Iasi City becomes the capital of Romanian filmmaking, May 4-8, as it hosts the 7th edition of the Romanian Film Evenings, a festival whose guest of honour is actor Mircea Diaconu.
“More than 60 guests will come to Iasi May 4-8. There are more than 35 film productions screening as well as 35 accompanying events. This is an edition that offers Iasi a cultural product in all that we have tried to offer the public. That is what it brings,” Chairman of the Romanian Film Evenings festival Andrei Giurgia told a news conference on Wednesday.
He said part of the 7th edition of the Romanian Film Evenings festival will be a retrospect of the best films featuring actor Mircea Diaconu as memorable characters.
“The festival is a very pleasant surprise to me. A presentation of my films has never happened before. I am glad such things happen in Romania. Films are joy to actors. They are in a box, being projected. Now, the actors are in the hall and the film is being run, which cannot happen at a theatre house,” said Diaconu.
Also attending the news conference, Director General of Romania’s National News Agency AGERPRES Alexandru Giboi underscored the part of culture and the importance of value promotion in the current society.
“During my three years at AGERPRES, I have had the opportunity to augment important, wonderful, positive projects little by little. We, at AGERPRES, are very proud of trying to promote all that means good and wonderful things, to bring added value to the society which we live in. It is too often that we see negative things and failures upon failures. I believe it is necessary for us to emphasise more our achievements as Romanians, the initiatives of praiseworthy young people deserving of more support each year. The organisers of the Romanian Film Evenings started off with three guests and reached 60,” said Alexandru Giboi.
Part of the Romanian Film Evenings, an exhibition of photo prints from the AGERPRES Photo Archive will be mounted at Palas depicting the early 20th century. The over 80 pictures on display at Atrium Hall are, in the words of the AGERPRES official, an illustrated history of Romania.
“It is about 80 photographs selected from among 90,000 pictures we have digitised out of a total of 9 million in the AGERPRES Photo Archive. Words fail me to describe the honour, pleasure and joy to be a part of this history. The 9 million photos make up an illustrated history of Romania starting with 1929. To be able to see these pictures means a time travel, an explosion of emotions,” Alexandru Giboi told the news conference that opened the festival.
On May 6, an AGERPRES debate will be held at the festival called “Romanian press and filmmaking — Travel companions?” at the Iasi Central University Library.
The events of the five-day Romanian Film Evenings festival will be hosted by the Pod Pogor Galleries, the Mihai Ursachi Culture Centre, the Iasi Students’ Culture Centre, the Palas Garden and the Luceafarul Theatre House. Admission to most of the events is free. More…