Festival highlights:
OPENING NIGHT: Metronom,” directed by Alexandru Belc. This stunning drama is set in Bucharest 1972, and follows 17-year-old Ana, who dreams of love and freedom. One night, while partying with her friends, they decide to send a letter to Metronom, the musical program which Radio Free Europe broadcasts clandestinely in Romania. It is then that the Securitate, Ceaușescu’s secret police, arrives. An in-person reception will light refreshments will precede the film, and a virtual Q&A with some of the film’s stars will follow the screening.
The US premiere of of "Immaculate," the impressive directorial debut of Monica Stan, which is also Romania’s pick for the Best International Feature Film Award at the 2023 Academy Awards. The film also offers a stellar performance by new-comer Ana Dumitraşcu. This film is about how a young girl's perceived innocence gains her the protection of the mostly male junkies inside a rehab facility, but she soon finds out that this special treatment comes at a great price.
Another notable directorial debut comes from Raluca Durbacă with "The Certainty of Probabilities." This documentary, made entirely from archival footage, is an exploration of the year 1968 in socialist Romania. There will also be a Q&A with Raluca following the film.
