Film O’Clock International Festival #5 – Poets or Engineers in Filmmaking?

The fifth edition of the Film O’Clock International Festival promises a unique experience from April 3-6, 2025, celebrating the art of cinema and cultural diversity through an impressive selection of contemporary films, classics, educational events and special guest talks. The festival takes place simultaneously in eleven territories, connecting movie lovers in Romania, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, Moldova, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, Greece, Egypt and South Africa. Screenings in Romania will take place at the Cinemateca Eforie in Bucharest, while the academic conference on Archives, Cinema and Collective Healing will be held at the UNATC – Tudor Arghezi.

A first special event of the festival will take place today, Wednesday, March 26, online, at 19:00 (Bucharest time) – the Romanian premiere of the Celluloid Solidarity podcast. More info: https://foc-iff.com/fociff-2025/warm-up-event/.

A spectacular start in partnership with the National University of Theatre and Film “I.L.Caragiale“ in Bucharest

The official opening of the festival also marks the 75th anniversary of UNATC Bucharest and will take place on Thursday, April 3, at 18:45, with the screening of “Romanian Classic Shortfilms – Together Across Time Zones – Celebrating 75 Years of Stories at UNATC”. This selection includes landmark short films made by the first generation of UNATC’s Directing and Cinematography students between 1967 and 1970, after a break of a decade.

The special screening includes the following titles:

• Song, directed by Felicia Cernăianu, 1968 (11 min)
• The Circle, directed by Mircea Veroiu, 1968 (10 min)
• Life in Pink, directed by Dan Pița, 1969 (18 min)
• Rhythms, directed by Andrei Vidrascu, 1970 (5 min)
• The Dictator and His Submissive, directed by Ada Pistiner, 1967 (12 min)

These cinematic gems are part of the UNATC “I.L. Caragiale” Active Archive project, which contributes to the restoration of audiovisual heritage.

The event will be attended by some of the authors and protagonists of these films.

The classics section is complemented by a suite of timeless masterpieces:

• The Undesirable (Hungary, directed by Michael Curtiz, 1914, 63 min): a touching story about the mother-daughter relationship, directed by the famous director of Casablanca. This early masterpiece offers a valuable insight into the talent of a director who was to have a profound influence on classic cinema.
• The Joyful Nightmare (Greece, directed by Sissy Vafea, 1983, 55 min): a documentary gem about children’s creativity in the process of making a movie. The director, whose career has been dedicated to teaching children about film for over 40 years, will also give a special masterclass for educators at the festival.
• A Woman and Her Four Men (Lithuania, directed by Algimantas Puipa, 1983, 90 min): a cinematic ballad that takes us to a Baltic fishing village at the turn of the 20th century. The story follows the central heroine, a woman who, despite the repeated losses of her husbands, always finds support in her family to protect her home and children. The movie’s melancholic rhythm evokes the sea, the sands and the coastal winds, reflecting the cycles of life, tragedy and renewal.
• Earth (Ukraine, directed by Oleksandr Dovzhenko, 1930, 76 min.): considered one of the masterpieces of silent cinema, the film explores with poetic and visual intensity the profound transformations of Ukrainian rural life during the collectivization process, contrasting tradition and modernity. Its powerful imagery, pictorial compositions and meditative pace give the film a rare lyrical dimension.
• Amateur (Poland, directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1979, 112 min): a significant masterpiece in the career of director Krzysztof Kieslowski, one of his earliest works that anticipates recurring themes in his later films. This film centres on an obsession with cinema, but more deeply explores the impact that art and creativity can have on an individual’s life, interpersonal relationships and perception of reality.
• Guguță (Moldova, directed by Constantin Bălan, 1980-1990, 61 min): the collection of short films starring a curious and imaginative little boy, combines the tradition of Moldovan animation with elements of local folklore, building a colorful and playful universe, which has managed to conquer both children and adults over time, through its nostalgic charm.
• Mapantsula (South Africa, directed by Oliver Schmitz, 1988, 103 min.): a harrowing story of transformation and political consciousness, following the evolution of Panic, a small South African gangster who becomes an active player in the anti-apartheid struggle. It was banned on release but won international awards and became a symbol of resistance and political change in South Africa.
• Ghazal al-banat (Egypt, directed by Anwar Wagdi, 1949, 120 min): A classic musical of Egyptian cinema, Ghazal al-banat is the story of a poor Arabic teacher who, through a series of events, finds himself at the crossroads between love and sacrifice. It remains a shining example of Golden Age cinema and is considered one of the best Egyptian films of all time.
• Three (Serbia, directed by Aleksandar Petrovic, 1965, 80 min): a profoundly humanistic work that examines the impact of war from three key perspectives: the witness, the victim and the executioner. Set against the backdrop of World War II, the film emphasizes the absurdity and futility of war through a poignant exploration of suffering and its human cost. The director creates an intimate portrait of the violence of war, emphasizing the trauma it leaves in its wake and the intertwined destinies of those involved. Three is movie with a powerful anti-war vision, a moving call for peace and understanding of human suffering.
• The Last Word (Bulgaria, directed by Binka Zhelyazkova, 1973, 118 min): a symbolic film about women’s resistance to an oppressive regime, focusing on the last days of six women political prisoners awaiting execution. The director reinterprets life in the face of death, emphasizing the symbolic power of childbirth and the rituals that mark the transition from darkness to light.

International educational debate: “Poets or Engineers in Filmmaking?”

On 3 April, starting at 12:00 (Romanian time), the festival is organizing a unique online debate on “Poets or Engineers in Filmmaking”, with award-winning Polish director Rafael Kapelinski (https://www.thestoryspectrum.com/) as special guest. Along with him, representatives of prestigious Polish Film Schools will be present to explore how creative and technical approaches intersect in the filmmaking process.

The discussion will ask a fundamental question: what defines a filmmaker: is he or she a poet of the imagination, guided by emotion and creativity, or an engineer of cinematic craft, guided by precision and structure? It will examine the balance between art and technique, highlighting how creativity and technical expertise can harmonize to form complete filmmakers.

The event is open to the public, especially to film students, young film professionals, educators and film enthusiasts who want to better understand the filmmaking process. Attendance is free, but places are limited.

To participate, fill in the registration form available at: https://forms.gle/ed9NDg4VmvznWmaS8

About Film O’Clock International Festival

Film O’Clock is a festival with a unique vision, celebrating global cinema by simultaneously connecting audiences in 11 countries. The festival promotes meaningful discussions and synchronized screenings, becoming a meeting point for filmmakers, critics and the general public, contributing to the development of a vibrant intercultural dialogue.

Film O’Clock International Festival #5 is a cultural project produced by Creatrix Fama and co-financed by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund (AFCN)*. The fifth edition is organized under the aegis of “Solidarity on Screen – Polish Presidency Film Review”, with the support of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute as part of the international cultural program of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2025.

Partners: National University of Theatre and Film “I.L.Caragiale” in Bucharest (UNATC), Union of Romanian Filmmakers (UCIN), DACIN SARA, National Film Archive, Eforie Cinematheque, Polish Institute in Bucharest, F-Sides Club Cineclub, Filmoteka Narodowa – Instytut Audiowizualny, Wytwórnia Filmów Dokumentalnych i Fabularnych, Kino Iluzjon (Poland), Bulgarian National Film Archive, National Academy of Theatre and Film – NATFA (Bulgaria), Vilnius Academy of Arts (Lithuania), Lithuanian Film Center, CNC Moldova, Mediacor Chisinau, National Film Institute of Hungary, Tisza Mozi (Hungary), Dovjenko Centre, Zhovten Cinema (Ukraine), Schedia – Center for Artistic and Pedagogical Training (Greece), Romanian-Greek Association of Art and Culture (Greece), Otvoreni Univerzitet Subotica Doo (Serbia), Cinemaeuropa Subotica (Serbia), Delta Video (Serbia), Neelsie Cinema (South Africa), Jesuit Cinema Club (Egypt), Medfest Egypt, ART, thestoryspectrum.com.

Romania Journal is among the media partners that support the festival.