Bucharest, Nov 5 /Agerpres/ – The New Year That Never Came (Anul Nou Care N-a Fost) feature film, directed by Bogdan Muresanu (Богдан Мурешану), has been nominated for the European Film Awards (EFA), known as the “Oscars of Europe,” according to a press release sent to AGERPRES on Tuesday.

This year, the film is competing in the European Discovery 2024 – Prix FIPRESCI (the International Federation of Film Critics) category, an award dedicated to new voices that have revolutionised the European film scene, according to the official announcement from the European Film Academy.

The winners will be determined by the votes of the 5,000 members of the European Film Academy and will be announced during the ceremony in Lucerne, Switzerland, on December 7.

“For me, this is an achievement I never hoped for, and for Romanian cinema, I think it’s good news, in the sense that any presence at this level can encourage us to continue exploring new territories. In this case, The New Year That Never Came is a special film, a ‘meeting’ between public tastes and those of specialist critics. I think it’s good for both sides that there are such films, and that they get nominated for such important awards as the European Discovery of 2024. Of course, I’ll be nervous on December 7, but however it turns out, what has happened with this film is an unexpected gift. And I am grateful to each viewer who took the time to see it, as well as to each film critic from the selection committee who nominated it for this award,” said director Bogdan Muresanu, as quoted in the release.

The European Film Awards represent one of the highest recognitions in European cinema, bringing the most valuable and innovative productions from Europe into the spotlight. Such a nomination is a recognition of the unique contribution of this Romanian film and its team to international cinema, further confirming that Romania is a vibrant creative space, full of talent and deep stories, the press release reads.

The nomination of the film for this European distinction opens new perspectives on the universal story it tells, one that resonates not only with Romanian audiences but with the entire world, according to the source.

The New Year That Never Came continues to screen in several cinemas across Romania and has already been acquired for distribution in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Greece.