microFILM

A collection of 6 films made during the lockdown period in Romania.

In modern-day Transylvania, vampire hunts and labor strikes collide with sci-fi twists, romance, and AI-crafted tales, as multiple storylines blend folklore, classic horror, and contemporary elements into a fresh take on Dracula's legend.

Invited by the goEast Film Festival in Wiesbaden (Germany), Radu Jude created a self-portrait. A confinement diary made of his thoughts, his relationship to cinema, his inspirations or the streets, objects and people that surround him.

36-year-old Stela has higher education but unable to keep a job. Since she was 12, she's been in love with a Serbian musician from the former Yugoslavia. One of the musician's alleged mistresses promises Stela that she will help her meet her idol.

In 1981, chalk slogans written in uppercase letters started appearing in public spaces in the Romanian city of Botoşani. They demanded freedom, alluded to the democratic developments taking place in Romania’s socialist sister countries or simply called for improvements in the food supply. Mugur Călinescu was behind them, who was still at school at the time and whose case is documented in the files of the Romanian secret police. Theatre director Gianina Cărbunariu created a documentary play based on this material.

After several years on the frontline, Sasha, a female sniper in the Ukrainian army, returns to her home village, determined to forget the war and return to a peaceful life. But she finds out that her father, a forester, disappeared because of his resistance to illegal loggers who are destroying the century-old Carpathian forest. Alone against all odds, she decides to bring justice.

A Chilean woman, Teresa, comes into a firmly structured and isolated mountain community of Croatian shepherds in the early 20th century, claiming to be the widow of their émigré brother. Her arrival changes the dynamics between the members of the community and brings unrest, but also inspiration for other women.

Infidelity drama, male egos, lost dogs in Startsladden favorite Stefan Constantinescu’s arthouse gem about a man consumed by jealousy who risks losing everything while searching for the truth.

Ștefania emerges from years of self-induced amnesia. She reveals the overwhelming memories of her childhood spent in Romanian hospitals due to a misdiagnosis. Now in her 30s, she seeks to reconnect with her alienated body and her inner child Nia through dance. This becomes her new language on the path to healing her wounds and relationship with her mother.

On behalf of a multinational company, a production assistant drives around the Romanian city of Bucharest, interviewing various citizens who have been injured due to work accidents to cast one of them in a “safety at work” video.

A documentary filmmaker is filming an old Securitate officer with a hidden camera. He suspects that, 60 years ago, the officer had followed and photographed a famous monk turned civilian – a real character, now about to be sanctified. The former spy is now being spied upon, but things turn out badly.

Elena, a Romanian single mother in Athens, dreams of a better future and a sense of belonging she has long been denied. When she is unjustly fired, her fragile world collapses, and her long-suppressed activist spirit awakens. Determined to seek justice, she turns to Yota, a charismatic lawyer, and discovers a bond that rekindles her desire to live, to open her heart, and to raise her head with dignity. As Elena confronts systemic injustice and fights to reclaim her voice, she will have to courageously decide what matters most: her family, her ideals, or the chance to love again.

Given a portrait, who is responsible for the image we see, the painter or the subject? Ion used to be a a rockstar of Ballet in Communist Romania. When we first discussed the possibility of a portrait, Ion was initially thrilled. He’d been dreaming that someday there’d be a film about him. But during the filmmaking process Ion finds it hard to let go.

Jo, a 15-year-old tomboy, has a nightmare made of fog and aurora light: her dog is lost, her voice cannot be heard, and her surroundings seem completely unfamiliar. Has the tone of the day been set yet?

Restless teenager Horia takes off on his father's old motorbike in a cross-country journey to reunite with his love. On the road, he is joined by Stela, a sassy 13-year-old, and an unlikely friendship blooms.

Arsenie Boca, a priest, theologian, and mystic persecuted by the communist regime, is considered holy by many believers, although he has yet to be canonized.

Punish: a reading of parts of a novel in which a military officer gives a clinical, amoral account about his role in the violent oppression of revolutionaries in 1848. Discipline: a collection of photographs of a chubby and harmless soldier at home and at work from the 1950s to the 70s.

Boško Tokin, the hero, was the first filmmaker in the Balkans and the first in the world to go to prison for it.

An old man tries to play backgammon with friends while babysitting his granddaughter, who's terrified of the young suicide in their building.

Dimitar was always trying to find his bag, not realising he was missing something very important.