RCI / #RevolutionInRealism

This summer, a groundbreaking event changes the experience of film aficionados. The Romanian Cultural Institute in London organizes in partnership with BFI London an extensive retrospective of Romanian cinema. Started in May with the predecessors of the Romanian New Wave, it continues throughout June and July with a series of screenings and special Q&As of the Romanian New Wave. The films were selected by the prestigious BFI curator Geoff Andrews and the events feature plenty of noteworthy guests, such as film critic Andrei Gorzo, Professor Dominique Nasta, and film critic Nick Roddick. Moreover, the special screenings include live interviews and talks with the directors of the films.

As we are firm supporters of the Romanian film scene, we gladly took up this challenge of promoting Romanian cinema in the UK.

The concept which describes the campaign is Revolution in Realism, suggesting the revolutionary aesthetics and themes approached by the Romanian directors in their New Wave films. The title has a double implication, referring to the 1989 Romanian Revolution which had a huge cultural impact on the collective national psyche. Therefore, the identity of the retrospective bears a colorful look and a logo that breaks the Romanian flag into important film sequences. The colour treatment applied to key scenes from films that characterize the New Wave (The Child’s Pose, 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days or Aurora) marks the contrast between the thematic gloom of the motion pictures and their revolutionary impact in cinema.

We created the accompanying brochure for it, along with a brand new informative website.

The true piece de resistance is the 5 interviews we took with the help of Multi Media Est studio of 5 directors of the Romanian New Wave (Anca Damian, Cristi Puiu, Marian Crișan, Florin Șerban & Radu Muntean). Never before has a dialogue like this took place, with film-makers expressing for the very first time their views regarding the work of their colleagues. This initiative contrasts the traditional manner of approaching film criticism with film scholars who apply cinematic language when discussing the work of a director. Now, directors can speak their minds and appreciate scenes from the same film movement they are part of.

Your inner cinephile can now enjoy two extended cuts of the interviews.

A longer version of the interviews with the 5 Romanian film-makers…

…and an exclusive moment where Cristi Puiu talks at length about his view on the Romanian New Wave.

This scene selection was forwarded in social media and in partner publications, such as SUB25, challenging film buffs to choose their quintessential scenes of the Romanian New Wave, under the hashtags #YourFavouriteScene #RevolutionInRealism.