Romanian Cinema: The Next New Wave?

Following in the footsteps of Mexico, Korea, Brazil and Germany - all recently lauded for their notable film exports, Romania has emerged as the new 'it' country on the world stage of cinema. With films like Cristi Puiu's The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, Corneliu Porumboiu's 12:08 East of Bucharest, and from this year's Festival selection, Cristian Mungiu's 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days, and Cristian Nemescu's California Dreamin' (Endless), award-winning Romanian films have been consistently turning the heads of critics, cineastes and festivals.

There's no denying that Romanian films are in vogue, but do they add up to equal a 'national cinema'? Using Romanian cinema as a case study, the panel will debate the notion of national cinema, how it is defined and to what end. Is national cinema anything more than happenstance: a number of buzz-worthy films made within a short span of time which share a country of origin? Or is there an identifiable trend which distinguishes a new wave of films from earlier ones? If so, might filmmakers repeat certain styles and subjects to perpetuate a celebrated film movement or is their work intuitively shaped by a shared culture and history?

We welcome Cristian Mungiu, director of 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days, Andrei Boncea, producer of California Dreamin' (Endless), Adina Bradeanu, Romanian film journalist, Ada Solomon, film producer and Executive Director of NexT Cultural Society & NexT Film Festival (Bucharest), and film journalist Nick Roddick, who will moderate the panel.

Jessica Smith