Radio România Internațional

Tag: Otto

  • “Otto the Barbarian”, the best Romanian feature film in TIFF, now in theaters

    “Otto the Barbarian”, the best Romanian feature film in TIFF, now in theaters


    Otto the Barbarian, filmmaker Ruxandra Ghitescu’s
    debut feature film, is in theaters across Romania as of September 24. Otto the
    Barbarian saw its world premiere in the official competition as part of the
    Sarajevo International Film Festival’s 26th edition, and it was
    selected as the best feature film in the TIFF Transylvania International Film Festival’s
    section Romanian Film Days.


    The plot revolves around a 17-year-old punk teenager
    who grapples with the death of his girlfriend. The boy ends up captive in a
    vicious circle created by his parents, his grandfather, his former lover’s
    mother and the investigation carried out by the social services. In order to survive,
    Otto will have to confront his feelings and his guilt.


    According to the film critic Victor Morozov, Otto is
    the most engaging Romanian film character in recent years, all the more so as
    he is guided by Ruxandra Ghitescu’s lenient gaze, which is everything a film character
    may wish for, when in a tight corner. As for Ruxandra Ghitescu, she hopes for Otto
    the Barbarian to be a film that will reward us all emotionally.


    The film started off from an article she came across a
    couple of years ago and which focused on Octavian Albu, the film’s musical
    director and the author of the original movie soundtrack, jointly with Cardinal
    rock group. With details on that, here is Ruxandra Ghitescu herself.


    Ruxandra Ghitescu: Yes, well, I was trying to find a
    contact point with adolescence, and I came across an article about Octavian Albu,
    who had been nicknamed Otto the Barbarian and to me, this encounter seemed a
    very fortunate one. As the frontman of a punk-rock group, with the entire
    outward architecture of punk culture, it seemed to me that Octavian embodied
    the marginality of an age that is pretty much ignored in social interaction, in
    film and also in literature. Octavian Albu was, from the very beginning, the
    adviser for the soundtrack, he joined our team as a musical director, he and
    Cardinal group wrote most of the soundtrack, and together we picked up the
    songs on the soundtrack that belonged to other punk groups. I can say that, of
    the article that inspired the plot, only the name, the hairstyle and the jacket
    survived. It is a fictionalisation with no connection whatsoever with Octavian’s
    life. In fact, we two met a couple of years after I had found the article, when
    Otto was 23 already and a student in London, and he gave me the go-ahead to use
    the article as a source of inspiration. I got the impression he was very happy
    that we managed to make this film, he is a positive person and helped me a lot,
    including with on the screenplay.


    Ruxandra Ghiţescu set out to make a movie about adolescence
    as an age of emotional turmoil and loneliness, an age when music plays an
    essential part. At the same time, Otto the Barbarian speaks to teenagers and
    parents alike, it is an invitation to dialogue about depression and its consequences.




    Ruxandra Ghițescu: From the very beginning our goal was to make a film that relies
    on emotion rather than on intelligence, especially because it focuses on this
    age when emotion trumps reason. Otto is a very critical character, he is an
    introvert, he speaks very little, so his interactions with the others are a
    result of his emotions and feelings. We brought out the character’s entire
    emotional journey in his various relationships-with his parents, with his
    girlfriend’s mother, with the videos left behind by his girlfriend, and above
    all with music. I’m very happy to have caught a period when Otto the
    Barbarian is screened in theatres and has contact with the audience, it is
    only now that I really feel I have made a movie. The entire year 2020, with the
    restrictions entailed by the pandemic, with the film-going experience abandoned
    so easily, was very painful for me, and I imagine it was the same for others as
    well. so I enjoyed the experience of these festivals, the contact with the
    public and the experience of watching a film on screen in a cinema hall.



    Ruxandra Ghițescu paints a loving portrait, not
    without its surprises and some spectacular acting, writes critic Georgiana
    Mușat about the film produced by Alien Film jointly with Polar Bear and Alien
    Films Entertainment.The cast
    includes Marc Titieni, Adrian Titieni, Ioana Bugarin, Ioana Flora, Mihaela
    Sîrbu, Iulian Postelnicu, Ana Radu, and the late Constantin Drăgănescu. Ana
    Drăghici was the director of photography and Dana Bunescu was in charge with
    the editing.

  • Sortie en salle de « Otto le Barbare », meilleur long-métrage roumain au TIFF

    Sortie en salle de « Otto le Barbare », meilleur long-métrage roumain au TIFF

    « Otto le Barbare », le premier long-métrage de la réalisatrice roumaine Ruxandra Ghiţescu, sera diffusé dans les salles de cinéma en Roumanie le 24 septembre prochain. Le film, qui a été présenté en première mondiale à la 26e édition du Festival international Sarajevo, a été désigné « meilleure production » dans la section « Les journée du cinéma roumain », au Festival international du film Transilvania (TIFF). Le film raconte l’histoire d’Otto, un adolescent punk de 17 ans, qui fait face à la mort de sa petite amie et qui devient prisonnier d’un cercle vicieux créé par ses parents, son grand-père, la mère de sa petite amie et l’enquête déroulée par les services sociaux. Pour survivre, Otto doit affronter ses sentiments, surtout celui de culpabilité. « Sous l’œil bienveillant de Ruxandrei Ghițescu (tout ce qu’un personnage en détresse souhaite le plus), Otto est le protagoniste le plus attachant des films roumains des dernières années. », écrit le critique de cinéma Victor Morozov, alors que la réalisatrice elle-même espère que « Otto le Barbare » soit une récompense émotionnelle pour le public.

    Le film est né d’un article publié il y a quelques années, qui racontait l’histoire d’Octavian Albu, superviseur musical et compositeur, avec la troupe Cardinal, de la musique du film. Ruxandra Ghițescu explique : « Oui, dans mes recherches pour trouver un point de contact dramaturgique avec l’âge de l’adolescence, je suis tombée sur un article qui parlait d’Octavian Albu, surnommé Otto le Barbare, ce qui fut un heureux hasard pour moi. En tant que soliste d’une troupe de musique punk, avec toute l’architecture extérieure de la culture punk, Octavian m’a paru incarner la marginalité d’une tranche d’âge dont les rapports sociaux, le film, la littérature évitent plutôt d’aborder. Dès le début, Octavian Albu a été notre conseiller musical, ensuite notre superviseur musical, il a composé, avec la troupe Cardinal, une grande partie de la musique du film et nous avons choisi ensemble les chansons d’autres troupes punk que nous avons reprises dans le film. De l’article que j’ai mentionné, nous avons gardé le nom, la coupe de cheveux, avec la crête iroquoise, et le blouson. Le reste est une fiction sans aucun rapport avec la vie d’Octavian. En fait, nous nous somme rencontrés plusieurs années après la publication de l’article, quand Otto avait déjà 23 ans ; il faisait des études à Londres et il m’a autorisée à faire de cet article une source d’inspiration. J’ai eu le sentiment qu’il était très content de l’idée de réaliser ce film. Il est quelqu’un de positif et sa contribution, y compris les retours sur le scénario, m’a beaucoup aidée. »

    Ruxandra Ghiţescu a voulu faire un film sur l’adolescence comme âge d’un tourbillon d’émotions et de la solitude, où la musique joue un rôle essentiel. « Otto le Barbare » est en même temps un film qui parle aussi bien aux adolescents qu’aux parents, une invitation à parler et à débattre de la dépression et ses conséquences. Ruxandra Ghițescu : « Dès le début, nous avons voulu construire un film qui interpelle sur un plan plutôt affectif qu’intellectuel, surtout qu’il se penche sur cet âge porté davantage par les émotions que par une construction rationnelle. Ça a été surtout une expression de vécu intérieur. Otto est un personnage très critique, introverti, qui parle à peine et dont les interactions avec les autres sont le résultat de ses émotions et de ses états d’âme. J’ai exprimé le parcours émotionnel du personnage à travers ses relations avec les autres: ses parents, la mère de sa petite amie, avec les enregistrements vidéo de sa petite amie, et surtout la musique. J’ai beaucoup développé cette relation avec la musique durant le montage et le travail sur la bande-son, car nous avons voulu que le rythme rappelle celui de la musique punk. Je suis très contente de cette sortie en salle et de la rencontre avec le public, parce que c’est à peine maintenant que j’ai la confirmation d’avoir fait un film qui a atteint son but. L’année dernière, avec toutes les restrictions liées à la pandémie, avec des salles de cinéma tellement facilement fermées et l’expérience cinématographique si facilement abandonnée, m’a fait vivre une expérience très douloureuse, partagée aussi par d’autres, je suppose. J’ai donc profité au maximum de la participation à des festivals récents, de la rencontre avec le public et du retour devant l’écran d’une salle de cinéma. »

    « Ruxandra Ghițescu dessine avec tendresse un portrait qui ne manque pas de surprises et moments d’interprétation spectaculaires. », écrit la critique de cinéma Georgiana Mușat dans la revue « Acoperișul de sticlă/Le toit de verre » au sujet du film « Otto le Barbare », une coproduction de Alien Film, Polar Bear et Alien Films Entertainment. (Trad. Ileana Ţăroi)

  • October 14, 2020

    October 14, 2020

    COVID-19 4,016 new cases of COVID-19 infection were reported in Romania on Wednesday, the biggest daily figure since the start of the pandemic. The number of patients with severe forms of the disease is up, with 686 people in ICU. Another 66 COVID-19 patients died in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 5,601. The Government extends the state of alert by 30 days, as of October 15. The National Committee for Emergencies decided that face masks will be compulsory outdoors as well, in areas with more than 3 cases per 1,000 capita, and private events will be banned until the number of infections drops.



    PRIZE The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis is awarded in Magdeburg, Germany today the Emperor Otto Prize, for “great merits in the European unification process. According to the Romanian Presidency, the award ceremony will take place at the Magdeburg Cathedral (Magdeburger Dom, the Cathedral of Saints Maurice and Catherine), home to the tomb of Otto I the Great, Holy Roman Emperor. The Emperor Otto Prize is awarded every 2 years to personalities and organisations with outstanding merits in the European unification process and in promoting European values. It was first granted in 2005, when the city of Magdeburg celebrated 1,200 years. Former recipients include the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, former president Richard von Weizsacker, former Latvian president Vaira Vike-Freiberga, as well as the former EU diplomacy chief Federica Mogherini. In 2015, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe was the first institution to receive this award.



    INCIDENTS Incidents were reported in Iasi, in the east, where the Orthodox pilgrimage to Saint Parascheva the New continues. Groups of believers clashed with the police during this event, traditionally the largest in Romania and one of the most important in Europe. After the National Committee for Emergency decided that only believers residing in Iasi may take part in the event, the Romanian Orthodox Church rated the measure as discriminatory and said the Patriarchate was not consulted. On Tuesday president Klaus Iohannis said “a direct dialogue between the 2 major authorities would lead to better solutions. Born near Constantinople in the early 11th Century and celebrated on October 14, Saint Parascheva the New has been the patron saint of Moldavia since 1641.



    AUTOMOTIVE In Romania, the market for electric and Hybrid Plug-in cars rose significantly in the first 9 months of the year compared to 2019. Statistics point to a 40% increase in electric car sales and a 140% in Hybrid Plug-in sales since the beginning of the year. On Thursday, the largest Romanian carmaker, Dacia, taken over by the French group Renault in 1999, will unveil Spring, its electric model, 7 months after releasing the first photos of the concept. Dacia Spring will be the least expensive electric car in Europe, around 3-4,000 euro cheaper than its competitors.



    ELECTIONS In the Republic of Moldova the campaign for the presidential election due on November 1 continues. The latest polls indicate that only 2 out of the 8 candidates stand chances to win—the incumbent Socialist pro-Russian president Igor Dodon and the former pro-Western PM Maia Sandu, who were the main contenders in the presidential race 4 years ago as well. Radio Romanias correspondents in Chisinau say Dodon targets ethnic minorities and Soviet supporters, whereas Sandu has to win over the extremely divided right-wing voters.



    MEASURES Italy has added further exceptions from the COVID-19 rules applicable to travellers from Romania. Individuals showing no symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection and the ones who have not travelled to countries like Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina or the Republic of Moldova are no longer required to self-isolate under medical supervision. Exceptions also include the travellers who transit Italy for up to 36 hours and short-term visitors who stay in the country up to 120 hours. The same exception applies to medical personnel coming into Italy to practice their profession. The new rules are in force until November 13.



    FOOTBALL Romanias football team is playing tonight in Ploiesti against Austria, in the UEFA Nations League Group 1B. On Sunday, Romania lost 0-4, away from home, to Norway. In the first 2 matches in the group, Romania drew 1-1, at home, with Northern Ireland and beat Austria 3-2. On Thursday Romania failed to qualify into next years European Championship final tournament, after losing 1-2 against Iceland in the playoffs. Meanwhile, Romanias U21 team defeated Malta 4-1 (4-0), on Tuesday night in Giurgiu, in Group 8 of the European Youth Championship qualifiers. Denmark ranks first in the group with 25 points, followed by Romania with 19, Ukraine with 10, Finland with 10, Northern Ireland with 0 points and Malta with 1 point. Romania will play a decisive match on November 17 against Denmark in Ploiesti. (translated by: A.M. Popescu)