Romanian New Wave

The Romanian New Wave (Romanian: Noul val românesc) is a genre of realist and often minimalist films made in Romania since the mid-aughts, starting with Trafic, which won the Short Film Palme d'Or at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.^[1]

Themes

A great number of films that are part of the Romanian New Wave are set in the late 1980s, towards the end of Nicolae Ceaușescu's totalitarian regime, and explore themes of liberty and resilience under the communist dictatorship. However, films such as The Death of Mr. Lăzărescu, California Dreamin' and Tuesday, After Christmas are set in modern-day Romania and delve into the ways the transition to free-market capitalism and democracy shaped Romanian society after 1989.

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

Major films

• Stuff and Dough (Marfa și banii) by Cristi Puiu (2001) — considered to be the first feature film of the Romanian New Wave.
• The Death of Mr. Lăzărescu (Moartea Domnului Lăzărescu) by Cristi Puiu (2005) — Won the Un Certain Regard at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival
• 12:08 East of Bucharest (A fost sau n-a fost?) by Corneliu Porumboiu (2006) — Won the Caméra d'Or at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival
• The Way I Spent the End of the World (Cum mi-am petrecut sfârșitul lumii) by Cătălin Mitulescu (2006)
• The Paper Will Be Blue (Hârtia va fi albastră) by Radu Muntean (2006)
• 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (4 luni, 3 săptămâni si 2 zile) by Cristian Mungiu (2007) — Won the Palme d'Or at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival
• California Dreamin' by Cristian Nemescu (2007) — Won the Un Certain Regard at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival
• Boogie by Radu Muntean (2008)
• Police, Adjective (Polițist, Adjectiv) by Corneliu Porumboiu (2009) — Won the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival
• Tuesday, After Christmas (Marți, după Crăciun) by Radu Muntean (2010)
• Aurora by Cristi Puiu (2010)
• Beyond the Hills (După dealuri) by Cristian Mungiu (2012) — Won the Best Screenplay Award at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival
• Everybody in our family (Toată lumea din familia noastră) by Radu Jude (2012)
• Child's Pose (Poziția copilului) by Călin Peter Netzer (2013) — Won the Golden Bear at the 2013 Berlin International Film Festival
• When Evening Falls on Bucharest or Metabolism (Când se lasa seara peste Bucuresti sau metabolism) by Corneliu Porumboiu (2013)

Other films associated with the movement

• Cigarettes and Coffee (Un cartuș de Kent și un pachet de cafea) by Cristi Puiu (2004) - Won the Golden Bear for Short Film at the 54th Berlin International Film Festival
• Occident by Cristian Mungiu (2002)
• Liviu's Dream (Visul lui Liviu) by Corneliu Porumboiu (2004)
• Traffic (Trafic) by Cătălin Mitulescu (2004) - Won the Short Film Palme d'Or at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival
• Marilena from P7 (Marilena de la P7) by Cristian Nemescu (2006)
• Megatron (short film) by Marian Crișan (2008) - Won the Short Film Palme d'Or at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival
• Hooked (Pescuit sportiv) by Adrian Sitaru (2008) - Won in the New Voices/New Vision section at the 20th Palm Springs International Film Festival
• Tales from the Golden Age (Amintiri din Epoca de Aur) by Cristian Mungiu, Constantin Popescu, Ioana Uricaru, Răzvan Mărculescu (2009)
• Francesca by Bobby Păunescu (2009)
• The Happiest Girl in the World (Cea mai fericită fată din lume) by Radu Jude (2009)
• The Other Irene (Cealaltă Irina) by Andrei Gruzsniczki (2009)
• Medal of Honour (Medalia de onoare) by Călin Peter Netzer (2009)
• First of all, Felicia (Felicia, înainte de toate) by Melissa de Raaf & Răzvan Rădulescu (2009)
• If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle (Daca vreau să fluier, fluier) by Florin Șerban (2010) - Won the Jury Grand Prix Silver Bear at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival
• Morgen by Marian Crișan (2010) - Won the Special Jury Prize at the 63rd Locarno International Film Festival
• Outbound (Periferic) by Bogdan George Apetri (2010)
• Portrait of the Fighter as a Young Man (Portretul luptătorului la tinerețe) by Constantin Popescu (2010)
• Loverboy by Cătălin Mitulescu (2011)
• Best Intentions (Din dragoste cu cele mai bune intenţii) by Adrian Sitaru (2011) - Won the Leopard for the Best Direction at the 64th Locarno International Film Festival
• Closer to the Moon (Mai aproape de lună) by Nae Caranfil (2014)
• Aferim! by Radu Jude (2015) — Won the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 2015 Berlin International Film Festival

Further reading

"The Romanian New Wave: Witnessing Everyday Life in the Ceausescu Era and Understanding Post-Communist Dilemmas" by Stefania Marghitu "Spring 2012"

• The Romanian New Wave, at Bonjour Tristesse, November 1, 2010.
• Cannes 2010: Those Romanians are at it again, by Steven Zeitchik for Los Angeles Times, May 13, 2010.
• Romania's new wave is riding high, by Ronald Bergman for The Guardian, March 26, 2008.
• On the New Romanian Cinema, by Marina Kaceanov for A Danish Journal of Film Studies No. 25, March 25, 2008.
• On The Romanian New Wave, by Ion Martea for Culture Wars, March 18, 2008.
• New Wave on the Black Sea, by A.O. Scott for The New York Times, January 20, 2008.
• Eastern Promise, in British Film Institute's Sight & Sound October 2007 issue.
• Romanian New Wave, International Spotlight "Romania at LAFF 2007", by Vera Mijojlic for Cinema Without Borders, June 18, 2007.
• [Academic article on the 1989 films https://www.academia.edu/3671294/Post-Heroic_Revolution_Depicting_the_1989_Events_in_the_Romanian_Historical_Film_of_the_Twenty-First_Century]

References