Even though the weather for the upcoming weekend seems quite good and parks will be crowded, we are pretty sure there are some cinema fans among you who won’t miss an evening out watching a movie – for all of you cinema goers, we selected some of the best movies worth seeing this weekend.

The third weekend of March comes with movie premieres, Oscar winners and GOPO nominated titles:

1. Beauty and the Beast in 3D (dir: Bill Condon / fantasy, musical) is one of the most awaited films in 2017 and will have its premieres in Romanian cinemas this weekend, on the 17^th of March.

The Disney live-action adaptation of the animated feature with the same name presents Emma Watson and Dan Stevens as Beauty and the Beast. The story’s message – about the real beauty which comes from within – is as relevant today as it was decades ago. Emma Stone portrays Belle, the first Disney heroin, so different from all the previous Disney female characters considered meek characters in unfortunate circumstances who were always saved by the man in their lives. Watson’s character stands out for being a young female interested in literature, with personal opinions and not easily intimidated, who quickly becomes a model for young girls.

For those of you not yet convinced by the trailer or the film’s intense promotional campaign, we have some fun facts that might work:

– Approximately 1.5000 red roses were planted and bought during pre-production and production which were then used either as a décor or for researching. Also, about 8.700 candles were used as decoration on all the film’s sets.

– In the first 24 hours from the trailer’s launch, the video raised more than 91 million views, a number that broke all records. As a result, the trailer became the most viewed trailer in all times, surpassing teasers such as Stars Wars: The Force Awakens and Captain America: Civil War

– The Costumes Department put their ambition into creating sustainable and eco friendly designs. The fabrics chosen were bought from suppliers that offer righteous payments to their employees and are environmental friendly. The collaborations with Eco Age and Green Carpet Challenge was based on using natural toners, while also eliminating residual water.

The film can be seen in cinemas such as Grand Cinema & More, Movieplex Cinema, Happy Cinema and Cine Globe Titan. For the whole schedule and tickets, check Cinemagia’s official programme.

2. Moonlight (dir: Barry Jenkins / drama)

Winner of the Best Film at 2017’s Oscars, Moonlight has also received an Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and Best Adapted Screenplay and it premiered in  Romanian cinemas on the 10^th of March.

The film follows the life of a young Afro-American boy, from his days as a kid to maturity, while struggling to find his place in the world. A timeless story about self discovery and relationships between human beings, which gives us a glimpse into the contemporary life of Afro-Americans and their identity – through the main character’s interactions with his family and his friends.

For the whole schedule and tickets, check Cinemagia’s official programme.

Some fun facts:

– Director Barry Jenkins talked in an interview about the main character, Chiron, played by three different actors, recounting they never met on set. Jenkins wanted each of them to portray their character in a personal way, without influencing one another. Same technique was used for “Kevin’s” character as well.

– Jenkin’s Oscar nominations for Best Director makes him the fourth black person to ever be nominated in this category, and Moonlight becomes the only all black cast film to win an Oscar, as well as the first LGBT production with such a distinction.

3. Marshland (dir: Alberto Rodriguez / thriller) will be screened at Cinema Elvira Popesco on Sunday, the 19^th of March, from 11:30am.

Between the 8^th and 19^th of March the foreign films nominated at this year’s GOPO Awards are screened at Cinema Elvira Popesco and The Peasants Museum in Bucharest. Films like Toni Erdmann (dir: Maren Ade), Marshland (dir: Alberto Rodriguez), Rams (dir: Grimur Hakonarson), Son of Saul (dir: Laszló Nemes) and A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (dir: Roy Anderson) were voted for the Best Foreign Film category at 2017’s edition of the GOPO Awards, held on the 21^st of March.

We know 11:30am might not be the greatest hour for the ones partying one night before, so we come with a second option: the documentary film Wild Plants, directed by Nicolas Humbert will be screened at One World Film Festival on Sunday from 18:30pm at Cinema Elvira Popesco. Through a series of interconnected portraits, Wild Plants paints the picture of a new movement: like the “wild plants” that give the title of the film, which seed themselves in abandoned land and create new habitats, the people in this film are abandoning the comforts of consumer society to create new ways of being together in the world. These revolutionary farmers try to effect change from niche positions.

Tickets can be bought either from the cinema’s cashier desk or online, on the official website of Eventbook.

For the lazy ones who want to stay home and savor some popcorn on their couch while watching a good movie, we have some recommendations for you too:

1. Somewhere in Palilula (dir: Silviu Purcarete / Drama)

Our friends from Cinepub celebrated this February two years since the launch of the biggest Romanian movie platform and of their first feature film premiere which was Somewhere in Palilula. Purcarete’s film tell the story of Serafim, a young doctor assigned unexpectedly at the only hospital in Palilula: a ghost city, populated by just a small community of “loafers, whores, fools and shlumps”. Serafim will slowly adapt in this world of booze and orgies where he will soon start feeling like home.

The film can be found on Cinepub at the following link.

2. Two Lottery Tickets (dir: Paul Negoescu / Comedy)

The premiere of the week on Cinepub, Two Lottery Tickets has five nominations at this year’s GOPO Awards: Best Motion Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Soundtrack, Best Costume Design, Best Make-up & Hair. The story follows three men living in the country side, Dinel, Sile and Pompiliu who, after winning at the lottery, lose their tickets and have a hard time finding them.  In 2016, Negoescu’s film was the second most successful movie at the Romanian box office.

The film is an independent low-budget production based on Ion Luca’s Caragiale’s novel “Doua Loturi”.

The film can be watched on Cinepub at the following link.

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.