Radio România Internațional

Tag: Cannes Film Festival

  • May 25, 2024

    May 25, 2024

    ESPIONAGE – A Romanian citizen was arrested on charges of treason, suspected of spying in Russia’s favor. According to the Romanian Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT), the suspect sent to the Russian Embassy in Bucharest images of Romanian or NATO sites in Tulcea (east). He also collected other military information and has been carrying out such activities since 2022. The suspect, Alexandru Piscan, is a young politician from Ploiești, judicial sources say. Prosecutors also searched his home, where they collected several items of evidence. Following this incident, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared a diplomat from the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Bucharest persona non grata on Romanian territory. Russia will respond in equal measure, the spokeswoman of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, announced shortly after.

     

     

    DRONE – The first Romanian drone is expected to enter production at a factory in Braşov (center), a subsidiary of the ROMARM National Military Company. A first step in this direction was taken on Friday in Bucharest, on the sidelines of the “Black Sea Defense and Aerospace” international exhibition, with the signing of a strategic agreement with Periscope Aviation, an American manufacturer of military and commercial drones. Economy Minister Radu Oprea said the agreement is a premiere for the Romanian defense industry, being the first strategic partnership a domestic company signs in the field of constructing military and civilian drones. Two other agreements related to research activity in the field were also signed, the Romanian official said. Participants in the “Black Sea Defense and Aerospace” exhibition said the objective of the agreement is the mass production of a 100% Romanian drone, intended for both military and civilian use, such as agriculture.

     

     

    FESTIVAL – Festivities marking the “Day of Romanians Worldwide”, celebrated every year on the last Sunday of May, continue across the country. Saturday saw the official opening of the communication session, with Romanians abroad having the opportunity of talking directly to state representatives to convey the concerns, needs and difficulties they face in host countries and upon returning to Romania, but also to get to know each other, share experiences, best practices and plan joint projects. Over 500 Romanians from the diaspora and historical communities from 34 countries are expected to take part in the 7th edition of the “Here and there” festival. The event brings together Romanian artists from the country and abroad, as well as representatives of associations, academia and the business environment from Romanian communities abroad.

     

     

    SHIELD – The Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk addressed a letter to the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, requesting the creation of an EU-funded common European air defense shield, given that all countries are experiencing financial difficulties. In their letter, the two officials want the shield to be similar to the Israeli anti-missile and anti-aircraft system Iron Dome, with a view to protecting Europe against enemy aircraft, missiles and drones. At the same time, the approval of such a project at the level would send a clear message about the EU’s determination to defend itself, the document states. On the other hand, the six NATO countries neighboring Russia have agreed to build a “drone wall” to defend their borders against “acts of provocation” the Lithuanian government announced. We’re not talking just about physical infrastructure, surveillance systems, but also about drones and other technologies, which would allow us to protect ourselves against the challenges of hostile countries and prevent smuggling, the Minister of the Interior of Lithuania, Agnė Bilotaitė, said following talks with her counterparts from the other two Baltic countries – Latvia and Estonia – and from Finland, Norway and Poland.

     

     

    FILM – Emanuel Pârvu’s “Three Kilometers to the End of the World”, selected in the official Palm D’or competition at the Cannes International Festival, has scooped the Queer Palm on Friday, an alternative award bestowed every year to a feature film that deals with “LGBT characters or themes”. The feature tells the story of Adi, a 17-year-old teenager who spends his summer holiday in his hometown in the Danube Delta. One evening, he is violently attacked in the street. The next day, his world is completely turned upside down, his parents treat him differently and the apparent tranquility of the village is shattered. The Queer Palm jury was chaired this year by Belgian director Lukas Dhont (known for the features “Close”, “Girl”), who picked the winner from 18 films enrolled in the competition. Also at Cannes, two other Romanian productions were screened. The film “Nasty”, directed by Cristian Pascariu, Tudor D. Popescu and Tudor Giurgiu, was screened in the “Special Screenings” section. It offers a captivating foray into the life of the legendary Ilie Năstase, the first rebel in the history of tennis. Ioana Mischie’s project “Human Violins: Prelude” was premiered at Cannes in the immersive competition devoted to virtual reality, a competition introduced for the first time in the history of the event.

     

     

    FRENCH OPEN – Four Romanian tennis players will perform in the women’s main draw at Roland Garros, the second Grand Slam of the year. They will all compete in the first round. Sorana Cîrstea (30 WTA), Romania’s best-ranked tennis player at present, was seeded 28th and will take on Anna Blinkova of Russia (45 WTA). Jaqueline Cristian (67 WTA) faces a tougher opponent, 9th-seed Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia (10 WTA). Ana Bogdan (63 WTA) will face Elsa Jacquemot of France (150 WTA), the beneficiary of a wild card. Finally, Irina Begu (126 WTA), who benefits from protected ranking, will take on an opponent from the final preliminary round. A player may petition for protected ranking in a total of eight tournaments in the WTA calendar if she has been unable to play for six to twelve months. (VP)

  • May 29, 2022

    May 29, 2022

    WAR IN
    UKRAINE – The
    leaders of France and Germany have called on Russian president Vladimir Putin
    to immediately start negotiations with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky,
    in order to find a diplomatic resolution to the conflict. The solution to stop
    the war can only be found by means of direct negotiations between Moscow and
    Kyiv, with the observance of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,
    French president Emmanuel Macron said. In turn, German chancellor Olaf Scholz
    has called on Putin to agree to a total ceasefire and withdraw all his forces
    from Ukraine. The two leaders also called for an improvement in the situation
    of the civilian population in Russian-held territories and for the release of
    the 2,500 Ukrainian soldiers taken prisoner at the Azovstal steelworks in
    Mariupol. Macron and Scholz also called on Putin to lift the blockade on Odessa
    and allow the export of Ukrainian cereals and thus avert a global food crisis.
    In response, the Kremlin said Russia is willing to help find options to resume
    the free export of grains, including from Ukraine. Without openly agreeing to
    it, Putin is willing to allow Ukraine to export its grains only if EU countries
    lift sanctions on Russian agricultural exports. Putin says difficulties on the
    global market are allegedly determined by the West’s poor decision-making and
    the sanctions imposed on Russia. As regards a ceasefire, the Kremlin argues
    Russia is willing to resume dialogue with Ukraine. Right now peace negotiations are suspended,
    while the Russian forces continue to shell Ukrainian cities.




    NATO – Iulian Fota, Secretary of
    State for Strategic Affairs with the Romanian Foreign Ministry, has talked to
    US Senator Robert Portman about the US’s decision to increase its military
    presence on Romanian territory. He expressed Romania’s commitment, alongside
    other European partners, to consolidate the resilience of the Republic of
    Moldova by means of concrete measures and countering the effects of the Russian
    aggression in Ukraine. Talks with Senator Portman also focused on the security
    developments in the region, generated by the Russian Federation’s illegal
    military operations in Ukraine and its consequences on European and
    Euro-Atlantic security. The two officials also tackled the priorities of the
    NATO Summit of June 2022 in Madrid, with a focus on adopting decisions that
    should reassert NATO’s main role, namely ensuring collecting defense and
    consolidating trans-Atlantic ties, the Romanian MFA also writes.




    ROMANIANS
    WORLDWIDE – President Klaus Iohannis and Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă conveyed
    messages marking the Day of Romanians Worldwide, celebrated on the last Sunday
    of May. Irrespective of where we are, today is a good opportunity to reflect
    on everything that bounds us together and to Romania – a strong identity and
    being part of a people that has over the centuries overcome great hardships,
    the President said in his message. The relocation of certain companies in
    Romania, against a very difficult backdrop, might represent an opportunity
    encouraging Romanians to return home, president Iohannis went on to say,
    recalling the importance of the Government’s actions to support, by means of
    dedicated programs, Romanians who wish to return home. There are millions of
    Romanians living abroad. Romanians are at the center of the Government’s
    concerns, irrespective of where they are, the Prime Minister also said.
    Nicolae Ciucă also said that the Department of Romanians Worldwide is helping
    strengthen ties with communities of Romanians and support them in order to
    preserve national identity, through education and cultural projects conducted
    across ministries and in partnership with civilian society and academia. We
    also want Romanians who seek employment abroad to be respected and their rights
    should be observed. I am confident that memorandum signed at the level of the
    line ministries in Romania and Italy will be followed by similar initiatives
    with other EU states and beyond, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă said.

    CANNES – The Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund has won his second Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, this time for a satire criticizing the rich, entitled The Triangle of Sadness. The Grand Prix went to Close by Lukas Dhont and Stars at Noon by Claire Denis. Park Chan-Wook of South Korea won the best director award for his feature Decision to Leave. The jury award went to Eo and Le Otto Montagne, while War Pony won the award for best debut film. Alexandru Belc won the best directing award in the Un Certain Regard section with his film, Metronome.




    ROLAND
    GARROS – Romanian tennis player Irina Begu has advanced to the round of 16
    at Roland Garros after ousting Leolia Jeanjean of France, 6-1, 6-4. Begu thus
    matched her best performance at Roland Garros, after in 2016 she also reached
    this stage of the women’s singles. This is Begu’s best performance in Grand
    Slam tournaments, her first being to reach the round of 16 at Australian Open
    in 2015.




    ROWING -
    Romanian athlete Cătălin Chirilă
    won silver in the 500m and 1000m single canoe races held on Sunday at the World
    Rowing Championships in Poznan, Poland. In the 500m race, Chirilă was outrun by Martin Fuksa of the Czech Republic, two-time world champion
    and several-time European champion. The bronze went to Wiktor Glazunow of
    Poland. In the 1000m race, Fuksa won again the gold, while Pavlo Altuhov of
    Ukraine won bronze.




    WEATHER
    – The National Meteorological Administration has extended the code orange alert
    against heavy rain and storms in place in 12 counties in Bucharest, until
    Monday morning. Hydrologists have also warned against the risk of floods. The
    heavy rain and storms have disrupted road traffic in cities and on national
    roads, and caused material damages. In Bucharest, dozens of trees were uprooted
    by the strong wind and a few electricity poles fell. Three homes were flooded
    and 30 cars were damaged. (VP)







  • June 4, 2021

    June 4, 2021

    COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – 128 thousand doses of Moderna are
    scheduled to arrive today in Romania. Since December, 2020, over 4.3 million
    people have taken the anti-COVID-19 vaccine, most of whom with both doses. The
    number of infections remains low. On Friday, 225 new cases of infection were
    reported, in addition to 113 fatalities. 341 people are still in intensive
    care. The European green certificate will officially be launched starting July
    1 at European level, and Romania is on schedule with implementation
    proceedings, Andrei Baciu, Secretary of State with the Health Ministry, has
    said. The certificate attests that a person is vaccinated with the anti-COVID
    vaccine, that he/she had the disease, confirmed by a recent PCR test, or that
    he/she does not have the virus, also confirmed by a PCR test.




    VISIT – Romania’s president, Klaus Iohannis, on Tuesday will receive his
    Israeli counterpart, Reuven Rivlin, who will pay an official visit to Romania.
    According to a report made public on Friday by the presidency, the visit confirms
    the high level of bilateral cooperation between the two countries. The two
    presidents last met on the sidelines of the 2020 World Holocaust Forum hosted
    by Jerusalem in January last year and talked on the phone in March and June,
    2020. The meeting’s agenda will focus on economic cooperation and efforts to
    combat the COVID-19 pandemic, Holocaust education and other measures to combat
    anti-Semitism in Romania, as well as cultural exchanges between the two states.
    High on the agenda are also the developments in the Middle East.




    PNRR – Romania’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR),
    submitted to Brussels this week, provides for an increase of low pensions and
    the recalculation of all pensions, Minister for Investments and European
    Projects, Cristian Ghinea has said. The Romanian official told the public radio
    that pensions will not be slashed, whereas the retirement age and taxes will
    not go up. According to Minister Ghinea, the EU will disburse funds to member
    states provided national governments undertake reforms to correct imbalances.
    Education, healthcare, transport and infrastructure, digitization and the
    reform of public administration are the main fields in which Romania has
    pledged to invest the nearly €30 billion earmarked by the European Commission. Under
    the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism, Romania plans to implement reforms of
    its fiscal and pension systems. Romania’s plan provides measures in the fields
    of sustainable transport, education, medical assistance, the renovation of
    buildings and the digitization of public administration. All projects must be
    finalized by 2026.




    CANNES -
    Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu will be presiding the jury of the section Semaine de la Critique at the
    International Film Festival in Cannes, to be held over July 6-17. In 2002,
    Cristian Mungiu presented his debut feature in Cannes, West in the Quinzaine
    de Realisateurs. In 2007 he scooped the Palme
    d’Or for his feature, 4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days and grabbed the award for
    best scenario for his feature Beyond the Hills in 2012. In 2016 he won the
    award for best director for Baccalaureate. A screen writer and producer, he
    was also jury president in the Cinefondation
    and Short Films section in 2017. The feature film, La Civil, is a
    Romanian-Belgian-Mexican co-production directed by Teodora Ana Mihai and
    co-produced by Cristian Mungiu, and has been selected in the Un Certain Regard section. The film
    tells the story of a mother whose daughter is kidnapped and who decides to take
    action in order to save her, after the Mexican authorities refuse to help.




    EXHIBITION – India’s Ambassador in Romania, Rahul Shrivastava, will attend the
    opening of the Indian photo art exhibition, organized by the Euro Foto Art
    International Association (AIEFA). Titled LensVision, the exhibition
    comprises 72 black-and-white and color photos of high artistic value, taken
    by the president of the Bengal Photography Institute in Calcutta, Sanjoy
    Bhattacharya and 36 of his students. The event is held under the patronage of
    the International Photo Art Federation and the Indian Embassy in Romania. The
    official opening will be held at the Euro Foto Art Gallery in Oradea on Friday,
    June 4, and can be visited until July 6.




    EURO 2020
    – Romanian Minister for Youth and Sports, Eduard Novak, said matches Bucharest
    will host as part of EURO 2020 will be played with the physical attendance of
    fans up to 25% of the capacity of National Arena Stadium in Bucharest. For the
    match counting towards the round of 16, the capacity will be increased to 50%.
    The decision falls in line with UEFA recommendations regarding security plans.
    Bucharest will be hosting three matches in Group C: Austria vs. North
    Macedonia, Ukraine vs. North Macedonia and Ukraine vs. Austria, as well as one
    match in the round of 16. Originally scheduled for 2020, the competition was
    postponed for 2021 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. EURO 2020
    celebrates 60 years since the organization of the first European Championship
    and will take place over June 11 – July 11 in 11 European cities.




    TENNIS -
    Two Romanian tennis players are today competing in the women’s singles in the
    third round at Roland Garros. Sorana Cîrstea will play Daria Kasatkina of Russia, while Ana Bogdan will take on
    Paula Badosa Gibert of Spain. Also today, in the men’s doubles, Horia Tecău of Romania and Kevin Krawietz
    of Germany are playing Yen-Hsun Lu of Taiwan and Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan.
    Yesterday, in the women’s doubles, Irina Begu of Romania and Nadia Podoroska of
    Argentina qualified to the second round after defeating Estelle Cascino and
    Jessika Ponchet of France, 6-3, 6-1. Also yesterday, Monica Niculescu of
    Romania and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia defeated 6-0, 6-3 the pair made up of
    Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus and Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine. (VP)





  • Romanian films at Cannes

    Romanian films at Cannes

    Corneliu
    Porumboiu’s La Gomera / The Whistlers was premiered on Saturday
    at the 72nd edition of the Cannes Film Festival at the Grand Theatre Lumiere. The film was
    received with a standing ovation at the end, according to the official Facebook
    page of the event. Included in the official selection for the Palme d’Or, La Gomera is Corneliu Porumboiu’s fifth feature film, shot in
    Romania, Spain and Singapore in 2018. The film casts Vlad Ivanov as the male
    lead, Catrinel Menghia, Rodica Lazar and Sabin Tambrea, telling the story of
    Cristi, a corrupt Romanian police officer involved in a 30 million-euro illicit
    dealing with the mob, who ends up on La Gomera Island in Spain. Here he learns
    El Silbo, a whistled language used by the locals. Corneliu Porumboiu believes
    the screening in Cannes is very important so that a Romanian film can be distributed
    at international level, claiming Romanian cinematography is thriving at
    present.

    The film has already received comprehensive reviews in international
    film magazines. Variety writes that
    the film’s plot is eccentric, reminding the viewer of a gangster noir, a genre that feels a little schematic and stifling for a
    director normally so beautifully uncategorizable. In turn, IndieWire describes the film as a
    polished mashup of genre motifs that suggests what might happen if the Ocean’s
    11 gang assembled on the Canary Islands. The
    Whistlers, the publication adds, could be ripe for an English-language
    remake, and don’t be surprised if some hungry producer snaps up the rights. But
    that possibility carries a touch of irony, since The Whistlers is already a
    covert remake, since it revisits the energy and wit of heist movies before it,
    as well as the filmmaker’s own structural sophistication of his previous works,
    and revitalizes both traditions in the process, the IndieWire review also
    reads.

    In turn, RFI writes this is the first whistled film competing for the Palme d’Or in the history of the Cannes
    Film Festival, adding that director Corneliu Porumboiu surprises his audience
    with an unexpected police musical, toying with the conventions of the genre without
    excluding love and humor. Corneliu Porumboiu returns to Cannes after winning in
    2015 Un Certain Regard for his film The Treasure. In 2009 his film Police, Adjective was also rewarded with
    the grand prize of the jury and the FIPRESCI prize in the Un Certain Regard section. Also at Cannes, in 2006, his debut
    feature 12:08 East of Bucharest won the Camera d’Or prize. His latest feature, La Gomera, will be premiered in cinema
    halls in Romania on September 13.

    (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • May 14, 2019

    May 14, 2019

    COUNCIL -
    Romanian Agriculture Minister Petre Daea is today presiding the meeting of the
    EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels. The main topic on the agenda is
    the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy Reform Package. Ministers will also
    exchange views on the new delivery model set out in the Commission proposal for
    a regulation on the CAP strategic plans. On the sidelines of the Council
    meeting, ministers will discuss a strategic long-term vision for a climate
    neutral economy from the point of view of agriculture, as well as the declaration
    of cooperation for a smart and sustainable digital future for European
    agriculture and rural areas.

    EASTERN
    PARTNERSHIP – Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu called
    for continuing reforms and modernization processes in ex-soviet states from the
    Eastern Partnership. On Monday Minister Melescanu attended the Eastern
    Partnership ministerial meeting in Brussels, bringing together Armenia,
    Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. The Romanian
    official hailed the 10th anniversary of the Partnership, coinciding
    with the Romanian presidency of the Council of the European Union, as a good
    opportunity to reassert the importance of the partnership to both EU citizens
    and the citizens of the Eastern Partnership.

    MILITARY -
    An Italian military unit is deployed by NATO at the Mihail Koglniceanu base in
    southeastern Romania, charged with carrying out air policing missions for the
    first time in Romania. Over the next four months, 130 Italian military, pilots
    and technical crew and four Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft will join Romanian Air
    Force military and MiG-21 Lancer jets to carry out these missions under NATO
    command. The joint air policing missions are aimed at developing the reaction
    and deterrence capacity and consolidate interoperability between the two
    countries’ Air Forces. The deployment of the Italian unit to Romania is part of
    the action plan for ensuring NATO operational capacity in response to security
    challenges on the Alliance’s eastern flank.

    CANNES FESTIVAL – The 72nd edition of the Cannes Film
    Festival is kicking off today and will run until May 25. Romania is represented
    in the official and alternative film sections. Corneliu Porumboiu this year
    competes for the Palme d’Or with his latest feature La Gomera / The
    Whistlers, his first film produced abroad, on La Gomera island in Spain and in
    Singapore. The short reel program entitled Romanian Short Waves will also be
    featured in the Short Film Corner devoted to short reels and young talent. Among
    the 13 short reels selected are Bogdan Muresanu’s Christmas Gift, Adi Voicu’s
    The Last Trip to the Seaside and Today Artist, Tonight Taximetrist by
    Dumitru Grosei. Also representing Romania is filmmaker, screen writer and
    producer Catalin Mitulescu as a jury member for the Cinefondation and short
    reel section.

    EUROVISION -
    The first semi-final of the Eurovision song contest is today taking place in
    Tel Aviv. Representatives of 17 countries will tonight compete for a place in
    the final. Last year’s winner, Netta Barzilai, will open the contest with a
    remix of the song that won the trophy in 2018, Toy. Easter Peony, Romania’s
    representative, will perform On a Sunday in the second semi-final on May 16.
    The final will take place on May 18. The 2019 Eurovision Song Contest will
    bring together representatives of 41 countries enrolled in the race for the
    trophy.

    TENNIS -
    Romanian tennis player Irina Begu (113 WTA) is today playing Daria Kasatkina of
    Russia (21 WTA) in the opening round at the WTA tournament in Rome, totaling
    3.4 million dollars in prize money. Also today, Mihaela Buzarnescu (29 WTA) is
    playing the former Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia (27 WTA).
    In the second round world no. 2 Simona Halep will play the winner of the match
    pitting Merketa Vondrousova against Barbora Strycova, both from the Czech
    Republic.

    (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • May 15, 2017 UPDATE

    May 15, 2017 UPDATE

    PROTEST – Nearly 22,000 employees with the Romanian Finance Ministry on Monday took part in an unplanned protest, in response to the salary bill under debate in Parliament. They say the draft law puts them at a disadvantage. Trade union leaders in the sector had talks with representatives of the Ministry, but no results have been reached and negotiations will be resumed on Wednesday. The protesters call on the Government and the Finance Ministry to revise the pay schemes in the bill, so that they should reflect the complexity and importance of the activity of the Ministry and its subordinated units. They warn that the strike is open-ended, which may hamper the tax collection activities and the institution’s public relations. Employees of the customs system also took part in the protest.



    CYBER-SECURITY — The Romanian Intelligence Service is organising the first national cyber-security exercise, which will last until Wednesday and involve more than 60 public and private institutions. The effort is designed to help develop an efficient warning, alert and response system against cyber-attacks and other incidents. According to the Romanian Intelligence Service, the exercise had been planned before the ransomware attack that crippled computers around the world late last week. In another development, the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism has launched an investigation into this cyber-attack which endangered the security and integrity of IT systems and data. Friday’s global attack known as “WannaCry” made over 200,000 victims, especially institutions, from at least 150 countries. The Romanian Intelligence Service confirmed that Romania was affected by the attack since May 12, but the scope is yet to be established. One of the targets was the Romanian Foreign Ministry, where an attempted cyber-attack was countered on Friday.



    FAC — Romania’s Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu on Monday attended the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels. Melescanu expressed hope that the Eastern Partnership summit of November will be a landmark in EU relations with the six countries in the program. Additionally, the Romanian official highlighted Romania’s support for the European integration efforts of partner states and the reforms they must carry out. The Council agenda’s also included the EU’s Global Defence Strategy and the developments in the Horn of Africa



    INFLATION — The National Bank of Romania has revised downwards its inflation forecast for the end of the year, from 1.7% to 1.6%, and the one for 2018 from 3.4% to 3.1%, the central bank governor Mugur Isarescu announced on Monday. Since 2013, the National Bank’s inflation target has been 2.5% per year, plus/minus 1%. The inflation targeting strategy was introduced in line with the European Central Bank policy, but the central bank of Romania rarely managed to attain this target. In 2016, the inflation target was negative 0.5%, slightly below estimates, according to the National Statistics Institute, mostly due to the lowering of the standard VAT rate from 24% to 20%, as of January 1, 2016.



    FRANCE — The new President of France, the centrist Emmanuel Macron on Monday appointed Edouard Philippe of the Republican right as Prime Minister. Aged 46, Philippe is the former mayor of Le Havre in the west and is due to announce the structure of his cabinet. International news agencies write that this is the first time the president appoints a Prime Minister who is not a member of his party. The decision reflects Macron’s willingness to win over some of the right wing’s influence in order to secure majority in Parliament after the elections scheduled in June. Also on Monday Macron met with Chancellor Angela Merkel in an attempt to rebuild the French-German tandem as a driving engine of EU development. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Paris, the agenda of talks included topics like continental security, economy, investments and social protection.



    CANNES — The Romanian director, script writer and producer Cristian Mungiu is the president of Cinéfondation and the short-reel section in the 70th Cannes Film Festival due on May 17-28. A foremost representative of the “Romanian new wave”, Cristian Mungiu has a long-standing tradition of being a part of the Cannes Festival. After the Palme d’Or won for his second feature film, “4, 3, 2,” he was also awarded for the script of “Beyond the Hills” and for directing “Baccalaureate”. In related news, 200 minutes of Romanian shorts will be presented this year in Cannes, as part of a programme called “Romanian Short Waves”. Another Romanian director, Alexander Nanau, who signed the photography for Sonia Kronlund’s “Nothingwood”, will take part in the screening of the film in the “Quinzaine des réalisateurs” section.



    DAYS OF JAPANESE CULTURE — The Centre for Romanian-Japanese Studies jointly with the Romanian-American University is playing host to the Days of Japanese Culture. Yukio Mishima’s novel The Sailor who Fell from Grace with the Sea will be launched at the Humanitas Bookstore in Bucharest, and will ocassion a talk on Bushido and turf wars in Japan’s largest cities, revealing a different facet of Japanese society.



    TENNIS — The Rome tennis tournament, with 2.7 million US dollars in total prize money, kicked off on Monday, with Romanian players also taking part. Irina Begu (44 WTA) is up for a difficult start, with a match against Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova (18 WTA), while Monica Niculescu (48 WTA) will also be taking on a top player, the Dutch Kiki Bertens (20 WTA). After having recently won the Madrid tournament for the second running year, Simona Halep (4 WTA) will go straight into the second round in Rome, to play German Laura Siegemund (35 WTA). Monica Niculescu is also taking part in the doubles event, together with Christina McHale of the US, against the pair made up of Sara Errani and Martina Trevisan of Italy. In the men’s doubles, Horia Tecău of Romania and the Dutch Jean-Julien Rojer play today against the Americans John Isner and Jack Sock, while Florin Mergea and the Pakistani Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi have defeated Tommy Haas of Germany / Max Mirnyi of Belarus. (Translated by A.M. Popescu and V. Palcu)

  • May 12, 2016

    May 12, 2016

    INAUGURATION NATO must permanently prove its unity, solidarity and determination — Romanian president Klaus Iohannis said this morning following talks with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. The Romanian official went on to say that Romania would continue to strengthen its profile of a European ally with transatlantic vocation and with a stabilizing role in the region. In turn Stoltenberg has described Romania as a very committed and staunch ally, which has along the years largely contributed to the collective defence and security of NATO members. Stoltenberg has arrived in Romania to attend the inauguration of the US anti-missile shield in Deveselu, southern Romania.



    IMF The International Monetary Fund has forecast an economic growth of more than 4% for Romania this year and of 3.6% in 2017. According to the IMF experts, the economy is on a cyclic upward trend boosted by the latest pay-rises in the public sector and the VAT cut, which gave an impetus to consumption. The latest IMF report shows that these favorable circumstances of growth cannot be kept in the absence of reforms. Experts say that authorities should not cave in to social pressure.



    FILM Romanian director Cristi Puiu’s latest production Sieranevada, which is running in the Palm d’Or race of the Cannes international film festival will be screened today on the festival’s first day of screening. The film is about a successful neurologist who is attending a remembrance ceremony for his late father in his parents’ old apartment and the conversations taking place between the participants while waiting for the priest. This is Cristi Puiu’s first participation in the Palme d’Or contest. We recall that his production ‘The death of Mr. Lazarescu’ reaped the Un certain regard trophy back in 2005. Another Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu is at his third participation in the festival with a film entitled Baccalaureate. In 2007, Mungiu won the Palm d’Or prize with a film entitled ‘4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days’. 3 other Romanian productions are running in the festival; Bogdan Mirica’s ‘Dogs’, Catalin Rotaru and Gabi Sarga’s ‘The end of the World’ and Alexandru Badea’s short reel ‘All Rivers flow into the sea.’



    TENNIS The only Romanian left in the single tennis competition, the 35th-WTA seeded Irina Begu has today qualified for the finals after a two-set win against Russian Daria Kasatkina in the eighth finals of the tennis tournament in Rome, a competition with 2.7 million dollars in prize money. Also today Begu will join Monica Niculescu in the doubles game against the pair made up of Yung-Jan Chen of Taiwan and Anna-Lena Groenfeld of Germany.



  • Five Romanian films in the running in Cannes

    Five Romanian films in the running in Cannes

    Exceptional security measures have been taken for this year’s Cannes
    Film Festival that takes place between May 11 and 22, given the recent
    terrorist attacks in France. The state of emergency has been maintained in this
    country, six months after the attacks in the capital city Paris. Tens of thousands
    of filmmakers and fans are expected to attend this year’s edition of the
    festival. Romania has five films in the competition.




    After having won the Un
    Certain Regard prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2005 for his dark comedy The Death of Mr.
    Lazarescu    , director Cristi Puiu is this time competing for the Palme d’Or
    with his latest production, Sieranevada. The film, which is a
    Romanian-Bosnian-Macedonian-Croatian-French co-production, is a
    nearly three-hour drama about a family reunion gone awry. As the director
    himself puts it, this film is the imperfect re-enactment of a commemoration.
    It is the story, in short, of our irreversible madness. The film, which took
    the director 42 days to shoot, had a big budget for a Romanian film, that is
    1.4 million euros.




    Another Romanian film that has
    been included in this year’s official competition is Graduation, by
    Cristian Mungiu. The film explores the challenges of being a parent in Romanian
    society today. After having won the Palme d’Or in 2007 with 4 Months, 3
    Weeks and 2 Days    , Cristian Mingiu scored a new
    success in 2012 when his film Beyond
    the Hills     picked up two important awards, for Best Screenplay and Best
    Actress, the latter being awarded jointly to the two leading actresses, Cosmina
    Stratan and Cristina Fluture.




    The third
    Romanian production to be presented in Cannes this week is the thriller Dogs,
    the debut film of director Bogdan Mirica. The film competes in the Un Certain
    Regard and Camera d’Or sections. The latter is awarded for best debut in the
    official selection.




    4:15 PM The End
    of the World     written and directed by Catalin
    Rotaru and Gabi Virginia Sarga, both first time directors, is competing for a
    Palme d’Or in the short-film competition. The film tells the story of a
    life-changing encounter between a courier and a hitchhiker. When the hitchhiker
    warns the courier that the end of the world is around the corner the courier
    calls him crazy, without knowing this accidental encounter will change his life
    forever. This independent film was shot in only 4 days.




    Finally, Cannes’
    Cinefondation section this year includes the Romanian film All Rivers Flow
    into the Sea     directed by Alexandru Badea and produced by the National
    Theatre and Film University. The film tells the story of a boy who finds it
    hard to cope with his mother’s death.

  • Prizes in Cannes

    Prizes in Cannes

    The Cannes film festival, considered the biggest and most
    prestigious one in the world, has come to an end. After almost two weeks of
    film screenings, the Cannes Festival designated its winners on Sunday evening.
    Of the 19 films selected for the official competition, only one received the
    big prize Palme d’Or, namely Dheepan, directed by French Jacques Audiard. The
    film follows the life of refugees from Sri Lanka who flee to France to escape
    war.






    The Best Actor Award went to French actor Vincent Lindon for his
    role of humiliated unemployed person in La Loi Du Marché (The measure of a
    man) directed by Stéphane Brizé. The Award for Best Actress Ex-aequo went to
    American Rooney Mara for her role in the film Carol by Todd Haynes and to the
    French Emmanuelle Bercot for her role of woman in love with her king in Mon
    Roi by Maïwenn.






    FIPRESCI, the International Federation of
    Film Critics, has traditionally granted its own prizes for three films in the
    official competition and in the Un Certain Regard and Quinzaine des
    Réalisateurs sections. Therefore, the FIPRESCI prize went to the film Son of
    Saul which features Romanian actor Levente Molnár.






    The film focuses on 2 days in the life of
    Saul Auslander, a Jewish prisoner from Hungary forced to work for the Nazis in
    the gas chambers of Auschwitz. Levente Molnár is employed by the State
    Hungarian Theater in Cluj-Napoca (in central Romania) and has a key role in
    this movie. He impersonates Abraham Warsawski, Saul’s closest friend, who is
    also in the concentration camp. The Romanian film directors have not made it to
    the official competition this year. The new wave of Romanian filmmakers,
    winners of many prizes at other important festivals, were represented in the Un
    Certain Regard section.






    Radu Muntean presented his movie One
    floor below and Corneliu Porumboiu his film The Treasure. The latter won the
    Un Certain Talent prize for its wonderful narrative. Also the short Ramona
    by Andrei Creţulescu received the Canal +
    prize of the Semaine de la Critique section, devoted to debutant directors.
    The film Ramona will be shown by the well-known French station Canal+.