Romanian New Wave

The Romanian New Wave (Romanian: Noul val românesc) is a blanket term applied to a torrent of internationally acclaimed films made in Romania from the mid 2000s, starting with Trafic, which won the Short Film Palme d'Or at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.^[1] The greatest achievement of this New Wave thus far was winning the Palme d'Or in 2007 for 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days.

Themes

The majority of films of the Romanian New Wave are set in the late 1980s, during the communist regime of Nicolae Ceauşescu, and explore the struggles and resilience of life under dictatorship. However, some films, such as California Dreamin' and The Death of Mr. Lăzărescu, are set later, and are more concerned with the transition to free-market capitalism and democracy and the consequences on Romanian society.

Aesthetically, the films of the Romanian New Wave are united by an austere, realist and often minimalist style. Furthermore, black humour tends to feature prominently.^[2]

Major Films

• The Death of Mr. Lăzărescu by Cristi Puiu (2005) - Won the Un Certain Regard at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival
• 12:08 East of Bucharest by Corneliu Porumboiu (2006) - Won the Caméra d'Or at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival
• The Paper Will Be Blue by Radu Muntean (2006)
• The Way I Spent the End of the World by Cătălin Mitulescu (2006)
• 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days by Cristian Mungiu (2007) - Won the Palme d'Or at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival
• Boogie by Radu Muntean (2008)
• Police, Adjective by Corneliu Porumboiu (2009) - Won the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival
• Aurora by Cristi Puiu (2010)
• Tuesday, After Christmas by Radu Muntean (2010)

Other Films Associated with the Movement

• Cigarettes and Coffee by Cristi Puiu (2001) - Won the Golden Bear for Short Film at the 51st Berlin International Film Festival
• Trafic by Cătălin Mitulescu (2004) - Won the Short Film Palme d'Or at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival
• California Dreamin' by Cristian Nemescu (2007) - Won the Un Certain Regard at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival
• Hooked by Adrian Sitaru (2008)
• Tales from the Golden Age by Cristian Mungiu, Constantin Popescu, Ioana Uricaru, Răzvan Mărculescu (2009)
• Francesca by Bobby Păunescu (2009)
• Cea mai fericită fată din lume by Radu Jude (2009)
• Medalia de onoare by Călin Peter Netzer (2009)
• If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle by Florin Şerban (2010) - Won the Jury Grand Prix Silver Bear at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival
• Morgen by Marian Crișan (2010)
• Periferic by Bogdan George Apetri (2010)
• Loverboy by Cătălin Mitulescu (2011)
• Din Dragoste cu cele mai Bune Intenţii by Adrian Sitaru (2011)

Notes

1. ^ "Festival de Cannes: Cătălin Mitulescu". festival-cannes.com. http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/artist/id/125095.html. Retrieved 2009-12-14. 
2. ^ [1]

External links

• http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2010/05/cannes-film-festival-romanian-tuesday-after-christmas.html
• New Wave on the Black Sea, The New York Times, 20 January 2008
• Romanian New Wave at Cinema Without Borders
• Romanian Wave at the Melbourne International Film Festival 2008
• Eastern Promise, an article about the Romanian New Wave
• On The Romanian New Wave, includes a list of successes Romania has had at the Cannes Film Festival
• Surfing the New Wave of Romanian Cinema, 2 November 2007
• On the New Romanian Cinema, Danish Journal of Film Studies, 2 July 2009