The 2nd edition of Ceau, Cinema! Pocket Film Festival ended on Sunday evening with the screening of the Great Award winning film: The Mighty Angel (2014), directed by the Polish Wojciech Smarzowski. During July 22nd-26th, the Festival meant 5 days of 19 European films, 5 of them premieres in Romania, 7 short films, 4 animations and mini-documentaries, 2 workshops and 3 debates on cinema with directors and film critics. The events took place in 8 locations in Timisoara and Gottlob and they were attended by over 2,000 visitors, with more than a half at the “Capitol” Outdoor Movie Theater from Timisoara. The number of visitors was four times higher than on the first edition of the Festival.
The Ceau, Cinema! jury, which brought together actress Andreea Vasile, the film critic Lucian Maier and the blogger Cinesseur, awarded the Polish film The Mighty Angel / Pod mocnym aniolem with the Trophy of the Festival, for “the solid interpretation of the entire cast and the authenticity with which the effects of addiction are portrayed”. The film tells the tragic, yet hopeful story of a character addicted to alcohol. The Trophy of the Festival was supplemented by a 1,000 Euro prize offered by Kathrein Romania.
The Audience Award, based on the viewers’ vote after each screening, was given to Afterlife (Utóélet), the Hungarian director Virag Zomboracz’ movie. Walking the line between comedy and drama, the film describes the complicated relationship between a pastor and his son, after the death of the first. Also offered by Kathrein Romania, the Audience Award amounted 500 Euro.
The first three days of the Festival took place in various locations in Timisoara: the “Capitol” Outdoor Movie Theater, the House of the Arts and AMBASADA. During the last two days of Ceau, Cinema!, the headquarters moved to Gottlob, where the first renovated rural cinema was inaugurated in the presence of its former screening technicians from its “golden times”. The event was celebrated with the screening of Trading Germans, by Răzvan Georgescu, shot in the Banat region. The director attended the screening and the Q&A after-movie session. Among the other special guests who came to meet the public in Gottlob we name actress Andreea Vasile, who also attended a Q&A session after the screening of Why me? (directed by Tudor Giurgiu), the actors Cuzin Toma and Cristina Toma, both characters in The Treasure (directed by Corneliu Porumboiu), Flavius Băican, author of Hijacking Exit, and Zivan Pujic, the leading character of the serbian documentary Zivan makes a Punk Festival (directed by Ognjen Glavonic, 2014).
Ceau, Cinema! was organized by Asociația Marele Ecran and Asociația Pelicula Culturală. It is the first festival in Timisoara dedicated to European films. The event was entirely made up by volunteers, with the support of the following companies and public institutions: Vitas Romania, Kathrein Romania, Accenture, Timișoara City Hall, The Timiș County Directorate for Culture, Gottlob Town Hall, the French Institute of Timișoara, the German Culture Center, the German Consulate of Timișoara, Leipzig DOK, Autoclub (Volkswagen Timișoara), Grolsch, [e-spres-oh], Mulberry Development, Hotel Timișoara, Smithfield Romania, Satimpex, DM, Adler Romania, Storm Media, Electronic Resistance. The visual identity of the Festival was the result of the cooperation with Balamuc (Loc de joacă ș-altele), Super Smooth Studio and Lia Rădoi. Media partners: Metropolis, Radio Timișoara, TVR Timișoara, DigiTV, TION, Agenda, KissFm and Liternet.