His best-known film is The New Year That Didn’t Happen. At this Romanian Cinema Festival we will be able to see it, but before that the animation will be shown The Magician. Was it something very different for you as a director?
No, I wouldn’t say that. Come to think of it, it’s very similar to the other film. The New Year…, it happens in one day, and it is an extraordinary day. It’s the end of communism, it’s the end of one world and the beginning of a new one. N’The Magicianwe have the same thing. It’s one day and we have the end of a world because the new world appears with this new plant, the plant.
One was 1989, Bucharest. In the other, 1910…
1910, exactly. Therefore, I would say that it also juxtaposes different narrative layers. I think, from a certain point of view, it’s the same writer, if you like. But, of course, it’s different.
Can you talk a little about the theme of this animation? It’s 1910, and it’s the inauguration of a power plant. It was revolutionary back then, right?
Yes. In 1910, electricity was what artificial intelligence is today. It was different, a little more poetic, I would say. Maybe, maybe. But I’m almost sure that a lot of people were afraid of this new thing, this new industry and electricity. I would say maybe some people were really scared. For example, thieves in the ports, in the streets, you know, the scum of society, because electricity reveals everything at night and also makes the city more beautiful. This is also true. I mean, at night, with the lights, the whole city looks much more beautiful. It all started with a short novel I wrote years ago that was published as a collection of short stories.
Everything happens in Sulina…
Yes, the story takes place in a port called Sulina, in the Danube Delta, where the river meets the Black Sea. Currently, it is very close to Ukraine, very close indeed. And the Russian Empire has always had an interest in the mouth of the Danube. So in 1910, it was like a proto-European Union in that it was under international administration. There were Greeks, Romanians, and also some Russians who fled the Tsarist Empire. It was a cosmopolitan place, almost like the European Union today.
The New Year… has already been shown in cinemas in Portugal. It talks about the fall of Ceausescu’s communist regime. How old were you then? Very young?
He was 15 years old.
And are your memories present in the film?
Yes, I captured that enthusiasm, so to speak, that I remember from that day. I captured this. In fact, I wanted to capture it. Yes, that’s why I stopped the film exactly when everyone was happy. I didn’t follow the disillusionment that follows every revolution, when people wake up from this serene dream and are faced with harsh reality.
But, as a teenager, were you aware of the changes that were coming?
Yes, because my family was greatly affected by communism. So, you know, I have a lot of stories in my family about that. Therefore, since I was little, I was very aware of everything that surrounded me.
At this festival, there are more directors. Do you know them?
I know Radu Jude. I admire his work. I loved the film that will be shown, Don’t expect too much from the end of the world. There is another animation called Sandalsfor which I was the screenwriter. So I’m involved in that too. And this one is directed by brothers Anton and Daman Groves. They are some Brits who live in Bucharest. So, I will be there to present these two animations that I worked on. One of them as a screenwriter and the other as a screenwriter and director. And yes, the new animation that was never released will also be shown, The Magician But at least I’ll be there. And a famous Romanian actor who participated inThe New Year…and now at the height of his career, Iulian Postelnicu will also be at the Party.
For the Portuguese who attend this Romanian Cinema Festival and with this small selection of films, is it possible to get an idea of current cinema in your country?
I think it’s possible. But, to be honest, the Portuguese public might know a little about Romanian cinema because of Vila do Conde, where I was. I was invited with A Prenda de Natala short film, and the Romanians are always there in Vila do Conde. Perhaps there is something to be known about Romanian cinema in the north, in Porto. But, otherwise, I think you will see a wide variety of films at this Festival. And, you know, why not animation? Which, in my opinion, is still cinema.
I remember, as a child, there were many cartoons from the former communist bloc, from different countries, that were shown on Portuguese television. I remember the Czechoslovak cartoons, the Hungarian cartoons. Was Romania also strong in animation then?
Romania has never been strong in animation. we had islands of talent, so to speak. But we never had a school. Maybe now is the time to start something. But, of course, we have some good directors these days. Anca Damiani is one of them. Maybe you’ve already heard of her. She is famous in Europe, especially in France. But I would say that this is not the strong point of Romanian film animation.
Can you tell me a little about your background? Were you a journalist before becoming a film director?
I wrote all the time. From a very young age, like a teenager, I wrote short stories and worked in advertising as a screenwriter, or copywriteras they say, and also in journalism, yes. So, I would say I worked mainly in advertising for about eight years. At the same time, I wrote short stories, screenplays and other things like that.
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