Who is Romania, a series about Romania’s history, written and presented by British historian and TV presenter Tessa Dunlop, started airing online, on the website and Facebook page of the Romanian Cultural Institute (ICR) in London.

The seven-part series aims to promote Romania in an innovative manner and get the public acquainted with some of the country’s remarkable personalities. It spotlights ruler Ștefan cel Mare, Queen Marie of Romania, composer George Enescu, painter Nicolae Grigorescu, sculptor Constantin Brâncuși, author Mihail Sebastian, and director Liviu Ciulei.

The first episode, which aired on October 9, looks at Ștefan cel Mare (Steven the Great), the 15th century prince who fought the Ottomans and built the painted monasteries in Moldavia, today listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The episodes answer questions such as: What is the connection between Prince Charles and Dracula? How did Napoleon III support a young Romanian painter? or How did Queen Marie put the country on the media map?

Tessa Dunlop, a specialist in the Romanian – British relations at the beginning of the 20th century, is the author of the works The Bletchley Girls and The Century Girls. She won numerous awards for the BBC production Coast. Dunlop, who speaks Romanian, first visited the country in 1992 to work as a volunteer in a local orphanage.

“It was an enormous pleasure for me to present the events and personalities of a country that is so often misunderstood in the West. Hopefully these films will give you the back story and flavor of a remarkable people,” Dunlop said.

The series is a project of ICR London, produced by international production house Storytailors. New episodes, of six-seven minutes in length each, air every week on ICR London’s social media channels. 

The series airs until November 20. 

(Photo: screenshot from first episode)

editor@romania-insider.com