Actor Marcel Iures says that this job does not exist, but it's rather an obsession, "a journey where luck is essential," which requires a lot of work and has no meaning without an audience.

"You can't talk too much about happiness. There's no point in talking about the importance that is given to us actors. It's obvious that we are given enormous importance. This means that we deserve it and we must continue thus to do our job, because otherwise we don't exist. We don't make sense if we don't have an audience to tell us if they like our work or not," said Marcel Iures, in his speech delivered on the occasion of the opening of the 13th edition of the Romanian Film Evenings Festival.

Iures said acting is not a job, but rather "an obsession," which requires "an enormous amount of work."

"This job doesn't exist, it's not a job. It's madness, an obsession, a stubbornness, it's a journey where luck is essential. Meetings with colleagues, with other actors, again they are essential, are extremely important. A lot of luck, a lot of work, an enormous amount of work, dreaming, living with the characters and with the others day and night. All these are important," added Marcel Iures, in front of the audience that came to see him on the stage that was placed in the Unirii Square.

The great actor added that acting gave him the chance to travel a lot and to be "in a way" a cultural ambassador of the language and country in which he was born.

"I had, let's say, the chance to travel a lot and represent the culture that gave birth to me, the language in which I grew up and in which I exist, in a way acting as an ambassador. After a few years I met [Liviu - editor's note] Ciulei, who told me: "Know that even the dust from the seams of your shoes goes with you. Don't think you're someone else. Don't hide it. That dust is from here and you'll take it with you anywhere." It is one of the things that Ciulei confirmed to me. That's how I felt, too," said Marcel Iures, before receiving the Romanian Film Evenings Festival Trophy.

The trophy was handed over by SFR organizer Andrei Giurgia, film critic Irina Margareta Nistor and journalist Marina Constantinescu.

"This year's edition is dedicated to him. The trophy of the Romanian Film Evenings Festival for his entire career up to this moment, for all the roles, for all the experiences and all the joys he has given us, goes this year to Marcel Iures," said Andrei Giurgia, SFR director.

Many actors, directors, theatre and film critics, including Irina Margareta Nistor, Laurentiu Damian, Ioana Dichiseanu, Ileana Popovici, Carmen Tanase, as well as local authorities and personalities, were present at the event that took place in the Unirii Square in Iasi.

They all watched, together with the citizens of Iasi who came to the Unirii Square, the movie "Hart's War - Razboiul lui Tom Hart," directed by Gregory Hobit, in which Marcel Iures played German Colonel Werner Visser 20 years ago, and actor Bruce Willis played Colonel William McNamara.

The Gala was opened with a traditional music concert performed by Bogdan Simion&Lautarii de Matase.

This year's edition of the SFR takes place between August 3-7, during which more than 40 events will be organized in eight locations, and more than 65 guests will participate, including actors, directors, film critics, cultural representatives and also representatives of the art and cinema worlds. AGERPRES (RO - author: Daniela Malache, editor: Catalin Alexandru, EN - author: Cristina Zaharia, editor: Adina Panaitescu)