vasiletina
09-02-2007, 23:58
Romanian movie at the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 2007
Award Winning at Cannes Film Festival 2006
Caméra d’Or
12:08 EAST OF BUCHAREST
Director Corneliu Porumboiu
FRIDAY, 23 FEBRUARY, Cineworld 11, Parnell Street , Dublin 1 / 09:00 P.M.
international title: 12:08 East of Bucharest
original title: A fost sau n-a fost?
country: Romania
year: 2006
genre: fiction
directed by: Corneliu Porumboiu
film run: 89'
release date: BE 10/01/2007, FR 10/01/2007, HU 14/12/2006
screenplay: Corneliu Porumboiu
main awards/selection
EFA 2006
selection
Cannes 2006
Directors' Fortnight (selection)
Caméra d'Or, Label Europa Cinémas
PLOT DESCRIPTION: (The New York Times, http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=350870)
Gil-Scott Heron once wrote "the revolution will not be televised," but one Romanian newsman attempts to put his nation's revolution on the air after the fact in this satiric comedy from writer and director Corneliu Porumboiu. It's the sixteenth anniversary of the revolt that removed Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu from power in Romania , and Jderescu (Ion Sapdaru) is the host of a televised public affairs show who wants to do a special program on the revolution. Jderescu's idea is to bring on a handful of ordinary citizens to discuss their role in Ceausescu's overthrow and how their lives have changed since Communist rule was swept from Romania . However, Jderescu can only round up two guests for his broadcast -- elderly Piscoci (Mircea Andreescu), who's more interested in playing Santa Claus for the neighborhood kids than talking politics, and Manescu (Teo Corban), a schoolteacher nursing a brutal hangover. As Jderescu tries to lead a serious discussion of how Romania has changed since Ceausescu was driven from power, the conversation wanders off on a tangent about where the revolution actually took place, and the waters become even more muddied when Jderescu opens up the phone lines for questions from viewers, most of whom have their own distinct (and strongly conflicting) memories of the Revolution . . . and one of which has a bone to pick with Manescu over some drunken insults he hurled the night before. A Fost Sau n-a Fost? (aka 12:08 East of Bucharest ) received its North American premier at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
December 22. It’s been sixteen years since the Revolution and Christmas is approaching. Pisconi, an old retiree, is preparing to spend another lonely Christmas. Manescu, a history teacher, doesn’t want to lose his entire salary to pay his debts. Jderescu, the owner of the local TV station, doesn’t seem very interested in vacation. With Piscoci and Manescu’s help, he wants to find an answer to a sixteen-year-old question: "Did a revolution really take place in their city"?
Review by Boyd van Hoeij
(http://european-films.net)
A fost sau n-a fost?
(12:08, East of Bucharest )
Saturday, 15 July 2006
A first film that is a cross between a theatre play and a television show grows unexpectedly compelling in Au fost sau n-a fost? (12:08, East of Bucharest ), a Romanian comedy that tries to fathom what happened exactly when the communist dictator Ceauşescu fled the country sixteen years ago. Rookie writer-director Corneliu Porumboiu has a great flair for creating comic yet believable characters.
The Romanian title literally translates as “Was there or wasn’t there?”, which is the question of the day at a small, local television station that wants to investigate the events of 22 December 1989. Was it a popular revolution that made communist dictator Ceaucescu flee, or did the people crowd the streets only after he took off in his private helicopter, in which case there was no revolution at all? The owner of the TV station and presenter of the programme is Jderescu (Ion Sapdaru), a Romanian miniature version of Berlusconi minus the overt political aspirations but with a similar flair for colourful gaffes and innate sense of preponderance. His two guests for the evening are the lonely pensioner Piscoci (Mircea Andreescu), better known in town as the man who used to dress up as Santa Claus each Christmas, and he history teacher and compulsive alcoholic Manescu (Teo Corban), an apparent eye witness to the events of 1989.
After a short opening section in which the characters are somewhat clumsily established, Porumbiou settles down in his TV format, showing on film what television viewers in Romania would see had they tuned in to Jderescu’s programme. It runs in real time for the entire duration of the show (even showing us what happens during the commercial break), and Porumboiu handles his gentle version of character- and situational comedy well, playing off the different personalities of the three characters and their interaction (or lack thereof) between themselves and the viewers, who are encouraged to call in with their questions and comments and also offer their insights and insults.
The comedy, more aking to a TV sketch or subversive play, works perfectly, mainly because of Porumboiu’s excellent direction of the actors (who all have a faultless comic timing) and the witty script, also from the director’s hand. The characters are all intelligent riffs on clichés (the drunk, the lonely pensioner, the arrogant TV presenter) and their discussion about what really happened on that important day grows decidedly compelling and succeeds to remain hilarious as minutes tick by. A more reflective closing sequence that reprises some of the ideas of the opening scenes offers a nice sense of closure.
Further information and online-booking from www.dubliniff.com
Award Winning at Cannes Film Festival 2006
Caméra d’Or
12:08 EAST OF BUCHAREST
Director Corneliu Porumboiu
FRIDAY, 23 FEBRUARY, Cineworld 11, Parnell Street , Dublin 1 / 09:00 P.M.
international title: 12:08 East of Bucharest
original title: A fost sau n-a fost?
country: Romania
year: 2006
genre: fiction
directed by: Corneliu Porumboiu
film run: 89'
release date: BE 10/01/2007, FR 10/01/2007, HU 14/12/2006
screenplay: Corneliu Porumboiu
main awards/selection
EFA 2006
selection
Cannes 2006
Directors' Fortnight (selection)
Caméra d'Or, Label Europa Cinémas
PLOT DESCRIPTION: (The New York Times, http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=350870)
Gil-Scott Heron once wrote "the revolution will not be televised," but one Romanian newsman attempts to put his nation's revolution on the air after the fact in this satiric comedy from writer and director Corneliu Porumboiu. It's the sixteenth anniversary of the revolt that removed Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu from power in Romania , and Jderescu (Ion Sapdaru) is the host of a televised public affairs show who wants to do a special program on the revolution. Jderescu's idea is to bring on a handful of ordinary citizens to discuss their role in Ceausescu's overthrow and how their lives have changed since Communist rule was swept from Romania . However, Jderescu can only round up two guests for his broadcast -- elderly Piscoci (Mircea Andreescu), who's more interested in playing Santa Claus for the neighborhood kids than talking politics, and Manescu (Teo Corban), a schoolteacher nursing a brutal hangover. As Jderescu tries to lead a serious discussion of how Romania has changed since Ceausescu was driven from power, the conversation wanders off on a tangent about where the revolution actually took place, and the waters become even more muddied when Jderescu opens up the phone lines for questions from viewers, most of whom have their own distinct (and strongly conflicting) memories of the Revolution . . . and one of which has a bone to pick with Manescu over some drunken insults he hurled the night before. A Fost Sau n-a Fost? (aka 12:08 East of Bucharest ) received its North American premier at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
December 22. It’s been sixteen years since the Revolution and Christmas is approaching. Pisconi, an old retiree, is preparing to spend another lonely Christmas. Manescu, a history teacher, doesn’t want to lose his entire salary to pay his debts. Jderescu, the owner of the local TV station, doesn’t seem very interested in vacation. With Piscoci and Manescu’s help, he wants to find an answer to a sixteen-year-old question: "Did a revolution really take place in their city"?
Review by Boyd van Hoeij
(http://european-films.net)
A fost sau n-a fost?
(12:08, East of Bucharest )
Saturday, 15 July 2006
A first film that is a cross between a theatre play and a television show grows unexpectedly compelling in Au fost sau n-a fost? (12:08, East of Bucharest ), a Romanian comedy that tries to fathom what happened exactly when the communist dictator Ceauşescu fled the country sixteen years ago. Rookie writer-director Corneliu Porumboiu has a great flair for creating comic yet believable characters.
The Romanian title literally translates as “Was there or wasn’t there?”, which is the question of the day at a small, local television station that wants to investigate the events of 22 December 1989. Was it a popular revolution that made communist dictator Ceaucescu flee, or did the people crowd the streets only after he took off in his private helicopter, in which case there was no revolution at all? The owner of the TV station and presenter of the programme is Jderescu (Ion Sapdaru), a Romanian miniature version of Berlusconi minus the overt political aspirations but with a similar flair for colourful gaffes and innate sense of preponderance. His two guests for the evening are the lonely pensioner Piscoci (Mircea Andreescu), better known in town as the man who used to dress up as Santa Claus each Christmas, and he history teacher and compulsive alcoholic Manescu (Teo Corban), an apparent eye witness to the events of 1989.
After a short opening section in which the characters are somewhat clumsily established, Porumbiou settles down in his TV format, showing on film what television viewers in Romania would see had they tuned in to Jderescu’s programme. It runs in real time for the entire duration of the show (even showing us what happens during the commercial break), and Porumboiu handles his gentle version of character- and situational comedy well, playing off the different personalities of the three characters and their interaction (or lack thereof) between themselves and the viewers, who are encouraged to call in with their questions and comments and also offer their insights and insults.
The comedy, more aking to a TV sketch or subversive play, works perfectly, mainly because of Porumboiu’s excellent direction of the actors (who all have a faultless comic timing) and the witty script, also from the director’s hand. The characters are all intelligent riffs on clichés (the drunk, the lonely pensioner, the arrogant TV presenter) and their discussion about what really happened on that important day grows decidedly compelling and succeeds to remain hilarious as minutes tick by. A more reflective closing sequence that reprises some of the ideas of the opening scenes offers a nice sense of closure.
Further information and online-booking from www.dubliniff.com