Short films inspired by Roma culture will be screened at the fourth edition of the RROMA Film Festival, which will take place from 4 to 6 September in Brasov and the commune of Augustin.

According to a press release, the festival will open on 4 September at 6:00 pm at the Astra Cinema in Brasov with a special screening of the documentary 'Becoming Led Zeppelin,' attended by British director Bernard MacMahon and producer Allison McGourty.

The film explores beginnings, the search for origins and the early influences that propelled four brilliant young men into the global orbit of music, while also revealing lesser-known archetypal inner drives. As at the previous edition, when Michael Chaplin explored the Roma origins of his father, Charlie Chaplin, in the film 'Spirit of a Tramp,' Robert Plant tells audiences about his mother's Roma origins in 'Becoming Led Zeppelin.' It is the only official documentary dedicated to the band and has also been endorsed by its members.

 
For the second time, the festival will pay tribute to the great visual artist Salvador Dali, who was always fascinated by the traditional Roma dances of the region.

The poster for the fourth edition of the RROMA Film Festival is inspired by the limited-edition colour lithograph 'Love is like a gypsy' (or 'My love is like a gypsy woman'), created by the painter in 1968. The work is part of the well-known graphic series 'Carmen,' inspired by Georges Bizet's famous opera.

The films selected for the festival competition will be screened on 5 September at the Cultural Centre of Augustin Commune between 11:00 am and 6:00 pm, in the presence of filmmakers from Romania and abroad. The evening will culminate in an authentic celebration inspired by Roma culture, featuring horses decorated in bright colours, a culinary spectacle around the fire and music performed under the open sky.

The jury will be chaired by director and screenwriter Laurentiu Damian, professor at the 'I.L. Caragiale' National University of Theatre and Film in Bucharest and president of the Romanian Filmmakers' Union.

On the final day of the festival, at the Cultural Centre of Augustin Commune, audiences will have the opportunity to meet the winners of the fourth edition of the festival and see director and actor Rudy Moca again. He will give a masterclass exploring the question 'Why RROMA Film?' as part of the awards ceremony.

The closing ceremony of the RROMA Film Festival will take place on 6 September at the Weavers' Bastion in Brasov and will include, alongside the traditional screening of a feature-length film on a relevant theme, a unique event in the history of film festivals: a tribute to a lost film. The film was made by director Laurentiu Damian in 1984 and focused on Roma communities of tent-dwellers and coppersmiths in the town of Costesti. It disappeared from the archive of the Sahia Studio and the National Film Archive and has never been found.

The film selected to close the fourth edition of the festival is 'Malul Vanat' (River's Gaze), directed by Andreea Bortun.

The film was produced in collaboration with Sebastian Stan, best known as an actor in 'Fjord,' which recently won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and is in contention for the Oscars.

The film is set in a poor rural area of the Danube region, an isolated community where Roma and Romanian families live in close proximity and face the same social, psychological and financial challenges. It is an intimate drama about dignity, family ties and survival in an isolated world.

The screening will be attended by director Andreea Bortun, producer Gabriela Suciu and lead actor Vasile Pavel 'Digudai.' The actor, who is of Roma origin, is known to audiences for his award-winning performances in 'Soldatii. Poveste din Ferentari' (Soldiers. Story from Ferentari) and 'Imaculat' (Immaculate).

'Malul Vanat' was selected as Romania's official entry in the Smart 7 competition, a network of seven international film festivals. The screening will be accompanied by an extraordinary recital by the Gaudeamus Quartet of the Brasov Philharmonic.

Admission to all festival events is free. The updated programme is available on RROMA Film Festival's Facebook page and RROMA Film Festival website.

The RROMA Film Festival is organised by the CRN Cultural Association and takes place with the support of the Romanian Filmmakers' Union (UCIN), the Union of Film and Audiovisual Producers in Romania (UPFAR-ARGOA) and the Romanian Cultural Institute (ICR). AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Petronius Craiu; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)

Photo source:  RROMA Film Festival/Facebook.com