The Polish film The Eruption, directed by Pete Ohs, has won the “Răzvan Georgescu” Grand Prize, while the Italian film A Year at School, directed by Laura Samani, received the Audience Award at the 13th edition of the Ceau, Cinema! Festival, held in Timișoara from 15th to 19th July.
The festival jury consisted of director Xandra Popescu, actress Ana Dumitrașcu, and film critic Andrei Rus.
“We decided to award the Ceau, Cinema! Prize to a film that is subversive through its lightness. It is a playful film, built from subtle emotions, born out of a desire for lightness and free experimentation within a cinematic system that increasingly demands seriousness and gravity. Everything seems to happen on the surface of the characters, when in fact it unfolds within them. It is a film about a friendship that, like a volcano, fades and reignites, and with every new encounter brings deeply buried feelings back to the surface,” the jury stated in explaining its decision.
The Ceau, Cinema! “Răzvan Georgescu” Trophy is worth €1,000, while the Audience Award carries a prize of €500. Both awards are sponsored by Groupama Asigurări and will be presented to the directors of the winning films.
More than 50 screenings and special events were part of this year’s five-day festival programme, which was held under the theme “Unleashed Cinema.”
The special guest of this edition was French actress and director Sophie Letourneur, who received an honorary award at the opening gala and met with audiences in Timișoara during screenings and a masterclass. The Sophie Letourneur retrospective was organized by Ceau, Cinema! in partnership with the French Institute.
Audience highlights included the premiere of Radu Jude’s latest film, The Diary of a Chambermaid, attended by actress Ana Dumitrașcu, and the documentary The Vinyl Revolution, presented in the Banat Films section with the participation of American filmmakers Eric Fretz and Neville Harson, alongside members of Timișoara’s pre-Revolution rock-and-roll scene featured in the film. The audience also responded enthusiastically to the 4K restored classics screened at Cinema Timiș, as well as the TikTok music video screening held on the terrace of Cinema Studio.
The open-air screenings at the cine-picnic in Queen Maria Park enjoyed favourable weather and attracted hundreds of spectators each evening, eager to watch films under the stars.
A special tribute was also paid to renowned Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski through a retrospective organized in collaboration with the Polish Institute in Bucharest.
The Ceau, Junior! competition was won by the Finnish adventure film Vinski and the Invisibility Powder, directed by Juha Wuolijoki. The winner was selected by a jury of four children from Timișoara, created for the first time in the festival’s history.
Ten young participants took part in Ceau, Cineva!, the festival’s cinematography workshop led by Ana Drăghici. The workshop concluded with a montage of five recreated scenes inspired by famous films, which was screened before the festival’s closing film.
The expanded Ceau, Junior! section and the Ceau, Cineva! workshop were supported by E.ON Energie România.
The exhibition featuring photographs and video spots created by young people from across Romania, which opened ahead of the festival, will remain open until the end of July at the Pygmalion Gallery at the House of Arts, from Wednesday to Sunday between 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
More information is available on this website, as well as on the festival’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
Ceau, Cinema! is a festival dedicated to European cinema, organized by the Pelicula Cultural Association.
Funded by:
The Municipality of Timișoara through the Center for Projects.
Additional Funding:
National Center of Cinematography (CNC)
Sponsors:
Groupama Insurances, E.ON Energie Romania
International Partners:
Oulu International Children’s and Youth Film Festival and Turku University of Applied Sciences (Finland)
Partners:
Cinema Studio, Cinema Timiș, Cinema Victoria, Cinema Johnny, Animest, French Institute, Polish Institute Bucharest, Italian Cultural Institute in Bucharest, German Cultural Centre Timișoara, Liszt Institute – Hungarian Cultural Centre Bucharest, Austrian Cultural Forum Bucharest, Embassy of Spain, Cervantes Institute Bucharest, Czech Centre Bucharest, Timișoara Municipal Directorate of Social Assistance, House of Arts – Timiș County Directorate for Culture
Supported by:
Lipoplast, Porsche Timișoara, Hotel Savoy, Hotel Do Stil Boutique, Little Hanoi, Vinto, La Trattoria Cucina Moderna, Ovride, Aramic Winery, Prospero, Timișoara Public Transport Company, Cărturești Timișoara, Ceva de Spus Association, Faber, Ambasada, F-Sides, Timișoara la Cutie, Marele Ecran Association, Eventbook, Claudia Roșu
Media Partners:
Visit Timișoara, Kinostetic, Films in Frame, West City Radio, CineFan, Tributary Stu, În Bine