The Butterfly Collector

The Butterfly Collector 1970

1

"The whole world is a stage and all people are actors. They rise and fall in turn, each one: A man plays several roles in life, And the acts are the seven ages..." (William Shakespeare, How You Like It) The story of a man - Mihai Sarca - for whom the theater means everything and for whom a whole life defined himself by his passion for the stage and for the people who serve it, thus becoming the treasurer of an archive collection and, at the same time, a living encyclopedia of the Romanian theatrical phenomenon of the last century.

1970

The Memory of the Moment

The Memory of the Moment 2023

1

The world of Viorica Cătuna, from Poiana Cătunarilor, in Transylvania, somewhere at 1200 meters altitude. A former teacher, she has always been passionate about knowledge, books, poetry and music. We learn her story, the history of her family and the history of her community, all in correlation with historical events that have taken place over the years. A portrait of this woman and the times, from when she learns the stories of her family to the future plans she has in her 80s. A charismatic and storied character, an encyclopedia of a vanishing community.

2023

The Trial

The Trial 2005

1

A film constructed on a text that seems to be a theatrical performance rather than the transcript of a trial. The camera traces facades of communist housing blocks, depressingly unchanged over the years, as the transcript from the trial of Communist dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife, Elena, is read without pause or emotion. The intensity of the film is created by the tension between the dizzying and unceasing movement of the camera and the continuous and expressionless reading of the trial script, recording a very dark episode of modern history. — Anthology Film Archives

2005

The Boar with Silver Tusks

The Boar with Silver Tusks 1970

1

While hunting a mysterious boar, a man gets lost in the forest. He encounters increasingly strange things, and his life is put in danger.

1970

On the Road

On the Road 1998

1

Every autumn, shepherds from Transylvania set off with their flocks in search of green grass. This Sheep Road is to some extent like the famous historic Silk Road and the Salt Road.

1998

Rapsodia Rustică

Rapsodia Rustică 1970

1

Jean Mihail’s "Rapsodia Rustica" deals with the life in Romanian villages in the period after the war.

1970

The Steel-Work in the Cybernetic Era

The Steel-Work in the Cybernetic Era 1974

1

" The electronic computer - with its many possibilities of fast data processing - is not strictly used in scientific and economic fields anymore, it now plays a direct part in the production process. Filmed at the Galați Steel Mill, the film shows the ways in which the computer conducts the production of steel, making fast decisions in as little time as possible, in raport to the variety of situations which may occur. "

1974

Fragmentations

Fragmentations 1970

1

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who lived happily with her parents and her younger sister. But the little girl lived in Romania and her parents really wanted a house for them, so they went to work in Spain. The little girl stayed with her sister in the care of her grandmother and so the years passed, until one day the little sister told her that their parents were going to return. So the little girl began to hope.

1970

In the Light of Memory

In the Light of Memory 2010

1

The film explores sites and practices of memory in post-socialist Bucharest, twenty years after the fall of Romanian communism. It was shot in Cismigiu Gardens, one of the oldest public parks in Bucharest. This central, urban space attracts people from all walks of life. It is a place for social interaction, solitary reflection, reverie, and memory. Interweaving recollections of the past with present-day scenes from the park, the film presents a montage of stillness and motion, images and voices, landscapes and people.

2010

Memory Objects, Memory Dialogues

Memory Objects, Memory Dialogues 2011

1

A split-screen animated film that explores the complex nature of memory in contemporary post-communist Romania. Using a collection of everyday, household objects as windows into the past, it features 16mm stop-motion animations of these artifacts, projected alongside selections of interviews from the ethnographic research with the objects’ owners.

2011

I, for One, Am Alive and Well, and I Hope You Are, Too...

I, for One, Am Alive and Well, and I Hope You Are, Too... 1970

1

"Aflați despre mine..." stands as a quintessential social documentary from the perspective of 1980s filmmakers, delving into the effects of labor migration from agriculture to urban industry. Filmed in bachelor accommodations, it captures the intimate confessions of residents, offering faces and voices to the societal shifts in socialist times. The documentary, set against a backdrop of dormitory life, features a nuanced soundtrack blending informal interviews with the monotony of daily routines. Panning from window to window, the camera reveals the aspirations of temporary dwellers dreaming of a future beyond provisional living and aiming to settle into homes of their own.

1970

heart's coming into place

heart's coming into place 2023

1

There's disagreement between heart and reason. While trying to find common ground, they quarrel like blind.

2023

Glass Fingers

Glass Fingers 2023

1

A woman gives shape to octopuses out of her own flesh. When she runs out of matter, she has to face what she has created.

2023

STATIC

STATIC 2022

1

a scream bothers someone's existence, but it's not the horizon that holds it.

2022