🎬 Pandora’s Jug: Dansează regină / Dance, Queen (2024) + Marfa și banii / Stuff and Dough (2001)

An evening that traces the edges of adolescence, where desire, risk, and curiosity collide in unexpected ways. Curated with a keen eye for nuance, these films invite reflection on the daring, inventive spirit of contemporary Romanian cinema. The evening is co-curated by the screenwriter of Dansează regină, Pandora Gherman, who will also introduce the film and lead a short Q&A.
 

Dansează regină (Dance, Queen)
Maria Mitulescu | 2024 | Romania | 20’ | EN subtitles

A group of teenagers drift through a perfectly deep-fried night in Vama Veche, Romania’s beach of teen anarchy, chasing mischief and fleeting freedom, until the night begins to unravel. Amid the chaos, Sasha wanders through a phantasmagoric haze, where moments shimmer and unexpected sensations emerge. Nominated & selected for TIFF (Transilvania International Film Festival) & the ‘Best Short Fiction Film’ GOPO-award.

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Marfa și banii (Stuff and Dough)
Cristi Puiu | 2001 | Romania | 90’ | EN subtitles

In the early days of post-communist Romania, a small-time hustler agrees to carry a bag from Constanța to Bucharest, lured by fast cash and the promise of something better. He sets off with his girlfriend and best friend, turning what should be a routine night drive into a pressure cooker of suspicion, moral compromise, and barely contained violence. Stripped of glamour and driven by realism and dark irony.

Marfa și banii announced the arrival of the Romanian New Wave. Screened at the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes, Cristi Puiu’s debut feature captures a country in transition with the uneasy choices that come with it.