The first ever Romanian feature film, called The Independence of Romania (Independenta Romaniei) directed by Aristide Demetriade and launched in 1912 will be screened at the Royal Belgian Cinematheque in Brussels on April 30.

The silent film, which premiered in September 1912 in Bucharest, will be presented by Romanian film historian Bujor T. Ripeanu and will be accompanied live by jazz pianist Ramona Horvath, according to ICR Brussels.

The Romanian film retrospective organized at the Royal Belgian Cinematheque started on April 3 and includes 21 films directed by well-known directors of the new wave, such as Cristian Mungiu and Corneliu Porumboiu, but also by filmmakers of the past decades, including Liviu Ciulei, Lucian Pintilie, Elisabeta Bostan, Andrei Blaier, Dan Pita and Mircea Daneliuc.

The event ends on April 30 and was organized by the Royal Belgian Cinematheque and the Romanian Cultural Institute ICR Brussels.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com