| Romanian New Wave | |
|---|---|
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Location | Romania |
| Major figures | Cristian Mungiu,Cristi Puiu,Cristian Nemescu,Cătălin Mitulescu,Radu Muntean,Corneliu Porumboiu,Călin Peter Netzer,Radu Jude,Alexander Nanau,Adina Pintilie,Radu Mihăileanu |
TheRomanian New Wave (Romanian:Noul val românesc) is agenre ofrealist and oftenminimalist films made inRomania since the mid-2000s, starting with two award-winning shorts by two Romanian directors, namelyCristi Puiu'sCigarettes and Coffee, which won theShort Film Golden Bear at the2004 Berlin International Film Festival,[1] andCătălin Mitulescu'sTrafic, which won theShort Film Palme d'Or at theCannes Film Festival later that same year.[2][3]
Aesthetically, Romanian New Wave films share an austere,realist and oftenminimalist approach. Furthermore,black humour tends to feature prominently. While several of them are set inthe late 1980s, near the end ofNicolae Ceaușescu'stotalitarian rule overcommunist Romania, exploring themes of freedom and resilience (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days,The Paper Will Be Blue,The Way I Spent the End of the World,Tales from the Golden Age), others, however (The Death of Mr. Lazarescu,California Dreamin',Tuesday, After Christmas), unfold inmodern-day Romania, and delve into the ways thetransition to democracy andfree-market capitalism has shapedRomanian society after thefall of communism inlate 1989.
Romanian New Wave films and directors have won a significant number of important internationalmovie awards at prestigiousFIAPF-accredited film festivals. Below are a few notable examples:
Legend:
| Best feature film | |
| Best short film or second-best feature film | |
| Best film director |
| Director | Title | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cristi Puiu | Stuff and Dough Marfa și banii | 2001 | Cristi Puiu's directorial debut |
| Nae Caranfil | Philanthropy Filantropica | 2002 | |
| Cristian Mungiu | Occident | 2002 | Cristian Mungiu's first feature film |
| Lucian Pintilie | Niki and Flo Niki Ardelean, colonel în rezervă | 2003 | Lucian Pintilie's last feature film |
| Corneliu Porumboiu | Liviu's Dream Visul lui Liviu | 2004 | |
| Tudor Giurgiu | Love Sick Legături bolnăvicioase | 2006 | Compared toMy Summer of Love |
| Cristian Nemescu | Marilena from P7 Marilena de la P7 | 2006 | Cristian Nemescu's last short film |
| Radu Muntean | The Paper Will Be Blue Hârtia va fi albastră | 2006 | |
| Gheorghe Preda | An Angel Hooked on Me Îngerul necesar | 2007 | Thematically unrelated to the others. Unconcerned withsocial issues. |
| Radu Muntean | Boogie | 2008 | |
| Cristian Mungiuet al. | Tales from the Golden Age Amintiri din Epoca de Aur | 2009 | |
| Răzvan Rădulescuet al. | First of All, Felicia Felicia, înainte de toate | 2009 | |
| Bobby Păunescu | Francesca | 2009 | |
| Andrei Gruzsniczki | The Other Irene Cealaltă Irina | 2009 | |
| Călin Peter Netzer | Medal of Honor Medalia de onoare | 2009 | |
| Constantin Popescu | Portrait of the Fighter as a Young Man Portretul luptătorului la tinerețe | 2010 | |
| Cătălin Mitulescu | Loverboy | 2011 | |
| Radu Jude | Everybody in Our Family Toată lumea din familia noastră | 2012 | |
| Tudor Giurgiu | Of Snails and Men Despre oameni și melci | 2012 | |
| Corneliu Porumboiu | When Evening Falls on Bucharest or Metabolism Când se lasă seara peste București sau metabolism | 2013 | |
| Nae Caranfil | Closer to the Moon Mai aproape de lună | 2014 | |
| Ana Lungu | Self-Portrait of a Dutiful Daughter Autoportretul unei fete cuminți | 2015 | |
| Radu Muntean | One Floor Below Un etaj mai jos | 2015 | |
| Tudor Giurgiu | Why Me? De ce eu? | 2015 | |
| Corneliu Porumboiu | The Whistlers La Gomera | 2019 | |
| Alexander Nanau | Collective Colectiv | 2019 | First Romanian film to be nominated for anAcademy Award |
