Radio România Internațional

Tag: Collective

April 15, 2022

Ordinance. The Romanian Government approved yesterday an emergency bill on support for the construction sector, to make up for the rise in the prices for building materials and execution services. The Development Minister Cseke Attila has announced that the state will allocate 1.77 billion, because otherwise there are contracts that would have to be frozen and many entrepreneurs that would go bankrupt.

Ukraine. Ukraine claims to have sunk the Moskva cruiser, following a rocket attack on the Black Sea ship. The Russians confirmed the sinking, but said it was because of the “stormy sea”. The Moskva cruiser is the most serious loss registered by the Russian forces since the start of the military operation in Ukraine. The ship, which started it service in 1983 and was named Slava until 1996, became known in December 1989, when it covered, together with the American ship Belknap, the security of the summit in Malta. Later, the ship participated in the campaigns in Georgia in 2008 and Syria in 2015. On the first day of the campaign in Ukraine, Moskva participated in the occupation of Snake Island, an operation in which 82 Ukrainian soldiers were taken prisoner and then, according to the Ukrainian media, participated in the blockade of the ports of Odesa, Mykolaiv and Ochakiv. Heavy explosions took place last night in the capital, Kyiv, and in the southern city of Kherson. On Thursday, the Ukrainian parliament described as “genocide” the crimes committed by the Russian troops in the neighboring country. According to the Ukrainian Prosecutors Office, at least 198 children have been killed and 355 injured since the beginning of the Russian invasion.

Refugees. Some 10,000 Ukrainian refugees have crossed Romanias borders in the past 24 hours, the Border Police Inspectorate has announced. According to Romanian authorities, some 714 thousand Ukrainians have arrived in Romania since February 24th, the start of the Russian invasion. 30 thousand of them are children, and more than 4 thousand have requested asylum.

Food security. The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the United Nations World Food Program and the World Trade Organization have called for urgent and coordinated food security measures and urged countries to avoid export bans on food or fertilizers. In a joint statement, the leaders of the four institutions warned that the war in Ukraine is adding to the existing pressures due to the Covid-19 crisis or climate change. The biggest risk – they say – is for poor countries, but there is a growing vulnerability in middle-income countries as well.

Collective. The Bucharest Court of Appeal has again postponed its final ruling in the Collective case, the Bucharest club in which 64 people died and almost 200 were injured, almost seven years ago, after a fire broke out there. A final ruling was expected today after several postponements since December last year, when the trial ended. In the first instance, the district mayor Cristian Popescu Piedone, the three owners of the club, the pyrotechnicians and the administrators of the company that provided the pyrotechnic material, the firemen from the Emergency Situations Inspectorate and employees of the City Hall received sentences of 4 to 13 years in prison. The defendants should also pay damages of tens of millions of euros together with the City Hall of the Sector in which the club is located and ESI Bucharest Ilfov.

Cannes. Directors Cristian Mungiu and Alexandru Belc will represent Romania at the 75th edition of the Cannes International Film Festival, which takes place this year, between May 17-28. Cristian Mungiu will compete with the film “R.M.N.”, a French-Romanian-Belgian co-production, in the official competition for the coveted La Palme dOr, while Alexandru Belc will compete with the film “Metronom” in the second most important section of festival, Un Certain Regard. A veteran of the festival, Mungiu was awarded the La Palme dOr in 2007 for “4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days”. At the same festival, his film “Beyond the Hills” was awarded, in 2012, the best screenplay award, and the film “Baccalaureate” won the trophy for best director in 2016. “Metronome” is Alexandru Belcs debut film. 18 films will compete this year for the grand prize of the Cannes Film Festival, and 15 were included in the Un Certain Regard section. The official selection was made from 2,200 films received by the organizers.

Tennis. Romanian Irina Begu will face Magda Linette, today, at Radom, in the first singles match of the competition between the womens tennis teams of Romania and Poland, in the qualifications for the Billie Jean King Cup competition. In the second singles match, Mihaela Buzărnescu will play, also today, against the world leader Iga Swiatek. On Saturday, the other singles matches are scheduled, Begu – Swiatek and Buzărnescu – Linette, as well as the doubles match between Magdalena Frech / Alicja Rosolska and Andreea Mitu / Andreea Prisăcariu. Romanias best player, Simona Halep, is unavailable for this competition, as are Monica Niculescu, Raluca Olaru, Gabriela Ruse and Jaqueline Cristian. Poland leads 4-2 in the direct matches with Romania. (MI)

15 April 2022
FRANCOFILM 2022, Romania porta “Collective” di Alexander Nanau

E’ il pluripremiato Collective di Alexander Nanau a rappresentare la Romania alla XII edizione di FRANCOFILM – il Festival del Film Francofono di Roma, in corso fino al 18 marzo. Lo riferisce l’Accademia di Romania in Roma, precisando che la pellicola sarà proiettata stasera, alle ore 21:00, all’Istituto Francese presso la Santa Sede – Centre Saint Louis (Largo Toniolo 21/22).

Ideato e organizzato dall’Istituto Francese – Centre Saint Louis in occasione della Giornata Internazionale della Francofonia, il festival invita il pubblico a proiezioni di pellicole provenienti dai Paesi membri dell’Organizzazione Internazionale della Francofonia. La presenza romena è promossa dall’Ambasciata di Romania in Italia e dall’Accademia di Romania in Roma, con il sostegno dell’Istituto Culturale Romeno.

Tutti i dettagli sono disponibili sul sito dell’Istituto Culturale Romeno e sulla pagina Facebook dell’Accademia di Romania in Roma.

15 March 2022
“Collective” und “Mein Zuhause”: zwei Dokumentationen auf der Gopo-Gala mehrfach preisgekrönt

Die 15. Gala der Filmpreise Gopo, die dem rumänischen Kino gewidmet ist, hat am 29. Juni in Anwesenheit von über 500 Gästen stattgefunden. Die Dokumentation “Collective”, unter der Regie von Alexander Nanau hat drei Gopo-Preise gewonnen: bester Spielfilm und beste Regie, sowie bester Schnitt (Alexander Nanau, George Cragg und Dana Bunescu). Der international mehrfach preisgekrönte Dokumentarfilm wurde dieses Jahr auch für zwei Kategorien der Oscars nominiert. Der Film von Alexander Nanau bietet zum ersten Mal einen Blick hinter die Kulissen der Schlüsselmomente, die sich nach dem tragischen Brand im Club Colectiv in Bukarest im Jahr 2015 abgespielt haben. Der Film dreht sich um eine Gruppe von Enthüllungsjournalisten auf ihrer beschwerlichen Reise zur Aufdeckung von Betrug, Korruption und Missständen im öffentlichen Gesundheitswesen. Der Film hatte seine Weltpremiere bei den Filmfestspielen in Venedig am 4. September 2019.

Die Dokumentation “Mein Zuhause”, des Regisseurs Radu Ciorniciuc wurde auf der Gopo-Gala mit dem Preis für den besten Dokumentarfilm, besten Debütfilm und den besten Ton ausgezeichnet. “Acasa” / “Mein Zuhause”, mit dem Radu Ciorniciuc sein Debüt als Dokumentarfilm-Regisseur gibt, feierte seine Weltpremiere auf dem Sundance Film Festival und gewann dort den Preis für das beste Bild. Der Dokumentarfilm erzählt die Geschichte einer Familie, die 20 Jahre lang in der Wildnis des Văcărești-Deltas lebte, bis der Ort den Status eines Schutzgebietes erhielt und zum Văcărești-Naturpark wurde. Der Regisseur Radu Ciorniciuc: “Meine Faszination für die Geschichte dieser Dokumentation hängt sehr stark mit der Art und Weise zusammen, wie diese Menschen ihre Familie aufgebaut haben. Zweitens war die absolut fabelhafte Beziehung der Kinder zur Natur ein weiteres Thema, das mir sehr viel bedeutete. Dann, nachdem die Familie Enache in die Stadt gezogen war, war ich natürlich daran interessiert, diesen Integrationsprozess zu verfolgen.”

Zwei Sonderpreise für ihre langen Karrieren wurden an die Filmkritikerin Magda Mihăilescu und den Modellbildhauer Enache Hărăbor vergeben. Magda Mihailescu ist Filmkritikerin und Autorin mehrerer Bücher über die Geschichte des Kinos. Sie gab ihr publizistisches Debüt 1969 mit der Monographie Sophia Loren”, gefolgt von Studien zur Geschichte des Kinos. Sie ist Autorin der Bände Die Giocondas ohne Lächeln – Gespräche mit Malvina Urșianu” (erschienen im Verlag Curtea Veche, 2006), François Truffaut – Der Mann, der Filme liebte” (Verlag Curtea Veche, 2009), Meine Schwester aus Australien – Vergangene Begegnungen mit Irina Petrescu” und unterzeichnet zusammen mit vier anderen europäischen Kritikern einen Band, der dem Werk des rumänischen Regisseurs Lucian Pintilie gewidmet ist: Guardare in faccia il male, Lucian Pintilie fra cinema e teatro” (Italien, Pesaro, 2004). Magda Mihăilescu hat für Rumänien exklusive Interviews mit gro‎ßen Filmemachern wie Federico Fellini, Sophia Loren, Ennio Morricone, Andrzej Wajda, Orson Welles, Laurence Harvey, Claude Lelouch, André Téchiné, Fanny Ardant, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Emir Kusturica geführt.

Natürlich freue ich mich über eine solche Auszeichnung und was ich besonders genie‎ße, ist, dass diese Auszeichnungen der Filmindustrie auch für uns offen sind, die Menschen, die über Filme schreiben. Ich freue mich für die Branche der Filmkritiker, einen Teil dieser gro‎ßen Welt des Films, einen Teil davon, was man jetzt Filmindustrie nennt, eine Branche wie eine Berufsfamilie, die man berücksichtigen kann und deren Meinungen und Ansichten manchmal Auswirkungen auf die Art und Weise haben können, wie Kino gemacht wird. Ich bin froh, dass es sie gibt.” Der Schauspieler Costel Constantin und die Bühnen- und Kostümbildnerin Doina Levintza wurden mit dem Gopo-Preis für die ganze Karriere geehrt.

9 July 2021
June 15, 2021 UPDATE

Motion. The Romanian Chamber of Deputies has rejected the simple motion filed by the opposition Social Democratic Party against the Minister of Investments and European Projects, Cristian Ghinea, from the center-right coalition government. There were 143 votes in favor, 171 against and one abstention. The motion, entitled Cristian Ghinea – from zero to the abyss, reads that the urgent dismissal of the minister is necessary because he has demonstrated nothing but “managerial dilettantism” and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan is “a disaster and will destroy Romania in the next five years”. Cristian Ghinea has replied saying that the text is a blatant lie, full of disinformation and contradictions and that Romania now has an absorption rate of European funds of 55%, within the EU margin of 58%.

Visit. On Wednesday and Thursday, the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis will pay a formal visit to Estonia, the Presidential Administration has announced. Iohannis will have talks with his Estonian counterpart, Kersti Kaljulaid, with PM Kaja Kallas, and with the Parliament speaker, Jüri Ratas. The agenda of talks focuses on strengthening the bilateral relations, including economic and sectoral cooperation, with an emphasis on the digital sector, on fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and on EU-related topics, such as the EU Recovery Plan, the green transition and the digital transition, the EU enlargement process, and developments in the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus. The officials will also discuss the Romanian-Estonian cooperation within NATO, including in terms of security at the Black Sea and Baltic Sea and against the background of the June 14 NATO summit, as well as cooperation as part of the Bucharest 9 format and the Three Seas Initiative.

Covid-19RO. Romanian authorities reported on Tuesday 103 new cases of Sars-Cov-2 infection and 96 deaths caused by the disease, but most of them dating back to previous months. About 200 patients are currently in intensive care. Meanwhile, the authorities have stepped up efforts to persuade the population to get vaccinated. Since December 27, 2020, more than 4.5 million people have been vaccinated. Of these, more than 4.2 million have received both doses. Because of the drop in peoples interest in getting the jab, several vaccination centers have been closed and others had their operating hours reduced. The available staff will form mobile teams that will continue the campaign in small towns and villages. At the same time, Romania has requested the suspension of the delivery of two thirds of the 7.1 million doses it should have received this month.

Corruption. The coronavirus pandemic has fuelled corruption among EU citizens, less than half of whom believe the crisis has been transparently managed by the authorities, a survey made public on Tuesday by Transparency International and quoted by AFP says. According to the organization, healthcare services are particularly affected by corruption. Although only 6% of the interviewees said they offered bribe in exchange for access to healthcare, 29% of them said they used personal connections to gain privileged access. The frequency of bribe in the healthcare sector, as reported by interviewees, is higher in Romania (22%) and Bulgaria (19%), whereas the use of personal connections is higher in the Czech Republic (54%) and Portugal (46%). The authors of the report call on EU governments to step up efforts to guarantee that the on-going pandemic is overcome in a fair and equitable manner. Over 40,000 of the citizens of the 27 EU member states took part in this European corruption barometer conducted in October – December 2020.

Ombudsman. In a joint session on Tuesday, Romanian senators and deputies rejected the Ombudsmans activity reports for the last three years. The Liberal Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Ludovic Orban has stated that, following this decision, the governing coalition will request the dismissal of Renate Weber from this office. Appointed two years ago, when the Social Democratic Party was governing, Weber has often been accused by representatives of the current center-right of serving the interests of the Social Democrats and, in 2020, of sabotaging the governments efforts to combat the pandemic. Deputy Gabriel Zetea announced that the Social Democrats will notify the Constitutional Court.

Collective. The Bucharest Court of Appeal is trying these days the case against the owners of the Collective nightclub in Bucharest and the technicians who organized the fireworks that caused the fire that killed 64 people on the night of October 30, 2015. On Monday, the Court decided to split the Collective case into two, with the former mayor, city hall employees and fire-fighters to be tried this autumn, separately from the club owners. In December 2019, all the defendants received prison sentences and were ordered to pay damages of nearly 50 million euro to the victims of the fire.

Football. Romanias football champions CFR Cluj will play against the Bosnian team Borac Banja Luka in the Champions League first preliminary round, according to the draw held in Switzerland on Tuesday. CFR will play the first match on home turf, on July 6th or 7th, and the second leg will be hosted by Bosnia, on July 13th or 14th. CFR Cluj is the only Romanian team in this competition. (MI)

15 June 2021
‘Collective’ wins the 2021 LUX Audience Award

These days, from Strasbourg to Cannes, Romanians films are enjoying unanimous recognition, a fact that has become quite natural for audiences in the country and abroad. For years, there has been talk of the ‘new wave’ represented by unanimously appreciated and awarded filmmakers such as Cristian Mungiu, Cristi Puiu, Radu Muntean, Corneliu Porumboiu, Radu Jude or Adina Pintilie. Let us add to this gallery of names that of Alexander Nanau, whose film ʹCollectiveʹ has recently received the LUX Audience Award, presented by the European Parliament and the European Film Academy, in partnership with the European Commission and Europa Cinemas.

The winner is decided both by audience vote and by the vote of the MEPs, each having a share of 50% in the final decision. Upon accepting the award, Alexander Nanau paid tribute to the victims and families involved in the tragedy at the Collective club, as well as to the independent press that investigated the case.The film follows a group of local journalists exploring corruption in the Romanian healthcare system, following a dramatic event that shook the country in 2015. On October 30th, a fire in the improvised Collective nightclub in Bucharest, hosted by a former factory, results in 65 dead and about 200 injured. Some of the injured are transported for medical care abroad, others, left in the country, die due to severe burns, and also from infections acquired in hospital.

Social discontent is escalating, street protests are taking place, and the prime minister resigns. Following in parallel journalists, victims and government officials, Alexander Nanau’s documentary talks about the revival of civic responsibility and the need for unbiased journalism in a democratic world. We want to fight corruption and we want a free press in Europe. Societies do not evolve if we do not have culture, education and a free press Nanau said upon receiving the LUX Award. With this recognition, Alexander Nanau’s investigative documentary rounds up an outstanding year, after winning several international awards and making history becoming the first Romanian film nominated for the Oscars, in the ‘best documentary’ and ‘best international feature film’ categories.

As the 74th edition of the Cannes International Film Festival, to be held between July 6-17, is already on the horizon, we should also mention that the feature film ‘Întregalde’ directed by Radu Muntean and the short film ‘When Night Meets Dawn’ by Andreea Cristina Borţun were selected in the Quinzaine des Realisateurs section. Andrei Epure’s short reel ‘Intercom 15’ will compete in the Semaine de la Critique section, whose jury will be led by Cristian Mungiu, and the feature film ‘La Civil’, a Romanian-Belgian-Mexican co-production directed by Teodora Ana Mihai and co-produced by Cristian Mungiu, was selected in the competition of the Un Certain Regard section. (MI)

11 June 2021
June 9, 2021 UPDATE

LAW The Romanian government on Wednesday endorsed a law banning
the cumulated salaries and pensions for state employees. The draft also
provides for the optional increase of the pension age at 70. According to Prime
Minister Florin Citu, the draft will be submitted to Parliament under an emergency
procedure. Under the new law, pensioners, including former servicemen, may get
jobs in authority and public institutions, local or central, or in state
companies, but are no longer to receive pensions, only salaries. Also on
Wednesday, the government decided to extend the state of alert for another
month starting June 12th as well as the measures to be applied to prevent
and fight the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

VISIT Romania is a genuine friend of the Jewish
people and of Israel in the fight against anti-Semitism, Israeli president
Reuven Rivlin said in a speech he delivered before the Romanian Parliament on
Wednesday. He recalled that in January 2020, when world leaders marked in
Jerusalem 75 years since the liberation of the death camps of
Auschwitz and Birkenau, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis pledged to preserve the
memory of Holocaust and step up the fight against anti-Semitism, racism and
xenophobia. The Israeli president went on to say that his country cannot accept
attempts at undermining its right to exist through the illicit use of violent
means and by exploiting international law. Israel is Romania’s closest ally and
strategic partner in the Middle East and the Romanian-Israeli relations are
based on trust and durability, Senate President Anca Dragu said. Cooperation
between the two countries is based on a solid foundation of mutual respect and
deep friendship says Ludovic Orban, president of the Chamber of Deputies. A
Romania-Israel business forum was also hosted by the Bucharest Parliament on
Wednesday. President Rivlin has paid a formal visit to Romania. On Tuesday he
was received by the head of the Romanian state Klaus Iohannis and held talks
with the country’s Prime Minister, Florin Citu.

FILM Romanian director Alexander
Nanău’s film ‘Collective’ has been awarded the 2021 LUX Audience Award, the
president of the European Parliament, David Sassoli has announced in the
plenary session of the EU Legislature in Strasbourg. Two other films, ‘Another
Round’ and ‘Corpus Christi’ have also been shortlisted for the aforementioned
award, which is granted by the European Parliament and the European Film
Academy jointly with the European Commission and Europa Cinemas. During a news
conference in Strasbourg, the Romanian director has described the award as ‘a
bridge for a better communication between the European citizens and those
representing them in the European Parliament’.

(bill)

9 June 2021
April 24, 2021 UPDATE

VACCINE A Vaccination Marathon has kicked
off for three days in Timisoara, western Romania, with a view to giving an
impetus to the immunization campaign, local medical authorities have announced.
500 volunteer physicians, nurses and medical students have got involved in this
campaign during which 10 thousand Pfizer doses are to be administered. The
first drive-in vaccination center was opened in Deva, western Romania on
Saturday, allowing people to get a jab in the parking lot of the local city
mall. 90 thousand vaccine doses have been administered in the past 24 hours
nationwide. Almost 3 million people have been vaccinated all over Romania since
the vaccine rollout kicked off in late December and 1.7 million of these have
got the second jab. The number of new Covid-19 cases is on a downward trend and
so is the number of people currently being treated in hospitals. 22 hundred
Covid infections have been reported in the past 24 hours and 154 fatalities.
About 1380 patients are in intensive care.

MEASURES The Committee for Emergency
Situations of the city of Bucharest has extended the containment measures for
the Covid-19 pandemic. The night curfew between 22 and 5 hours is still in place
during the weekdays and between 20 and 5 hours at weekend. On April 8th
the government extended the state of alert on Romania’s territory for 30 more
days, starting April 13th. The night curfew is to be lifted though
during the Orthodox Easter over May 1st and 2nd and
Ramadan over May 8th and 9th.

RATING A decision by the Fitch rating
agency to reconfirm Romania’s position among the low-risk countries in terms of
investment, has been based on its moderate public debt and the positive GDP
development per capita, says the Finance Ministry in Bucharest. Fitch Ratings
has affirmed Romania’s rating at ‘BBB minus’ with negative outlook. According
to the agency, the negative outlook reflects uncertainty regarding the
implementation of policies to address medium-term fiscal imbalances and the
impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Romania’s public finances. The plans of
the present administration include a series of fiscal and macro reforms to
anchor medium-term fiscal sustainability, but a weak track record of fiscal
consolidation and very high budget rigidities constitute key public finance
challenges. Fitch expects Romania’s economy to expand by an average of 5.8% in
2021-22 thanks to the strong investment momentum and a gradual recovery in
exports and private consumption.

OSCAR The 93rd Academy
Awards is to take place on Sunday, 23rd April, with a two-month
delay due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Director Alexander Nanau’s film ‘Collective’
is Romania’s proposal for 2021 Academy Awards, and it will be running in the Best
Documentary Feature and the Best International Feature Film sections. A Romania-Luxembourg
production, the film presents the joint efforts of physicians, government
officials and journalists to unearth a major fraud in Romania’s healthcare system,
in the aftermath of the blaze that destroyed the Colectiv night club in
Bucharest in October 2015. ‘Collective’ has been designated the best
documentary by the European Film Awards and by the London Critics’ Circle Film
Awards.

TENNIS Romanian
tennis player Sorana Cirstea on Saturday qualified for the finals of the WTA
tennis tournament in Istanbul with 235 thousand dollars in prize money. The
Romanian clinched a 6-4, 6-4 win against Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine and she will
be up against top-seeded Elise Mertens of Belgium on Sunday. Mertens
outperformed Russian Veronika Kudermetova 6-1, 6-4.

(bill)

24 April 2021
The week in Review March 15-20, 2021

COVID-19 in Romania: latest developments

Romania is struggling with the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, with growing numbers of cases reported every day. According to official data, in the little over 1 year since the first SARS–CoV-2 patient was identified in the country, Romania has seen over 880,000 infections, and some 22,000 people have died. For the first time this year, the number of new cases reported in 24 hours has recently gone over 6,000. Another worrying figure is the number of people in ICUs.

The authorities promise that the situation is under control but call for responsibility. President Klaus Iohannis said this new wave may be the last, given that the number of immunised people is growing by the day.

This week, the third and last stage of the vaccination programme kicked off in Romania, giving access to vaccines to the general public over 16 years of age. This month, Romania should receive a total of over 2.6 million doses of 3 approved vaccines (Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca).

In the meantime, however, the state of alert has been extended this week. Previous measures remain in place, and some new ones have been introduced, such as a ceiling on occupancy rates in mountain resorts of 70% of the total accommodation capacity.

National Recovery and Resilience Plan

President Klaus Iohannis had talks with the Liberal PM Florin Cîțu and other Cabinet members, to discuss the breakdown of the funds under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. After the meeting, Iohannis said the healthcare system will be one of the main beneficiaries. According to the head of state, the over 30 billion euro earmarked for Romania under this EU-wide plan is a chance for Romania to develop and implement the reforms postponed for years.

The investments stipulated in the plan will help create new jobs, especially for those affected by the pandemic, will create new business opportunities, will help strengthen entrepreneurship and boost competitiveness. The Plan will also allow for the funding of the motorway network, while at the same time promoting green transportation. Another programme, entitled “Educated Romania, will also benefit from substantial funding.

The Plan is to be approved by the Government next week and submitted to the European Commission.

Public sector pensions and salaries

The Government has taken the first concrete step to scrap the cumulated payment of public pension benefits and salary to the same individual. The Cabinet approved a draft law that forces public sector employees who reach retirement age to choose between receiving a salary if they continue to work, and receiving public pension if they retire. According to the labour minister Raluca Turcan, staying on the job past retirement age is an option, a right, and not an obligation. Nearly 35,000 people currently receive both salaries and pensions from the state budget, and in the near future they will have to opt for one or another.

Simple motion against the economy minister

The Senate of Romania Tuesday dismissed a simple motion tabled by the Social Democratic Party in opposition against the economy minister Claudiu Năsui, a member of Save Romania Union. Among other things, the Social Democrats blame Năsui for the absence of a strategy to support Romanian industry, for delays in implementing an aid scheme for the hospitality sector, for scrapping holiday vouchers and suspending payments under the Start-Up Nation programme.

Claudiu Năsui denied all the accusations, and claimed the motion was tied to his ministry making public a list with the institutions contracts. Năsui promised his efforts to bring transparency in the work of the ministry will not stop here. We have turned off many conduits for draining public money and will continue to do so, we will encourage exports and will promote companies efforts to connect to the global market, the economy minister said during the debates on the motion against him.

Cooperation and Verification Mechanism

Romania may conclude the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism in the judiciary this year, provided that it implements all the recommendations of the European Commission, and as of next year its justice system might be assessed for the first time only in the context of the report on the rule of law, like all other EU member countries. This statement was made exclusively for Radio Romania by the European Commission vice-president Věra Jourová, who added that the Commission still believes the special unit investigating magistrates is an intrusive institution which affects the independence of judges.

Věra Jourová had online consultations with Romanian officials, magistrates, MPs and civil society representatives. In a Facebook post after the talks with the European official, PM Florin Cîțu said that his Cabinet intends to address the ill-advised changes in the laws regulating the judiciary operated in 2017-2019, and that he shares the Commissions hopes that Romania will meet its rule of law commitments in the first half of this year.

On Thursday the government passed a bill dismantling the special unit investigating magistrates. The justice minister Stelian Ion said the goal is to return cases involving magistrates to the competent prosecutors offices.

“collective – the first Romanian film nominated for the Oscars

The documentary “colectiv, by Alexander Nanau, is as of this week the first Romanian film nominated for the Oscars, competing in 2 categories (best documentary and “best international feature). The Romania-Luxembourg co-production depicts the joint efforts of doctors, government officials and investigative journalists that uncover a large-scale fraud in the Romanian healthcare system, in the wake of the fire in Bucharests Colectiv nightclub, which killed scores of people in October 2015.

The film premiered at the 2019 Venice International Film Festival and earned the best documentary awards of the European Film Academy and of the London Film Critics Circle. “It tells the story of how incompetent authorities use lies and manipulation to trample over peoples lives, the director says. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

20 March 2021
“Collective” earns its first Oscar nominations

The production “Collective”, a documentary directed by Alexander Nanau, became on Monday the first Romanian film nominated at the Academy Awards, being short listed at the 93rd edition of the Oscars in the best documentary and best international feature categories, according to the online platforms of the American Film Academy. The film, a Romania-Luxembourg co-production, presents the joint efforts of doctors, government officials and investigation journalists, who fight against corruption when they discover massive fraud in the Bucharests healthcare system, following the fire at the Collective club in Bucharest on October 30, 2015.

“It is a story about the state and incompetent authorities, who, through lies and manipulation, destroyed peoples lives. It is important for as many people as possible to watch this movie“, director Alexander Nanau said in February. The production had its world premiere in 2019, at the Venice Film Festival, the oldest film festival in the world. The media described it as a “film about system versus people, truth versus manipulation, personal interest versus public interest about courage and responsibility. “

The title of the film was given by the name of the club where 65 people lost their lives in a fire, but has a double meaning. It also refers to the fact that we must be together in order to change things for the better, film critic Margareta Nistor told Agerpres news agency.

Margareta Nistor: “It is for the first time when a Romanian film is nominated for two categories, best international feature and best documentary, respectively. So its a great success. I believe it can win at least one category. Of course, we would love it to win both categories. Competition is bigger in the international feature category. In my opinion, it is the best documentary of all those nominated. “The Romanian film critic also said that this has been a good year for Romanian cinema, given that Romania has just won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival.

The film “Collective“ was designated best documentary at the European Film Academy Awards and is nominated for the European Parliaments Lux Prize, to be announced on April 28, 2021. It also won the best documentary category at international film festivals in Brazil, the US, Israel, Switzerland and Luxembourg. The Hollywood Reporter described Romanias entry as the picture of collective outrage.

Rounding out the Oscar international feature nominees are The man Who Sold His Skin (Tunisia), Another Round (Denmark), Better Days (Hong Kong), and Quo Vadis, Aida? (Bosnia/Herzegovina), the latter being a co-production with Romanian participation. (EE)

16 March 2021
« L’Affaire collective »

Le documentaire « L’Affaire collective » du réalisateur roumain Alexander Nanau est depuis lundi le premier film roumain nominé aux Oscars. En lice aussi bien pour la catégorie « Meilleur documentaire » que pour le « Meilleur film international », cette co-production roumano-luxembourgeoise montre les effets dévastateurs de la corruption sur l’ensemble d’une société. Le film suit l’enquête menée par une équipe de journalistes d’investigation afin de dénoncer la fraude dans le système de santé publique mise en lumière après l’incendie qui a consommé la discothèque Colectiv de Bucarest. « C’est une histoire sur l’Etat et sur l’incompétence des autorités qui, à force de mentir et de manipuler, ont foulé aux pieds la vie des gens. Un film que tout le monde devrait voir », affirmait, en février dernier, Alexander Nanau.

Présenté en première en 2019, lors du Festival du film de Venise, le documentaire a figuré dans la presse de l’époque comme une production sur « le système versus les citoyens, la vérité versus la manipulation, l’intérêt personnel versus l’intérêt public, un film sur le courage et la responsabilité individuelle ». « L’Affaire collective », cette tragédie soldée par la mort de 65 personnes, renferme en elle l’idée que pour changer les choses en bien, il faut rester ensemble, a expliqué pour Agerpres la critique de film Irina Margareta Nistor. « C’est pour la première fois dans l’histoire du cinéma de Roumanie qu’un film roumain est nominé deux fois, une fois dans la catégorie Meilleur documentaire et une autre dans celle du Meilleur film international », ajoute la critique. C’est là un double succès et je pense qu’il a des chances réelles de se voir attribuer au moins l’un des deux prix. Bien sûr, si ce sont les deux, on ne pourrait que s’en réjouir. La compétition s’avère plus serrée dans la catégorie Meilleur film international que dans l’autre. Personnellement, je trouve que l’Affaire collective est meilleur que les autres documentaires en lice aux Oscars et je sais de quoi je parle car je les ai tous vus », a encore précisé Irina Margareta Nistor.

Le cinéma roumain a entamé l’année en force, car il s’est vu attribuer l’Ours d’or, à Berlin pour le film de Radu Jude « Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn ». C’est une tradition qui se poursuit depuis une vingtaine d’années déjà et qui a apporté à la Roumanie une Palme d’Or. Pour revenir à « L’Affaire collective », le film a été sacré meilleur documentaire en décembre dernier, lors du Gala des Prix de l’Académie européenne de film. La production est également en lice au Prix Lux du Public européen qui sera annoncé le 28 avril. A son palmarès figurent également le trophée du meilleur documentaire aux festivals internationaux de film du Brésil, des Etats-Unis, d’Israël, de Suisse ou encore du Luxembourg.

A l’heure où l’on parle, « L’Affaire collective » se dispute l’Oscar du meilleur film étranger avec le film tunisien « L’Homme qui a vendu sa peau », le film danois « Encore un round », le long-métrage « Jours meilleurs » de Hong-Kong et enfin le film « Quo vadis, Aida ? », une coproduction à participation roumaine. Dans une chronique consacrée au documentaire roumain, la publication Hollywood Reporter écrivait que ce film est « l’expression dure et pleine de révolte de l’indignation collective ». (Trad. Ioana Stancescu)

16 March 2021
March 15, 2021 UPDATE

Covid-19RO. The capital city Bucharest and Braşov, Cluj, Hunedoara, Ilfov, Sălaj and Timiş counties are now in the so-called red zone, with an infection rate exceeding 3 cases per one thousand inhabitants. 2,972 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours, out of 12 thousand tests run at country level, the Strategic Communication Group announced on Monday afternoon. Also, 82 people died of Covid-19, raising the death toll to 21,565. More than 862 thousand cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Romania since the start of the pandemic. 787,392 people have been cured and currently there are 1,225 Covid-19 patients in intensive care.

Pandemic. France decided on Monday to suspend the use of AstraZenecas Covid-19 vaccine “out of precaution”, pending an opinion from the European Medicines Agency, which will be announced on Tuesday afternoon. President Emmanuel Macron hopes that vaccination with this serum “will be resumed soon”, “if the authoritys opinion allows it”. Several European countries have already suspended the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine, with the latest decisions coming from Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. The situation occurs after possible side effects have appeared, though unproven at this stage. AstraZeneca has announced that it has completed an analysis of the vaccination process with the anti-COVID-19 serum it produced and found no evidence of an increased risk of blood clots in the inoculated persons. The number of cases of blood clots reported in the 17 million vaccinated people is lower than the hundreds of cases that would be expected to occur among the general population, the pharmaceutical company states.

Vaccination. The vaccination campaign in Romania entered its third stage on Monday, addressing the general population. For the time being the immunization process is carried out in towns and villages where the COVID infection rate exceeds 4.5 per one thousand inhabitants. People can register on waiting lists on the online platform. Meanwhile people who enrolled in the second phase continue to get their shots. So far over 2.2 million people have taken one of the three vaccines rolled out in Romania – Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca.

Collective. The documentary “Collective”, directed by Alexander Nanau, became on Monday the first Romanian film nominated for the Oscars, where it will compete in the categories best documentary and best international feature film, according to the online platforms of the American Film Academy. The documentary, a Romania-Luxembourg co-production, presents the joint efforts of doctors, government officials and investigative journalists who discover a major fraud in the health system in Bucharest, after the fire that broke out at the Colectiv club in October 2015 and rezulted in dozens dead and wounded. The world premiere took place in 2019 at the Venice International Film Festival. The film was nominated for Best Documentary at the European Film Academy Awards and the London Film Critics Circle Awards. “Its a story about the state, about incompetent authorities who, through lies and manipulation, trampled on peoples lives,” the director says. Another co-production with Romanian participation, “Quo Vadis, Aida?” (Bosnia – Herzegovina / Austria / Romania / Netherlands / Germany / Poland / France / Norway), directed by Jasmila Zbanic, was nominated for the Best International Feature Film category at the 93rd Oscar awards.

Message. Romanias president, Klaus Iohannis, on Monday conveyed a message marking the Day of Hungarians Worldwide. In his message, the president says that fostering interethnic harmony will help consolidate a stronger and more prosperous society. The head of state referred to the significant contribution of the Hungarian minority in Romania and its political representatives to Romanias efforts towards European integration, promoting democratic values, human rights and the protection of minorities as underlying elements of Romanian society. “These are the foundations of our common path towards a European future that shows a deep understanding of the mistakes of the past”, president Iohannis said in his message.

Restructuring. Romanias Energy Minister, Virgil Popescu, on Monday started a a two-day visit to Brussels, where he will try to persuade EU officials to approve the €1.33 billion restructuring plan for the Oltenia Energy Company. Oltenia needs a total of €3.5 billion to cover restructuring costs over the next 5 years, of which €1.5 billion is provided by the Company, and the rest by the state. In February, the European Commission announced the launch of a comprehensive investigation into the state funding allotted to restructure the company, claiming the companys energy output wont change significantly after its reorganization. Romanian authorities hope to obtain the approval of the European Commission by the end of April, so that the Oltenia Energy Company should be able to pay CO2 permits for 2020 penalty-free.

Tennis. According to the WTA rankings announced on Monday, Romania once again has 5 representatives among the top 100 professional tennis players. No change has taken place, compared to last week, in the top ten positions. The Australian Ashleigh Barty ranks first, followed by the Japanese Naomi Osaka and the Romanian Simona Halep. The other four Romanians in the Top 100 are Patricia Ţig, who went down two places and is now on 63, Sorana Cîrstea, who went up one place to 66, Irina Begu, standing on 73, and Ana Bogdan, who went up from 101 to 99. In doubles, all three Romanians in the first hundred regressed: Raluca Olaru dropped three places (48), Monica Niculescu, two (53), and Andreea Mitu, two (90). (MI)

15 March 2021
“Collective” shortlisted for Oscar

Alexander Nanau’s
documentary film Collective is on the short list for an Oscar in both the documentary
feature and the international feature film categories. This is the first
time that a Romanian production is shortlisted in two categories at the American
Academy Awards. The film follows the investigation of a group of journalists
into the corruption of the Romanian healthcare sector in the wake of a fire
that broke out on 30th October 2015 at the Bucharest nightclub Colectiv
and which killed more than 60 people. The film has already received two awards.
Last year, it was named best documentary at the European Film Awards and this
year it won the best documentary award from the London Critics’ Circle Film
Awards. The Oscar nominations will be announced on 15th March and
the award ceremony will be held on 25th April.

Born in Romania and living
in Germany, the film’s director Alexander Nanau says the nomination of his
film, which is in fact a Romania-Luxembourg coproduction, is the work of a team
from four continents. In a statement to Agerpress news agency, he emphasised
that by its inclusion on the Oscars shortlist, the story in the film gets to be
passed on. It’s a story about the state, about incompetent authorities who
trample on people’s lives through deception and manipulation and it’s very important
to be seen by as many people as possible and maybe it will help others realise when
they are being manipulated and their lives are being placed in danger by the authorities,
Nanau also said. He explained that some themes are universally valid, all over
the word, one of which being the importance of having an independent press and
the fact that without an independent press we basically have no access to the
truth, because those in power will always be tempted to create a parallel
reality and hide their intentions and abuse their power. Alexander Nanau was
also quoted as saying that Romanian society has changed a lot since the fire
at Colectiv in 2015. The wish for change is more and more visible, he said.

Tragedies caused by the
cynicism and moral corruption of hospital managers and the politicians who
protect them, fires with multiple victims keep reoccurring in Romania. It was
only a couple of weeks ago, that a fire broke out at a ward containing many patients
at Matei Balş Institute in Bucharest, Romania’s
biggest infectious diseases hospital and one of its most modern and best
equipped. Another similar tragedy took place last November at the emergency
hospital in Piatra Neamţ, in the north-east. Alexander Nanau believes this is
the sad record of the incompetence and corruption of people who have been
running state institutions and hospitals for dozens of years, the result being
that people are dying. (CM)

11 February 2021
January 17, 2021 UPDATE

Vaccination. Phase
two of the mass vaccination campaign is under way in Romania, targeting people
over the age of 65, chronic patients and workers in key sectors. According to
official figures, more than 204,000 people have received the Covid jab since mass
immunisation began on 27th December. According to the campaign
coordinators, the demand for vaccination surpassed the number of available
appointments, which also depends on the available vaccine stocks. More than 2,100
new infections and 57 new deaths were reported on Sunday and 1,076
Covid patients are in intensive care. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Romania
has recorded almost 694,000 cases and more than 17,200 related deaths. As
regards the infection
rate, only the capital Bucharest and the counties of Ilfov (south), Timiş (west) and Cluj
(north-west) are still in the red tier.

Restrictions.
The UK is struggling to contain a more contagious variant of Covid-19, which has
also made its way to mainland Europe. Countries are tightening restrictions to
contain the British variant and two others originating in South Africa and
Brazil. Italy has imposed lockdowns in most regions for almost a month.
According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Rome, people are only allowed to
leave their homes between 5 am and 10 pm and only to go to work, for health
reasons and to buy essentials. Shops stay closed with the exception of food
shops, pharmacies and tobacco shops. Ski resorts are closed until mid February.
Museums that are not in the red zones are allowed to open from Monday to
Friday, and gyms, swimming pools and cinemas stay closed until 5th
March. Schools in the red zones are closed, while those in the amber zones can
open with 50% of the students physically present in class.

Electric cars.
The number of eco-friendly cars in Romania stood at some 8,900 at the end of
2020, up 33.3% compared with the same period in 2019, according to the
Automotive Manufacturers and Importers Association cited by Agerpress news
agency. Hybrid cars accounted for most new purchases last year, namely 5,000.
2,800 electric vehicles and more than 1,000 plug-in models were sold.

E-commerce. The number of
people aged between 16 and 74 who used online services to order and purchase
goods and services has seen steady growth in Romania in recent years to reach
58.2% in 2020, according to the National Institute for Statistics. 45% of them
made online orders and purchases in the last three months, 32% in the last year
and 23% more than a year ago. Compared with the previous year, the number of
people making online purchases grew by more than 15% in 2020.

Oscars. The American Film
Academy has expanded the number of films on its international feature shortlist
from 10 to 15 titles, all of which will be published on 9th
February. Romania’s submission in this category is the documentary film Collective by the Romanian-German director Alexander Nanau. The
film follows a journalistic investigation into the corruption in the Romanian
healthcare system in the aftermath a devastating fire that broke out at a
Bucharest nightclub in October 2015 and which killed dozens of people. In
December, the film was voted best documentary at the European Film Awards.

Handball. The Romanian women’s handball champions SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea defeated the Croatian side Podravka 27:25 in Champions League Group B to win their first match after six consecutive losses. They will next be playing two matches at home, against Buducnost Posdorica from Montenegro on Wednesday and against CSKA Moscow four days later. Also on Sunday, the Romanian women’s side HC Dunărea Brăila drew 25-all against the Russian side Kuban Krasnodar in a Round 2 Group D match as part of the EHF European League. The Romanian side now top the group ahead of next week’s match at home against trophy holders Siofok KC from Hungary. (CM)

17 January 2021
January 16, 2021 UPDATE

Vaccination. Romanian prime minister Florin Cîţu on Saturday received the Covid vaccine at the central
Military Hospital in Bucharest. On Friday, Romania entered phase two of
its mass vaccination programme, targeting people over the age of 65, chronic
patients and workers in key sectors. According to official figures, more than
196,000 people were immunised in phase one, which began on 27th
December. The
authorities said 309 vaccination centres are in operation at the moment. President
Klaus Iohannis also received the vaccine, on Friday. He said afterwards that
the vaccine is safe and efficient, and immunisation and compliance with the
protection rules will help us overcome the pandemic. More than 3,200 new
infection cases and 66 new deaths were recorded in Romania ion Saturday. 1,089 Covid patients are in intensive care. Romania saw more than 691,000
cases and 17,160 related deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.

Government order. The government adopted an emergency order on Friday on
the establishment of vaccination centres and the recruitment and payment of the
staff involved in the vaccination process. Health minister Vlad Voiculescu said
his ministry would cover the cost of the vaccination campaign and that he
relied on GPs to inform their patients about the vaccine and make the
appointments. He said GPs would receive additional pay for this service. He
also gave assurances that schools will be safe to return to if they reopen on 8th
February. He pointed out that education workers can get the vaccine during
phase two of the vaccine rollout.

Europe restrictions. Europe vaccine.
Global coronavirus cases hit 94.4 million, while the death toll passes 2
million. More than 67 million have recovered. Despite a slowdown of Pfizer and
BioNTech vaccine deliveries by in late January and early February, Pfizer gave
assurances that the doses expected by the European Union in the first quarter
of the year will be supplied as scheduled, said European Commission president
Ursula von der Leyen after health ministers from six EU countries signed a
joint letter voicing deep concern over the announced delays. Meanwhile, tighter
restrictions are being imposed in Europe following a spike in cases. Austria remains in lockdown,
but is reopening schools on 25th January. Italy has extended its
state of emergency until April and has again banned travel between regions.
France has imposed a 6 pm curfew and Portugal entered a new lockdown for at
least another month, while Spanish regions are tightening measures, including
in the Madrid area.

Oscars. The American film academy
has decided to expand the number of films on its international feature
shortlist to 15, according to Variety magazine, from 10 in previous year.
Alexander Nanau’s documentary film Collective
is Romania’s proposal for this year’s Oscars in the international category. In December,
the film was voted best documentary at the European Film Awards, which has over
3,800 members from around Europe. Collective
looks at the aftermath of a tragic fire that broke out at a Bucharest nightclub
in October 2015 and which 64 people were killed.

Handball. Romanian vice-champions in
women’s handball CSM Bucharest on Saturday lost to the Norwegian side Vipers Kristiansand at home 22:29 as part of
Champions League Group A. The Norwegian side also won the first leg last
October. Together with the European champions Gyor from Hungary, Vipers are the
only side not to lose a single match in the Champions League group stage. (CM)

16 January 2021
December 13, 2020 UPDATE

ROMANIAN PARLIAMENT. The procedure for assigning parliamentary mandates is due to start next week in Romania, after the redistribution of the unused votes from the parties that failed to go above the electoral threshold of 5%. After resolving the appeals, the Central Electoral Bureau announced the official final results and only five parties entered the new parliament. No party has a majority to form its own government. The Social Democratic Party ranks first, both in the Chamber of Deputies and in the Senate, as it got 29% of the over 5.9 million votes cast in the December 6th elections. It is followed by the National Liberal Party, with 25% and the Save Romania Union – PLUS Alliance with 15%. The Alliance for the Unity of Romanians and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians also got enough votes to be represented in parliament, with 9% and 6% respectively.

CONSULTATIONS. On Monday, President Klaus Iohannis will have consultations with the representatives of the political parties that will form the future legislature in Bucharest, in order to appoint a prime minister. Negotiations will start with the Social Democratic Party (PSD), which obtained the largest number of votes, but does not have a majority. The Social Democrats have not negotiated with any other party to form a parliamentary majority and are going to consultations with the proposal that Dr. Alexandru Rafila, Romanias representative to the WHO, lead a PSD minority government or a national union government. The National Liberal Party (PNL), the Save Romania Union – PLUS Alliance (USR PLUS) and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians (UDMR) negotiated for two days but did not agree on the division of government and parliamentary positions. Thus, PNL and USR PLUS will go to consultations with the president with separate proposals for Prime-Minister, and UDMR announced that it will take a decision on Monday morning. The Liberals proposal for the position of Prime Minister is Florin Cîţu, who currently manages the Finance portfolio, while USR PLUS advanced the name of Dacian Ciolos, who has previously been Prime Minister and European Commissioner for Agriculture. The future legislature will also include members of the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians and those of national minorities, other than the Hungarian one

COVID-19 ROMANIA. In Romania, the state of alert declared because of the Covid-19 pandemic, in force since mid-May, will be maintained for at least another month, starting December 14. During this period, the current restrictions will remain in force, including quarantine at night. The authorities have called on the Romanians to limit interactions during the winter holidays, to avoid caroling and the New Years Eve parties. Some 13,400 deaths associated with COVID-19 have been recorded in Romania since the beginning of the pandemic. The latest reports indicate at least 4,400 new cases in 24 hours, mostly in Bucharest. Romania has exceeded 556,000 people diagnosed with COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic. Almost 1300 patients are currently in intensive care.

PANDEMIC. The total number of cases of Covid-19 has exceeded 72 million worldwide, the number of deaths has gone past 1.6 million, and the number of people cured is over 50 million, according to Worldometers.info. In the United States, the worlds most affected country by the pandemic, there are over 16.5 million cases and 305 thousand deaths. US authorities have begun delivering the authorized COFID-Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for emergency use, and General Gus Perna, responsible for the campaign, has announced that vaccination will start on Monday. The serum, which provides up to 95% protection, is already being administered in the UK. The United States thus becomes the sixth country to approve the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine, after the United Kingdom, Canada, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Mexico. The European Medicines Agency should issue an opinion by the end of December. Italy and Great Britain are the countries with the biggest number of deaths associated with Covid-19.

BREXIT. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, following a conversation with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson that EU and UK negotiators were mandated to continue the talks and to see whether a post-Brexit trade agreement can be reached, even at this late stage. Mrs von der Leyen described the talks with Boris Johnson as “useful”, saying that they had decided that the next responsible move was make special efforts at this time, and extend the negotiations beyond the December 13th initial deadline. The major points of disagreement are the rules of competition and the fishing rights.

FILM AWARDS. Collective, directed by Alexander Nanau – a Romanian born German director – was designated the best documentary at the European Film Academy Awards on Saturday night, at a ceremony held online in Berlin, without audience. Collective tells the story of the first year after the fire at the Colectiv club in Bucharest, which took place on October 30, 2015. Among the other five documentaries nominated was another Romanian film – Acasă (At Home), Radu Ciorniciucs feature film debut. It describes the story of a family that lived for 20 years in the wilderness of the Văcăreşti Delta in Bucharest, until the place acquired the status of a protected area. The best European film of 2020 was the Danish production Another Round, directed by Thomas Vinterberg, a drama in which four good friends, high school teachers, want to test the theory that you live and work better if you manage to maintain a constant blood alcohol level. Winner of many awards, Collective is Romanias proposal for the 2021 Oscars, in the Best International Feature Film section, previously called The Best Foreign Film. It is the first time that a documentary is Romanias proposal in the race for the American Film Academy awards. (M. Ignatescu)

13 December 2020