Ana, Mon Amour, a drama directed by Romanian Călin Peter Netzer, will have its world premiere at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival as part of the competition line-up.

Director Călin Peter Netzer is at his second Berlinale competition participation, after the 2013 edition where his film Poziția Copilului (Child’s Pose) won the Golden Bear, the highest prize awarded for the best film. The award was granted to the film’s producer, Romanian Ada Solomon. She also produced another Romanian Berlinale winner, Radu Jude’s 2015 Aferim!, which earned the director a Silver Bear for Best Director. She recently co-produced the 2016 sensation Toni Erdmann, an Oscar contender this year.

Ana, Mon Amour enters the 2017 competition alongside Sebastián Lelio’s Una mujer fantástica (A Fantastic Woman), Hong Sangsoo’s Bamui haebyun-eoseo honja (On the Beach at Night Alone), or Sally Potter’s The Party. The full line-up of the 2017 competition is available here.

Ana, Mon Amour is the director’s fourth feature film after Maria (2003), Medalia de onoare (Medal of Honor, 2009), and Child’s Pose. It stars Mircea Postelnicu, Diana Cavalioti, Adrian Titieni, and Vasile Muraru. The film, which is a Romania–Germany–France co-production, follows the relationship of Ana and Toma, and the challenging situations developing from Ana’s mental illness. The script was written by Călin Peter Netzer, Cezar Paul Bădescu, and Iulia Lumânare, based on Cezar Paul Bădescu’s novel Luminiţa, mon amour. Călin Peter Netzer and Oana Iancu were the Romanian producers.

The Berlin International Film Festival takes place this year between February 9 and February 19. The Dutch director and screenwriter Paul Verhoeven is the jury president. The film is scheduled for release in Romania at the beginning of March, and in Germany, this fall.

Several other Romanian filmmakers are participating at the 2017 Berlinale in several other categories. Director and screenwriter Ilinca Calugareanu was selected in the Berlinale Talents section, where 250 young filmmakers from 71 countries were invited to attend the six-day program exploring the theme Courage: Against All Odds. Calugareanu is participating on behalf of the United Kingdom.

The film project Caprioara (The Deer) of director Bogdan George Apetri and producer Oana Iancu is taking part in the Co-production Market, a section where feature-film projects meet a wide range of potential co-production and funding partners from around the world.

Romanian actor Tudor Aaron Istodor, whose most recent role is in Adrian Sitaru’s Fixeur, was selected in the Shooting Stars section. Alongside nine other Europe actors, he will take part in meetings with professionals from the world film industry.

Film distributor Matei Truta and actor Alexandru Potocean are also taking part in the Berlinale Talents.

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editor@romania-insider.com