Central Romania: Numerous documentaries to premiere at Astra Film Festival in Sibiu
This year’s edition of the Astra Film Festival in Sibiu, taking place from October 20 to 27, aims to bring the best documentaries about Romania or made by Romanian directors to the big screen. The lineup will include 18 documentaries, most of them premiers.
Romanian documentaries in the official selection will compete for awards in sections like Romania, Central and Eastern Europe, and Docschool.
The documentary “TATA” (National Premiere, Romania, 2024, 84 min), which already made waves at the Toronto Film Festival where it had its world premiere, tells a complex story about a father-daughter relationship against the backdrop of a phenomenon defined as "modern slavery," affecting many Eastern Europeans working abroad.
In “24 Hours” by Harald Friedl (Austria, 2024, 100 min), the Austrian director documents the difficult and crucial work of a woman from the Jiu Valley, representing Eastern Europeans who care for elderly people in the West.
Complex life stories emerge in family portraits almost miraculously recovered thanks to film reels stored in an attic ("Family Movies" by Dan Curean - Romania 2024, 87 min – World Premiere). “An Almost Perfect Family,” by Tudor Platon (Romania, 2024, 88 min – World Premiere), reveals families that appear wonderful from the outside but are filled with inner turmoil.
In “Night All Day,” by Daniel Țicu (Republic of Moldova, 2023, 62 min – National Premiere), the director's grandfather draws a surprising parallel between the war triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and World War II.
The student competition documentary “Blue” by Ana Vâjdea (Romania, 2024, 20 min – World Premiere) portrays the desperation of a mother dealing with teenagers in her family who have become "zombies" due to screen addiction.
Several films in this year's official selection highlight individuals facing harsh realities. These films depict children left to fend for themselves and forced to take control of their destinies (“Alice ON & OFF” by Isabela Tent - Romania, 2024, 86 min), vulnerable elderly people facing inhumane situations, such as eviction (“Zagor`s Death” by Adrian Dohotaru - Romania, 2024, 72 min), or even absurd cases like in “A Cautionary Tale” by Ilinca Călugăreanu (Romania, UK, 2023, 73 min), where the main character, officially declared dead, fights to regain his identity and be officially recognized as alive.
Equally poignant is the story of a couple from the LGBTQ community who seeks to legalize their relationship (“Forbidden” by Anelise Sălan - Romania, 2024, 99 min – World Premiere).
Romanian films in the official selection also present uncomfortable truths, such as those related to the anti-Jewish policies of World War II. Two shocking productions describe the bloody events in Iași and Odorheiu Secuiesc (“Bloody Photos” by Copel Moscu - Romania, 2024, 83 min) and “As the Clock Runs” by Zoltán Fecső - Romania, 2023, 99 min).
As always, many films that have been warmly received at Astra Film Festival offer portraits of remarkable individuals. “Between Silence and Sin” by Diana Nicolae (Romania, USA, 2024, 98 min) delves into the life and work of poet Ana Blandiana. In “Maia – Portrait with Hands” by Alexandra Gulea (Romania, 2024, 90 min), we travel through the 20th century alongside a woman from the Aromanian community, deeply affected by history. Meanwhile, Anca Lungu’s documentary, “Triton” (Romania, 2024, 86 min – National Premiere), uses recovered archival footage to evoke the spirit of an era through fragmented stories.
In “Imaginary Youth” by Ruxandra Gubernat (Romania, 2024, 84 min) and “The Ones From Above” by Rareș Gabriel Vasilca (Romania, 2024, 28 min – World Premiere), we find other stories of young people struggling with their first steps into adulthood, while “Brushes and Packages” by Andu Paul (Romania, 2024, 17 min – World Premiere) outlines a whole philosophy of life based on a portrait sketch of a contemporary painter.
“There Are No Fir Trees Here” by Valentin-Rareș Fogoroș (Romania, USA, 2024, 21 min – World Premiere) speaks to the American dream through the story of a grandfather who emigrated to the US in the early 20th century.
The Astra Film International Documentary Film Festival in Sibiu, launched in 1993, is one of the most important non-fiction film festivals in Europe and is included by the European Film Academy on the list of festivals with the right to make direct nominations for the European Film Awards.
(Photo source: the organizers)
