Romanian Film Fest: Last-minute news

Running a film festival is a crazy job; there are a lot of things to juggle. But I'd humbly suggest that notifying the media of your festival's existence ought to be high on the priority list. Alas, the good people at the Romanian Film Festival of Chicago, which happens this weekend, only got around to notifying us today. So, if you're into Romanian cinema (if, for instance, you loved The Death of Mr. Lazarescu and want to see more from that country), here's the lowdown, straight from the press release.

2nd ROMANIAN FILM FESTIVAL OF CHICAGO

OPENS WITH THE CHICAGO PREMIERE OF THE REST IS SILENCE (RESTUL E TACERE), FEBRUARY 27-MARCH 1, 2009 CHICAGO

The 2nd Romanian Film Festival of Chicago, February 27 – March 1, 2009, presented by The Round Table Society in collaboration with the Romanian Cultural Institute of New York and the Romanian National Film Center bridges the gap between old and new cinematography and is meant to show that Romanian film is about more than just the gloomy years of Communism, thus the juxtaposition of the Cinema of Today and the Cinema of Yesterday.

Highlights include:
*  Chicago Premiere of The Rest Is Silence (Restul e Tacere, 2007) directed by Nae Caranfil, Official Selection at Locarno Film Festival 2007
*  Chicago Premiere of Bar de Zi and Other Stories (Bar de Zi si Alte Povestiri, 2007) documentary directed by Corina Radu
*  US Premiere of Felicia (Felicia, 2009) short film directed by Irina Botea and Razvan Botea

Detailed Schedule:

Opening Night - Friday, February 27, 2009 - 6.30pm
Short Films: Short History (Scurta Istorie, 1957) – directed by Ion Popescu Gopo
Homo Sapiens (Homo Sapiens, 1957) – directed by Ion Popescu Gopo
PREMIERE – Felicia (Felicia, 2009) – directed by Irina Botea and Razvan Botea
Feature: CHICAGO PREMIERE – The Rest Is Silence (Restul e Tacere, 2007) - directed by Nae Caranfil

Saturday, February 28, 2009 – 4pm
Short Films: Boredom and Inspiration (Plictis si Inspiratie, 2007) – directed by Igor Cobileanski
When the Lights Go Out (Cand Se Stinge Lumina, 2007) – directed by Igor Cobileanski
The Yellow Smiley Face (Fata Galbena Care Rade, 2008) – directed by Constantin Popescu
Today I Was Young and Pretty (Azi Eram Tanara, Juna, 2008) – directed by Alexandra Gulea
Documentary: This Is It (Asta E, 2008) – directed by Thomas Ciulei

Saturday, February 28, 2009 – 7pm
Feature: The Conjugal Bed (Patul Conjugal, 1993) – directed by Mircea Daneliuc

Sunday, March 1, 2009 – 4pm
Documentary: Bar de Zi and Other Stories (Bar de Zi si Alte Povestiri, 2007) – directed by Corina Radu
Feature: Reenactment (Reconstituirea, 1968) – directed by Lucian Pintilie

Sunday, March 1, 2009 – 7pm
Feature: Elevator (Elevatorul, 2008) - directed by George Dorobantu

SCREENING LOCATION

The 2nd Romanian Film Festival of Chicago will screen films at The Cervantes Institute, 31 West Ohio, Chicago, Illinois 60610. For additional information regarding the location please visit www.chicago.cervantes.es. All screenings will be digital and in Romanian with English subtitles.

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets for single and multiple film screenings which range in price from $10 - $45, are now on-sale and available by visiting www.roundtablesociety.org. Tickets will also be sold at the entrance at the Cervantes Institute before each screening subject to availability.