Ninety-six Romanian films, released in cinemas, at national and international festivals, or on VoD platforms in 2021, are in the race for nominations at this year’s edition of the Gopo Awards, the event showcasing the achievements of local cinema.

Twenty-seven feature films are on the list for a nomination in the Best Film category, including productions such as Radu Jude’s Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn, Octavian Strunilă’s Perfect Strangers, Horațiu Mălăele’s Luca, Bogdan Theodor Olteanu’s Mia misses her revenge, and Vlad Păunescu’s The Ladder. Among the eligible documentary features are Andrei Dăscălescu’s Holy Father and Dan Dinu’s Wild Romania. 

Among the ten submissions in the Documentary category are Blană Bombă by Claudiu Mitcu, Lost kids on the beach by Alina Manolache, The things we hide in silence by Andra Hera, The man and his shadow by Dragoș Hanciu, and Swamp City by Bogdan Pușlenghea and Ovidiu Zimcea.

The list of films in the race for nominations is available here.

The preselection jury, who will establish the nominations in all categories, is made up of film critics Iulia Voicu and Ștefan Dobroiu, Mihai Brezeanu, a columnist with culture platform LiterNet, directors Laurențiu Damian and Ivana Mladenovic, actress Rodica Lazăr, cinematographer Vivi Drăgan Vasile, editor Roxana Szel, costume designer Dana Păpăruz, producer and director Monica Lăzurean Gorgan, and producer and festival organizer Miruna Berescu. 

The nominees will be established in March. After the nominations are announced, more than 650 professionals in all areas of the local film industry will be invited to vote for the winners, using a mechanism provided by PwC Romania.

(Photo: Sorin Florea, courtesy of Gopo Awards)

simona@romania-insider.com