Two and a half weeks ago, I met Alexandra Boghiu, coordinator of the Gopo Awards for the past two years; at that time, our country wasn’t hit by the panic of the new COVID-19, we were all doing our jobs under normal conditions and we knew that the 12th edition of the Gopo Awards would take place on March 24th.

A few days later, fear and uncertainty reached our own land; it didn’t take long until the news that the Gala has been postponed reached my inbox and my colleagues’. With the support of our partners working at Gopo, we decided to publish this feature. The dialogue I had with Alexandra that morning at coffee remains actual and relevant on any day, considering that the Gopo Awards is the most prestigious event in our film industry. And we believe that it could also help us think of better days.

That being said, here’s an invitation to read an in-depth and exclusive feature about the beginnings of the GOPO Awards, the nomination and voting protocol and the challenges that arise year after year, among other topics. And I hope you read it from the comfort of your home, considering the safety measures installed by the authorities.

The first edition of the Gopo Awards took place in 2007. I know you joined the team later, but I feel it’s relevant to tell us how it all started and why?

Alexandra Boghiu: The Gopo Awards has appeared at a time when Romanian cinema has been noticed at an international level due to the New Wave. After 2000, Romanian film has gradually gained visibility and appreciation abroad, thanks to the works of directors such as Nae Caranfil and Lucian Pintilie, followed by Cristi Puiu, Cristian Mungiu, Corneliu Porumboiu or the late Cristian Nemescu.

We can remember Cătălin Mitulescu’s Traffic, which won the Palme d’Or for short film at Cannes in 2004, Cigarettes and Coffee by Cristi Puiu, which won the Golden Bear for short film at Berlin that same year, then The Death of Mr. Lăzărescu by Cristi Puiu, which won the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes in 2005, and many other awards.

At the first Gopo edition, among the winning films were 12:08 East of Bucharest by Corneliu Porumboiu, rewarded with Caméra d’Or at Cannes, Radu Jude’s The Tube with a Hat, which had won the Jury Prize for best international short film at SUNDANCE, or The Way I Spent the End of the World, for which Dorotheea Petre had won the award for Best Actress in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes in 2006.

Bottom line, Gopo appeared because we also wanted to acknowledge, at a national level, the directors who were already gaining ground internationally.

When did you join the project?

A.B .: I started working with the APFR team in 2011, in various departments. I started coordinating this project two years ago and, until then, I can honestly say that I’ve gone through almost all the departments involved in organizing this event.

Why “Ion Popescu-Gopo” and, above all, why “Gopo’s little man”?

A.B .: The name of the festival is a tribute to Ion Popescu-Gopo on the 50th anniversary of winning the Palme d’Or award for Best Animated Short Film (in 1957), a tribute to his activity and dedication to the film industry. It’s also a token of appreciation for an iconic character in cinema, known as well by the Romanian audience.

Ion Popescu-Gopo was a Romanian graphic artist and animator who laid the foundation of the modern Romanian school of animation. Considering that you pay homage to it every year, have you thought of a section dedicated to animated film, even short animation?

A.B .: Yes, of course. If, in the future, there will be enough animation productions (at least five) for the jury to consider this thing, we will create a new section. For example, at the 2020 Gopo Awards we have a documentary short film category because there were enough submissions to allow the jury to select titles for nominations. If there will be enough animated films that will allow any future jury to make a selection, surely these categories will exist, as, in fact, we have been wishing for for a long time.

Unfortunately, at the moment the number of animations (both short and feature length) is quite insignificant compared to the demand in cinema, the talent and the efforts of the animators. We’re happy to have an animation this year in the fiction short film section and an animator in the Young Hope category (Matei Monoranu, for the animated short film Despre ce naiba să scriu). In the feature film section, we’re glad to have Anca Damian with her third animation film, nominated for Best Feature Film, which premiered last year in the official competition at Annecy, the largest animation film festival in the world.

We can see there is growth in this direction, just not enough to create a new category.

The Gopo Awards are considered the equivalent of the Goya or Cesar Awards. Can we talk about a pressure of reaching the level of other galas, regarding the organizing element or the content?

A.B .: The Gopo Awards Gala is an event that reflects Romanian cinema, which means it has its particular aspect, requirements, challenges and expectations. It’s a unique event in our cinema landscape, and the financing and production efforts are big and it engages passionate people, as well as important private support, besides the public co-financing, and organizers are always looking for solutions to create a top event.

Apart from rewarding the achievements in Romanian cinema, making it visible to the general public, encouraging them to go to the cinema and support Romanian film is also on the Gopo Awards’s agenda. This is the purpose of the event, above all else.

We don’t feel it as a pressure, we try to get to a higher standard, but as far as it concerns the Romanian film industry. There’s no way we could compare to Hollywood, for example.

What is the most difficult thing, from an organizational point of view, that you have faced every year?

A.B .: Even if it’s the same event, every year we face new challenges, new difficulties that we try to overcome with success. We had many challenging moments, but eventually you forget about them, even if at that point it seems that everything becomes overwhelming.

What films are considered “eligible” at each edition?

A.B .: Eligible feature films are all those that had a theatrical release in the previous year and had run in cinemas for a week.

It’s different with the short film and documentary – we cannot “track” all the short films or documentaries that have screened at a national or international festival. So for them we launch a call.

How do you choose the jury members who decide the nominations?

A.B .: The members of the jury are elected following a meeting of the advisory board consisting of all the producers who had films released in the previous year, along with film critics. Following an open discussion, several proposals are made for the jury.

In general, the jury is made up of five film critics and six people in the industry, from different fields – directing, production, editing, image, sound, etc., as to cover as many departments as possible.

But who can vote? If, for example, I’m a recent graduate of UNATC and would like to turn to film criticism, am I eligible to vote for the winning films at the Gopo Awards?

A.B .: There are some eligibility criteria in order to be included on the annual list of voters. Every year we launch a call that is open to everyone. We started from 300-400 voters and reached more than 600 this year.

For journalists and film critics the criterion is to have a constant activity in the last two years, writing about films, going to festivals, etc. Then, it’s up to the board whether you fit these criteria or not.

For voters in the film industry, it’s important to have two feature films in the last five years, where you worked as head of department (image, editing, etc.).

What has been the most controversial winning film so far?

A.B .: There will always be differences in perception and evaluation criteria between the jury, voters and the public, just as any other gala. Among Gopo voters are hundreds of industry professionals, with distinct tastes and visions. They watch and appreciate the films in a different way. There is criticism, that’s not unusual, but controversy, not that much.

The best part is that even we don’t know who will win. We have the same system as the Academy, and we find out the results just as everyone else, on the evening of the Gala.

The “Lifetime Achievement” and “Young Hope” could symbolize the bridge between the past and the future. Do you think there are major differences in the local industry between contemporary filmmaking and earlier times? Taking into account the script, the team, the technical area, etc.

A.B .: First of all, technology has evolved a lot and everything that comes with it, both in terms of production and distribution spaces. The challenges are even greater, due to limited financing, but also when it comes to distribution, Romanian films are competing with a large number of commercial international productions for a spot in the few movie theaters that we have. Romanian cinema has new generations of directors, editors, cinematographers, actors, extremely talented producers and highly trained technical crews which operate, however, within the limits and parameters of the Romanian economic and cultural context.

We have fewer movie theaters, fewer movie goers (which could be related to showing films and actors getting exposure on TV, and not only), but we gained a lot by developing other professions in the industry – from the technical department to the casting director, from actors who made their debut (regardless of age) and later became known to the general public to the diversity of productions – and here it would be important to mention the evolution of the Romanian documentary.

This year, as well as last year, you had female directors nominated in important categories – but not in previous years. Are women more present compared to the early years?

A.B .: Women have been and continue to be more and more present in all areas of the film industry, and their achievements are extremely important. The nominations reflect their presence and impact.

Do you think the Gopo Awards needs further development or do you think this is the best you could achieve?

A.B .: I don’t think we reached THE standard. Every year we try to make improvements on every part. We could always do better.

One of our goals for this event is to raise awareness among viewers (because every year the gala is broadcast on TVR) that we have this Romanian film industry. Basically, we also try to encourage the audience to go to the cinema and watch Romanian films, because every year we encounter the same problem – the number of viewers going to the cinema tends to drop. It’s very difficult to compete with the blockbusters screening in multiplexes. So that might be a challenge that we’re trying to meet year by year. We’re trying to contribute to those 100 viewers more in cinemas. 🙂

We have some ideas and plans for the future that could improve the whole movie watching process.

Last year you had a very controversial moment at the Gala – Dan Bursuc and the Kana Jambe Band, a moment that made the press focus away from the winners, who pretty much remained in the shadow. Did you think it would have such an impact when you made the decision to include it in the program?

A.B .: We didn’t expect this reaction, to be honest – it was totally surprising. The concept was quite different. Most of the guests attending the Gopo Awards ceremony work in the film industry, and they are voters at the same time. Therefore, the concept of the Gala is more familiar to them. In this particular case, the moment was related to two films – one nominated for a Gopo – Soldiers. Story from Ferentari, and one nominated for an Oscar – Bohemian Rhapsody, both relevant in context and in pop culture. Which led to the skit created by Alex Bogdan, and then the moment at the Gala. And moviegoers understood the moment in this context.

This event is about film diversity which reflects different realities. And they met on stage in a certain form for the exact purpose to remind everyone that they exist and that they are equally important.

Can we expect any surprises this year?

A.B .: Every year the concept of the Gala is related to the current events in the film industry, the nominated films or the cinema and social context in general, and our choice of the artistic moments or the live performances on the stage reflects these things. We try to produce special and unique moments every year, depending on these aspects. We also encourage the public to watch the Romanian films, as well as the nominated European films, to (re) discover and support Romanian film and its creators.

Romina Banu

Photographer and editor; she co-founded Dissolved Magazine together with Melissa. For Films in Frame she gathers film and TV series recommendations for lazy weekends and she writes about interesting projects from the film industry. Other than that, she likes traveling, chilling with her cats and sleeping.