One week has passed since ADFR’s first public event – Fiesta del Cine. Because it was challenging but beautiful, some of the organisers agreed to share their experience

Fiesta del Cine took place last Friday (1st of September) in Mamaia Nord at Shut up Beach, where 250 people watched Romanian short films presented by ADFR & ShortUP,  listened to an acoustic concert by Moonlight Breakfast and enjoyed one of the last summer days of 2017 by the sea. Some of the organisers agreed to share their experience and thoughts on how it all started and how it went:

LAURA MUSAT

Fiesta del Cine was only an idea a few months ago. I knew it would happen at some point but never thought so soon. If someone asks me how were the last months I don’t think I could answer, everything moved so quickly. I felt on fast-forward and I woke up only last week to realize it was Wednesday already and I was at the seaside arranging the last details. That was the moment I realized “man, we’re really doing this”

What I can talk about is the event and how it made me feel. Friday at 10am in the morning I was already on the beach with the girls, ready for the big night. Until 11pm I refused to go change, wearing the same swimsuit and the same flip-flops and waiting for the inflatable screen to be set still. I was hungry, I was in need of a bath and freezing but the wind was blowing so hard threating our screening, so there was no way I would go home before seeing the screen up and running.

Fiesta del Cine was a big challenge: from the little details that made the organization move slower, to the stress and fatigue it caused and too all the “adventures” we had to go through at the event – the neighboring beach didn’t want to let the volume down during Moonlight Breakfast’s concert, so we had to move the concert on the other side of the beach, and that’s only one thing in the course of the night. What’s the most important is we made it through, our guests were satisfied and I’m pretty sure they’ll come back next year. And for us it was such a big pleasure to make it happen, that we’ll do it again next year and we promise to be much better prepared. We took notes 🙂

ROMINA BANU

The recipe for Fiesta del Cine could seem quite simple at a first look. We only needed the idea, our team (to be read “friends”) and lots of courage. After that, everything evolved in what you saw last Friday, with every decision made, every suggestions received and every short film selected.

We wanted to recreate the “holiday mood” while promoting the Romanian film industry in front of a not-so-cinephile public, but a diverse one, with popcorn, ice-cream and colorful blankets.

Even though the screen wasn’t up on time, the temperature was a bit lower than expected and the “club” music was a bit too loud, the public laughed, sighed and applauded. The fact they felt good with us is the most important thing.

I said this before and will say it again: films doesn’t have to be screened only in cinemas and art doesn’t have to be locked in museums and art galleries. You could enjoy art in a park, at home with your laptop in your hands, in a garden under the big bright sky or on the beach, after a long day of relaxing under the sun. This was only the beginning of a series of events we are preparing for our public, where people could feel like on a holiday while enjoying art. And the next time it will definitely be better.

DINNA DONEANU

Fiesta del Cine is the definition of friends, enthusiasm and a new land for me ready to be explored in depth. I got to ADFR through my best friend Laura, who needed some help and in time, this NGO became something very dear to me. Fiesta del Cine was probably the most courageous initiative so far, because none of us have any expertise in organizing this type of events. We had five intensive months, with lots of ideas, some of them possible and some not, with lots of teachings, work and flutters. Even though only a week has passed since we had “the big night” I can’t wait for the next edition. Being a first for all of us, we took notes and analyzed so that the next to come to be better and bigger.

IOANA BODALE

My first event as a collaborator of ADFR. I felt such a good energy in this team and I’ve met so many beautiful people, that I’m quite sure I’ll be proud to say I’m part of this organization. Fiesta del Cine was full of adventures and unexpected moments, the most unexpected there was is Moonlight’s Breakfast concert, which turned into a much more special and personal concert when they decided they could only play acoustic by the sea. The idea of organizing a film night on the beach, with music and good food is definitely something new for our industry and country. I sure had lots of fun and can’t wait to show you all our video!

We want to thank our friends who made this event happen this year: Kaufland Romania, Nayino Resort, Vitamin Aqua and Shut Up Beach

Media Partners: A List, Dissolved Magazine, Art7, Sub25, AARC.ro, Tananana.

Laura Mușat

Film producer and founder of ADFR, she dreamed since she was little of having a magazine one day. Alongside her job as editor-in-chief, she writes the interview of the month. She loves animals, jazz music and films festivals.