Ceau, Cinema! Festival in Timisoara returns for its 10th edition between July 12 – 16 with a varied and rich program featuring Romanian and international films, anniversary screenings, short films, two Focus sections – Spain and Norway, debates, and an anniversary exhibition dedicated to the history of the festival.

This year’s edition will open with a cine-concert included in the Focus Norway section – The Bridal Party in Hardanger (dir. Rasmus Breistein, 1926), which will be screened with a live soundtrack designed especially for the film by musician Petre Ionuțescu. Also showcased in the Focus is The Wayward Girl (1959) by Edith Carlmar, the most popular Norwegian female director. After the screening, Kjell Runar Jenssen, an expert within the Cinematheque of Oslo, will hold a masterclass on Norwegian cinema.

Moreover, Norwegian filmmakers Franciska Eliassen and Itonje Søimer Guttormsen will be present at the festival to show their debut films: Sister, What Grows Where Land Is Sick? (2022) and Gritt (2021), respectively.

Between July 13 and 14, there will be four discussion panels about the role of art cinemas and film festivals in the age of online platforms and the importance of film education programs. The meetings will be attended by representatives of the most important film festivals and arthouse cinemas in Romania, as well as representatives of the Bergen International Film Festival (BIFF), the largest event of its kind in Norway, and the Norwegian Film Institute.

The film program comprises Romanian productions such as Arsenie. An Amazing Afterlife (dir. Alexandru Solomon), Mammalia (dir. Sebastian Mihăilescu), Two More Lottery Tickets (dir. Paul Negoescu), Between Revolutions (dir. Vlad Petri), as well as international titles like Ordinary Failures (dir. Cristina Groșan), EO (dir. Jerzy Skolimowski), Incredible But True (dir. Quentin Dupieux), The Beasts (dir. Rodrigo Sorogoyen), and many more.

There will also be two anniversary screenings: the Romanian film Fox-Hunter (dir. Stere Gulea, 1993) and the French classic Lumière d’été (dir. Jean Grémillon, 1943).

We invited Ionuț Mareș, our colleague and the artistic director of Ceau, Cinema!, to offer us some highlights from the festival program. Here are his recommendations:

The Wayward Girl (1959) was a revelation, giving me the opportunity to discover Liv Ullmann in her first role (she captivates with her energy and sensuality) and, more importantly, to delve into the filmography of Edith Carlmar, considered to be the most important Norwegian female director. And I wouldn’t miss the masterclass on Norwegian cinema by Kjell Runar Jenssen from the Oslo Cinematheque.

Speaking of classics, Lumière d’été (1943) is a delightful drama about complicated love affairs (a favorite theme in French cinema) signed by the great French director Jean Grémillon, who, unfortunately, is not well-known enough, at least here, in Romania.

I hope I can find the time to revisit, at least partially, two of the films screened at Capitol Open Air:

• EO, the latest effort by the great Polish filmmaker Jerzy Skolimowski, which explores a vision of modern Europe through the eyes of a donkey that goes from one owner to another;
• Incredible But True, one of the two eccentric comedies released last year by Quentin Dupieux (who has since made another one, set to have its world premiere in competition at the Locarno Film Festival), which speaks about our obsession with staying young and the monsters that the fear of death can awaken within us.

Melissa Antonescu

Writer, photographer and videographer. For Films in Frame she writes news about the latest happenings in the film world and brings to the readers' attention the productions that can be seen at the cinema. When she's not writing articles, she's photographing people in a small studio or searching for new cake recipes.