Marie - Heart of Romania, an acclaimed documentary that presents the extraordinary political role and the interesting private life of Queen Marie of Romania, is scheduled to air on History Channel on October 15 at 22:00. The broadcast marks the 100th anniversary of King Ferdinand I and Queen Marie's coronation.

"Granddaughter of Queen Victoria, she married the Crown prince of Romania in 1893. We will see how she ruled the country during the horrors of the First World War until the victory at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. The film doesn't avoid the less glamorous aspects of The Queen's life. Her son, Carol, despised his parents, and when he became King, he banished Marie from the court. And when the communists came to power, they erased her from history," reads the press release.

Queen Marie was at the center of the struggle for the achievement of the Great Union of 1918 and the creation of modern Romania, and her destiny "was influenced by events that happened in the royal palaces of Romania, in the salons of Paris, on the streets of New York, in the Kremlin and even in the Wild West." Actor Marcel Iureș narrates the film.

"Who in Romania today can resist a woman who was brave, beautiful, and doubled the size of her adopted nation? That was Queen Marie, a century ago," commented John M. Florescu, the documentary's executive producer.

The special film was made over two years, filming in 9 countries. The research was done in 14 national archives. Viewers have the chance to hear the original voice of the Queen and to see original footage and images of the era, colourized with the help of modern technology and by involving an interdisciplinary team of experts to capture as accurately as possible the reality of those times.

Marie - Heart of Romania is an independent production of Chainsaw Film Productions and enjoys the support of the Romanian Academy and the Romanian Cultural Institute.

History Channel has also released a special podcast on the life and historical events in which Queen Marie took part. The audio miniseries Queen Marie – Deeds and words consists of 5 episodes created by historian Mihaela Simina, joining two interconnected components: quotes (including novelties) that belong to Queen Marie and evocations of events and moments in which the Queen took part.

The five episodes are published weekly on the main streaming platforms and YouTube every Friday from 16:00, with the last episode scheduled for the day before the Coronation Centenary.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

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