Six European fiction films that have moral dilemmas as their central theme and that had their world premiere at the biggest festivals are part of the competition of the 11th edition of the Ceau, Cinema! Festival in Timisoara, which will take place between July 17 and 21.
The films come from Bulgaria, Germany, Israel, Poland, Serbia and Turkey and will compete for the Ceau, Cinema Trophy! “Răzvan Georgescu” and the Audience Award. The jury will consist of actresses Ilinca Manolache and Olga Török and director Adrian Sitaru.
“In life, we are often faced with moral choices, when we are forced to make important decisions. But we don’t always know how to respond or whether the step we are taking is the right one. The stories in these six powerful films, made in different styles, reflect the difficulty of such options”, says the artistic director of the festival, film critic Ionut Mares.
In “Blaga’s Lessons” (2023), directed by Bulgarian Stephan Komandarev, the life of a retired and single teacher is turned upside down when she falls prey to a phone scam. Her fate changes again when she receives an attractive but suspicious job offer. The feature film won the awards for Best Film and Best Actress at the Karlovy Vary Festival.
Included in the Encounters competition section of this year’s Berlin Film Festival, “Ivo” (2024), the second feature film by German director Eva Trobisch, focuses on a married nurse specializing in palliative care who has an affair with her patient’s husband. The screening is supported by the German Cultural Center in Timisoara.
In “The Vanishing Soldier” (2023), directed by Israeli Dani Rosenberg, an 18-year-old soldier flees the battlefield to meet his girlfriend in Tel Aviv, but discovers that the army elite is convinced that he has been kidnapped in the confusion of war. The film was part of the competition of the Locarno Festival.
With its world premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival, the Polish film “Woman of…” (2023), directed by Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert, stars Adam, who tries to be a good husband and father in a small town in Poland. But Adam begins to feel more and more uncomfortable in his body, one that does not reflect his true identity. The film is brought with the support of the Polish Institute in Bucharest.
In “Working Class Goes to Hell” (2023), directed by Serbian Mladen Djordjevic, workers at a closed factory resort to supernatural practices in the fight for their own dignity. The film had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.
Also from Venice, but from the Orizzonti section, comes “Hesitation Wound” (2023), the second feature film by Turkish director Selman Nacar. The film follows an idealistic lawyer who must make a moral choice that will affect the lives of her ailing mother, a judge and a murder suspect client.
Ceau, Cinema! “Răzvan Georgescu” Trophy has a value of 1.000 euros, and the Audience Award is 500 euros, both being offered by Groupama Asigurari.
The trophies are made by the artist Lia Pfeiffer.
Competiţia Ceau, Cinema! offers a framework for filmmakers from countries with traditional minorities in the Banat region.
More information can be found on ceaucinema.ro, as well as on the festival’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
Ceau, Cinema! is a festival dedicated to European film, organized by the Pelicula Culturala Association.
The project is part of the national cultural program “Timisoara – European Capital of Culture in 2023” and is financed through the Legacy Timisoara 2023 program, carried out by the Project Center of the Municipality of Timisoara, with amounts allocated from the state budget, through the budget of the Ministry of Culture.
Sponsors: Groupama Asigurari, Vitas Romania.
International partners: Tribute to a Vision Film Festival (Slovenia and Italy), Floor Plan Croissant Project (Bulgaria).
Partners: Lipoplast, Italian Cultural Institute in Bucharest, German Cultural Center in Timisoara, Liszt Institute – Hungarian Cultural Center Bucharest, Spanish Embassy, Cervantes Institute in Bucharest, Austrian Cultural Forum Bucharest, Polish Institute Bucharest, Czech Center Bucharest, French Institute in Timisoara, French Institute in Bucharest.
With the support of: Marele Ecran Association, Timisoara 2023 – European Capital of Culture Association, Cinema Timis, Cinema Victoria, Hungarian Film Archive, Ceva de Spus Association, Cartea Calatoare Foundation, Carturesti Timişoara, La Doua Bufnite, Cartea de Nisip, Animest, Ibis Timisoara City Center, Porsche Timisoara, Ovride, Faber, Timisoara la cutie, Casa Artelor – Timis County Directorate for Culture, West University of Timişoara (UVT), Social Fabrics Research Lab (FabLab), Faculty of Political Sciences, Philosophy and Communication Sciences within UVT, GIS Community Association of Timișoara, F-Sides Cineclub, Eventbook, Aualeu, House of Culture of Timișoara, Claudia Rosu.
Media partners: Gen, revistă, Zile şi Nopţi, Films in Frame, West City Radio, CineFan, Tributary Stu, In Bine.