi and Radu Ciorniciuc. The film could be voted by the public in the Autumn Previews, the only competitive section in the festival, organized with the support of Groupama. TATA, the only Romanian documentary selected at the Toronto International Film Festival, is a powerful and emotional story about a daughter’s struggle to break the cycle of violence in her family and to heal the wounds of the past, both for herself and future generations, and for the one who hurt her. Six other films signed by Romanian directors could be watched and voted on during the Autumn Previews, before their official release in cinemas in the country.
The winners were chosen in the Works in Progress section of the festival, intended for films that will be ready in 2025. Here, the awards offered by Avanpost in terms of post-production services were awarded to the films Sorella di Clausura directed by Ivana Mladenovic and De Capul Lor by Tudor Cristian Jurgiu, and the award for post-production services offered by Abator was won by the film The Soldier’s Journey by Helena Maksyom.
The jury of the Works in Progress section was formed this edition from Elad Samorzik – member of the selection committee for Berlinale International Film Festival, Caroline Maleville – member of the selection committee for Quinzaines des Cinéastes – Cannes, Lorenzo Esposito – Associate Programmer at Karlovy Vary Film Festival, Paolo Bertolin member of the selection committee for the Venice International Film Festival.
Write a Screenplay For … Crime Drama Awards
During the closing gala of the XV edition of Les Films de Cannes à Bucarest, which took place on Sunday at the Peasant Museum Cinema, the winners of Write a Screenplay for…, the script and film pitch competition organized by Cinemascop Association with the support of PRO TV. The theme of this edition of the competition was “Write a Screenplay for Crime Drama”. Starting from the theme, in the feature film category, Inna Cebotari and Volker Schmidt were chosen as winners with the project Lumea ta (Deine Welt), and the Abyss is also looking at you in you by Daniel Oltean won in the TV miniseries category. Each of them received a prize worth 6,000 euros, offered by PRO TV. The winning TV miniseries project will sign a development contract with PRO TV. The winning feature film project will enter the next stage of development with the support of the Cinemascop Association. Keeping the tradition from the previous edition of the contest, all finalists will benefit from a simple one-year option signed with PROTV, worth 1,000 euros each.
The “From Book to Screen” prize was awarded to Lavinia Braniște at the Book to Screen contest.
Lavinia Braniște, represented by Arthur Publishing, was selected as the winner of this year’s Book to Screen contest, organized by Matca Literară in partnership with PRO TV and the Cinemascop Association. The “From Book to Screen” award was given for her novel Sora lui Colăcel. The prize includes a contract to develop the pilot episode of a future series based on her book, along with €5,000, both provided by PRO TV. Now in its second edition, the Book to Screen event took place at Les Films de Cannes à Bucarest, with 75 Romanian authors competing for the award. The jury included Gabriela Iacob, Head of Scripted Content Development at PRO TV, and George Cornilă, editor at Matca Literară and managing editor at Curtea Veche Publishing.
Actors Selected for Tales from the Golden Age 3, Directed by Ioana Uricaru
Nearly 400 actors applied for the casting organized through the Managing Talents program for the film Tales from the Golden Age 3, directed by Ioana Uricaru and set to be filmed in 2025. Selected for the lead roles are Janir Izdrailă, Ana Maria Cojocaru, Vlad Brumaru, and Ana Bodea.
This year, the Managing Talents program, dedicated to supporting and developing the Romanian acting community, included two unique sessions: one at Les Films de Cannes à Bucarest and another at Les Films de Cannes à Timișoara. Participants attended workshops with director Cristian Mungiu, actors Gheorghe Ifrim and Monica Bîrlădeanu, acting coach Julien Javions, and casting leaders David Zitzlsperger, Lana Veenker, and Domnica Cîrciumaru.
Les Films de Cannes à Bucarest continues this week across the country, with a new local edition in Cluj. The festival returns to Cinema Victoria and Cinema Arta from November 7–10. Eleven acclaimed films from Cannes and Berlinale 2024, including Anora, The Substance, and the Golden Bear winner Dahomey, will be screened in Cluj.