Why did Romanian Films Win So Many Awards at the Berlinale?

The 74th Berlinale has drawn to a close, and the list of winners is now made public. At this year's Berlinale, Sebastian Stan, the American-Romanian actor who rose to fame for his portrayal of the Winter Soldier in Marvel films, clinched the Best Actor award for his role in A Different Man, directed by Aaron Schimberg. This marks the first time a male actor has received this accolade since the Berlinale merged the Best Actor and Best Actress categories. Upon receiving the award, Sebastian Stan expressed his excitement, saying, "This is my first time attending a film festival in Europe. This award is significant for me, especially as a little boy from Romania."

The last time a Romanian director, Radu Jude, clinched the Golden Bear at the Berlinale with Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn, was back in 2021. This marks the seventh time Romanian cinema has triumphed at the Berlinale. Behind these honors lies a miraculous ascent of the Romanian film industry, particularly at the Berlinale. This article delves into Romanian films from the 1960s onwards and explores the Romanian New Wave.

Post-1960s Cinema Miracle

During the 1960s to 1970s, Romania experienced economic prosperity, with its people enjoying relative affluence and the country playing a significant role on the diplomatic stage, effectively forming a socialist golden era.

In 1989, however, amidst the tumultuous Eastern European upheavals, Romania stood out as the only country engulfed in a bloody and violent revolution, overthrowing the tyrannical rule of Nicolae Ceaușescu. Yet, it soon descended into political turmoil, economic recession, and power capitalization, inflicting immeasurable psychological trauma on its people.

By 1990, Romania was effectively isolated by Western nations, with the US State Department issuing a travel warning for Romania, exacerbating its already struggling economy.

In 1999, Romania experienced an astonishing level of inflation, with electricity bills skyrocketing to 500 times their original amount.

By 2000, Romanian narrative cinema was at a standstill, with the film industry on the verge of collapse.

Romanian New Wave

During the 1960s to 1980s, Buftea Studios, Eastern Europe's largest film studio, produced 700 films. By the 1990s, only a handful of films were made by Buftea Studios, with cinemas dwindling from 450 to 70.

Romania implemented a film reform law in 2003 to support talented filmmakers, providing partial production funding through state support. Meanwhile, a cohort of young Romanian filmmakers rapidly developed through collaborations with foreign filmmakers brought in by overseas capital. With the combination of national policy and foreign capital, Romanian film production burgeoned in the new century, revitalizing the entire industry.

Young Romanian directors made a mark on the international stage, earning the moniker "Romanian New Wave." To trace its origins, one must look back to the 2004 Cannes Film Festival when Cătălin Mitulescu's short film Trafic won the Best Short Film award, marking the beginning of the Romanian New Wave, as noted by Wikipedia. Moreover, in the fiercely competitive 60th-anniversary edition of the Cannes Film Festival in 2007, Cristian Mungiu caused a sensation by clinching the prestigious Palme d'Or with his second feature film, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. This victory marked the dawn of a golden age for Romanian cinema, signifying the pinnacle of the early days of the New Wave movement.

Romanian cinema gained unparalleled momentum, with the "Romanian New Wave" emerging as a cinematic movement or genre.

What's the Appeal?

What accounts for the remarkable success of Romanian cinema at international film festivals, particularly its favor at the Berlinale?

Most directors named as part of the Romanian New Wave were born after 1966, making Nicolae Ceaușescu's era their collective memory. While the Cannes Film Festival has always sought novelty, Berlinale has been known for its political discourse. The outstanding performance of Romanian cinema at festivals reflects its longstanding marginal position in world cinema history, yet its ability to stand out due to its artistic breakthroughs and political themes.

Their works generally fall into two themes: a nostalgic longing for the communist era and a reflection on contemporary society, and criticism of Nicolae Ceaușescu's authoritarian rule.

The characteristics of New Wave directors—preferring long shots, fixed cameras, handheld cinematography, natural light, and minimalist narrative styles—are, to some extent, a result of economic constraints. Filming the present environment is much cheaper than reconstructing the past.

While the "Romanian New Wave" is undeniable in its artistic merit, it can also be seen as a product of specific demands within the European film industry. Romanian filmmakers have noticed that the absurdities of the social system are the best source of black humor. The films they produce satisfy Western imaginings of the "Eastern European image," winning sympathy and resonance from Western audiences.