Saturday, September 18, 2010, 7:30 p.m.
Helmut Stern Auditorium
525 South State Street, Ann Arbor 48109

Please join American Romanian Festival Executive Director Marian Tanau, and Ramona Uritescu-Lombard, film scholar and Lecturer in the German and Comparative Literature departments at the University of Michigan, for a talk about Alexandru Tatos and Q&A after the film.

Film Screenings

A Trip To The City
Calatorie la Oras; 2003, Corneliu Porumboiu, 19 min, Cinefondation Prize, Cannes 2004, Best Prize-Montpelier, France 2004, English subtitles
A beautiful morning, the need of the internet in a little village and the toilet that the mayor’s wife is crying for, bring together the computer pensioned teacher and the mayor’s driver for a little trip to the nearby city in this short film by Corneliu Porumboiu, the director of 12:08 East of Bucharest and Police Adjective.

Cigarettes and Coffee
Un cartus de kent si un pachet de cafea; 2003, Cristi Puiu, 13 min, Golden Bear Award, Berlin 2004, English subtitles
From the director of “Death of Mr. Lazarescu” comes this short movie about a very common problem with which the elder generations are confronted: the issue of knowing little and being offered even less. An old man enters a restaurant in Bucharest. He takes a seat at a table where a younger man who looks like he could be a successful businessman is already eating dessert. Their conversation revolves around a job opening for the older man, who has been out of work for two years. However, if you want work these days, it’s no good coming empty-handed — even if it’s your son who’s doing the employing.

The Apartment
Apartamentul; 2003, Constantin Popescu, 20 min, Best Prize- Venice Film Festival 2004, English subtitles
It’s morning. A man wakes up and gets ready for a new day of work or maybe for a short trip. His wife makes him breakfast and then she prepares him a little suitcase. The man leaves, exits the apartment building. The man returns using the back entrance. A farce without a dialogue between the characters.

Traffic
Trafic; 2003, Catalin Mitulescu, 15 min, Palme D’Or –Cannes 2004, English subtitles
On his way to the next business meeting, Tudor has a 20-minute break. This is enough time to invite a girl to drink a coffee, talk about his daughter and take a photo.

Humanitarian Aid
Ajutoare Umanitare; 2002, Hanno Höfer, 16 min, Great Prize-Cottbus, Germany 2002, English subtitles
Three young men come to Romania to bring humanitarian aid. The inhabitants of a small mountain village await them.

Challenge Day
2004, Napoleon Helmis, 10 min, English subtitles
Today is Challenge Day. This means everybody must do sport. It is a competition between a city in Romania and one in Japan.