COMPETIŢIE 

Six European fiction films with moral dilemmas as their central theme and which had their world premieres at the biggest festivals are part of this year’s competition. The films come from Bulgaria, Germany, Israel, Poland, Serbia and Turkey and compete for the Ceau, Cinema Trophy! “Răzvan Georgescu” and the Audience Award.

The jury is made up of actresses Ilinca Manolache and Olga Török and director Adrian Sitaru.

Trofeul Ceau, Cinema! “Răzvan Georgescu” has a value of 1,000 euros, and the Audience Award is 500 euros, both being offered by Groupama Asigurari.

Competiţia Ceau, Cinema! offers a framework for filmmakers from countries with traditional minorities in the Banat region.

Hesitation Wound

Directed by: Selman Nacar

Cast: Tülin Özen, Ogulcan Arman Uslu, Gulcin Kultur Sahin

Drama – Turkey – 2023 – 1h24min    +15

Language: Turkish

Subtitles: Romanian, English

Sinopsis:

Criminal lawyer Canan has to make a moral choice that will affect the lives of her ailing mother, a judge, and a murder suspect client, whose defense is turning in his favor.

Festivals: Venice – Orizzonti, Istanbul, Stockholm, TIFF

Thursday, July 18, 2024, 5:00 p.m.

Victoria Cinema, Timisoara

Woman Of…

Directed by: Małgorzata Szumowska, Michał Englert

Cast: Małgorzata Hajewska, Joanna Kulig, Mateusz Więcławek, Bogumiła Bajor

Drama – Poland, Sweden – 2023 – 2h12min   +15

Language: Polish

Subtitles: Romanian, English

Sinopsis:

Set against the landscape of the Polish transformation from communism to capitalism, WOMAN OF… spans 45 years of the life of Aniela Wesoły, who lives more than half of her adult life in a provincial Polish town as a man. Aniela’s journey to find personal liberty as a trans woman reveals hardships in marriage and parenthood, strained family relations and complicated attitudes in her environment, which constantly place her in impossible situations. What choices will Aniela have to make? Will she be ready to sacrifice all to become who she truly is?

Festivals: Venice, Istanbul, São Paulo, Goteborg

Thursday, July 18, 2024, 9:00 p.m

Victoria Cinema, Timisoara

The film is brought with the support of the Polish Institute in Bucharest.

Ivo

Directed by: Eva Trobisch

Cast: Minna Wündrich, Pia Hierzegger, Lukas Turtur

Drama – Germany – 2024 – 1h44min    +15

Language: German

Subtitles: Romanian, English

Sinopsis:

A married palliative care nurse gets embroiled in an affair with her ill patient’s husband.

Festivals: Berlin, Hong Kong, Palm Springs, Vilnius

Friday, July 19, 2024, 5:00 p.m

Victoria Cinema, Timisoara

The film is brought with the support of the German Cultural Center in Timisoara.

Working Class Goes to Hell

Directed by: Mladen Djordjevic

Cast: Tamara Krcunovic, Leon Lucev, Szilvia Krizsán

Drama – Serbia – 2023 – 2h7min   +15

Language: Serbian

Subtitles: Romanian, English

Sinopsis:

Workers from a factory that has closed reach out to the supernatural in a struggle for personal dignity.

Festivals: Toronto, Sofia, Tallin

Friday, July 19, 2024, 9:30 p.m

Victoria Cinema, Timisoara

Blaga`s Lessons

Directed by: Stephan Komandarev

Cast: Eli Skorcheva, Gerasim Georgiev, Stefan Denolyubov, Rozalia Abgarian, Ivaylo Hristov, Ivan Barnev, Stoyan Doychev, Assen Blatechki

Drama – Bulgaria – 2023 – 1h56min    +15

Language: Bulgarian

Subtitles: Romanian, English

Sinopsis:

A teacher falls victim to a phone scam that robs her of her life savings, then realizes that there is no way to get the money back. The tables then turn as cash begins rolling in as she transforms into a scammer herself.

Festivals: Karlovy Vary – Best Film Award, Sarajevo, Stockholm, Thessaloniki

Saturday, July 20, 2024, 3:00 p.m.

Victoria Cinema, Timisoara

The Vanishing Soldier

Directed by: Dani Rosenberg

With: Ido Tako, Mika Reiss, Efrat Ben Zur, Tiki Dayan, Shmulik Cohen

Drama – Israel – 2023 – 1h38min   +15

Language: Hebrew

Subtitles: Romanian, English

Sinopsis:

Shlomi, an 18-year-old Israeli soldier, flees the Gaza battlefield and heads to his girlfriend in Tel Aviv only to discover that the IDF elite is convinced he was kidnapped in the fog of war.

Festivals: Locarno, Busan, Thessaloniki

Saturday, July 20, 2024, 5:00 p.m.

Victoria Cinema, Timisoara