Radio România Internațional

Tag: series

  • Romania’s president at the European Parliament

    Romania’s president at the European Parliament


    Initiated in 2022, shortly after the Russian Federation started its war against Ukraine, the debate series “This Is Europe” has reached its 13th edition, in which the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis presented his views on the future of Europe and solutions to the problems it is facing before the European Parliament.



    The European project requires attention, effort, patience and integrity on a daily basis, if we are to live free, in a united and thriving Europe, the Romanian official said in Strasbourg, adding that present-day Romania is a strong advocate of coordinated action in the spirit of European values.



    “We have a responsibility to support a Europe that carries forward these principles and values, including towards our friends in the European neighbourhood that have chosen our democracy and development model. And a key stage in this process is the European elections. The priorities we will define together after these elections will have to help us give pragmatic responses to the challenges of the present and to prepare better for the challenges of the future,” president Iohannis believes.



    The Romanian official also mentioned the unprecedented geostrategic challenges facing the Union. “The rules-based international order is being challenged over and over again. Russia pursues its aggression against Ukraine. Around the Union, instability and insecurity have reached alarming levels. The open conflict in the Middle East, the situation in the Red Sea, and the worrying developments in the Sahel, all these have a systemic impact on our own security,” Klaus Iohannis pointed out.



    At the same time, he went on to say, “Climate change, economic difficulties, and illegal migration continue to generate their own negative impact, adding to the complexity of global dynamics. On top of all these challenges, we witness a crisis of values and, as far as I see it, a crisis of public trust in our institutions.”



    The president of Romania emphasised the importance on EU action based on unity, solidarity, cohesion and the rule of law, and pleaded for continuing support for Ukraine, adding that defending democracy, territorial integrity and sovereignty, as well as the rules-based international order cannot be subject to any “solidarity fatigue”.



    In his speech, president Iohannis said Romania was one of the best examples of the transforming power of the EU, which has provided undeniable and concrete benefits for Romanian citizens. “Enlarging our European family by accepting new members will only strengthen the Union,” he argued, and mentioned the historic decisions made at the European Council in December 2023 with respect to the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Georgia.



    The Romanian official also emphasised that the EU must remain a free movement area, and pleaded for Romanias full Schengen accession as soon as possible, thus allowing the country to make a concrete contribution to strengthening the security of the European bloc. (AMP)


  • Egregora

    Egregora

    Today we’re going to talk about an
    upcoming three-part mystery and adventure TV series called Egregora, from
    Romanian director Andrei Chiriac. The film begins as nine children with a
    passion for history and archaeology come across the secret archives of an order
    called The Dragons, in which coded references are made to the hidden treasure of
    the Dacians, which are the ancestors of the Romanian people. Director Andrei
    Chiriac says the film is a combination of mystery, history and myth:




    I first thought about making this
    film 13 years ago, when I went with a friend to visit Sarmisegetuza, the
    capital of the Dacians. That’s when I heard all kinds of stories from the locals
    about the treasures of the Dacians and about ancient myths and I thought about
    doing a documentary film about these legends, but ended up doing a TV series. I
    signed a sponsorship contract with an advertising firm two years ago and got
    some funding, not a lot, which I used to film the historical part for the first
    season. This is set at the time of Vlad the Impaler, and also deals with the
    scheming that went on at the court of Vlad Dracul, his father, and with Vlad’s
    relationship with ruler Radu the Handsome, and some other elements of historical
    background that help us understand the story of the nine children who, in 2020,
    find the diary of Vlad the Impaler and some of the secret archive of the Order
    of the Dragons, the order responsible for the ruler’s protection. The diary
    refers in allegorical terms to this fabulous treasure of the Dacians and the secrets
    the latter are believed to have inherited from the Atlants, the inhabitants of
    the Citadel of Atlantis. So, this is the starting point for our journey.




    This secret treasure of the Dacians
    is not so much material, but spiritual, and consists of the secrets hidden
    here, says film director Andrei Chiriac:




    We will be filming at some of the
    most beautiful locations across Romania. The whole of Romania is very
    beautiful, so we’ll have plenty to choose from. So far, we’ve done some
    shooting in the Danube Gorges, the Ponicova cave, Veterani cave and a mountain
    peak in the area, in the Lotrului mountains, as well as in the Bucegi mountains,
    in the Obârşiei valley, on the Transfăgărăşan
    road, in Sarmisegetuza, and in tourist attractions which are less-known by the
    public, such as Bolii cave and Şura Mare cave. Many people who have seen the
    footage filmed so far have in fact asked me if we’ve filmed in Romania. Someone
    told me, for example, that the images filmed in Bolii cave look like they have
    been filmed in Jordan. These are truly sensational places which few people know
    about and which we’re going to show in the film. We’ll be filming everywhere,
    in Romania’s most important citadels, in fortified churches, in Moldavia, in the
    Ceahlău mountains, in the Retezat and in the Măcinului mountains, in Dobruja.
    We’ll also be filming in southern Romania, in the cave of St Andrew, and travel
    from Satu Mare to Constanţa and Sighişoara. All of it will be in the film.




    Egregora has already invited comparisons with Game
    of Thrones and The Da Vinci Code. The director Andrei Chiriac hopes
    his film will improve Romania’s image internationally. We asked him to send a
    message to our listeners from abroad:


    I think this series will be a
    nice surprise for them and I’m sure that if they ever visit Romania, perhaps to
    see something unusual, perhaps thinking of Romania as the land of Dracula the
    vampire, they will go back feeling happy. And maybe they’ll decide to stay here,
    which wouldn’t be unusual as there are many people from abroad who came here
    and then fell in love with Romania and ended up staying. They realised it’s a piece
    of heaven where it’s really worth living!




    After 20 years of living in the United
    States, Andrei Chiriac says Romania has a special vibe and that people from abroad
    who visit the country can feel this vibe. His series Egregora is meant
    as a tribute to Romanian culture, with a focus on the Dacian heritage and the time
    of Vlad the Impaler. The treasure found at the end of the series is the Dacian
    treasure consisting of the extraordinary spiritual wealth of this region.
    Andrei Chiriac:




    Thank you for supporting Egregora
    and I can’t wait for it to be ready and to come before the public with a
    beautiful product that will dare you to find the material and spiritual treasure
    that probably lies in each and every one of us.




    If funding is provided, Egregora
    can be ready in one year a half.