1st Annual Toronto-Romanian Film Festival - presented by the ToRo Arts Group February 1, 2008

A rediscovery of Romania’s cinematic past: remembering a misbehaved reality.
The ToRo Arts Group proudly presents the 1st Annual Toronto-Romanian Film Festival, which is poised to satisfy Toronto’s increased appetite for cinemas without borders and undiscovered cinematic expressions through a retrospective of Romania’s cinema from its early beginnings to its present international success.

Dedicating its opening night to the late Cristian Nemescu, ToRo will screen California Dreamin’ (Endless), winner of the Un Certain Regard Award for Best Picture at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. The evening’s special guest speaker is filmmaker and York university professor Tereza Barta.

With a line-up of feature films such as Lucian Pintilie’s 1968 political-deviant masterpiece Reenactment, Alexandru Solomon’s riveting Cold-War documentary The Great Communist Bank Robbery, the Festival second night aims to shed light on the political and cinematic context on which the ‘New Wave’ emerges from. The films will be introduced by special guest speaker, University of Western Ontario professor Dr. Calin Mihailescu.

Delving further into Romanian cinema’s history, ToRo is proud to present a special screening of the first ever Romanian feature film, The War of Independence (1912). The Festival’s special guest, New York-based Romanian Dj, Bogman will provide the musical accompaniment for the silent film.

The festival will close with a modern interpretation of Romania’s early voyage into the art of cinema by screening the Canadian premiere of Nae Caranfil’s latest movie, The Rest is Silence. With a record-setting budget of 24 million Euros, The Rest is Silence will be remembered as a period-piece that unveils the artistic passion that has survived in Romanian cinema from its inception to its current worldwide recognition.

Looking towards the future of Romania’s cinema, the Festival presents two programs of award-winning shorts that will provide a perfect exposé of Romania’s young and emerging directors. Amongst the films are Radu Jude’s Tube With a Hat, 2007 Sundance Film Festival winner of the Best International Short, Adrian Sitaru’s Waves, winner of the Best Short at the 2007 Locarno International Film Festival, Alexandru Mavrodineanu’s official New York Film Festival selection, The Boxing Lesson and Bogdan Apetri’s The Last Day of December, an official selection of the 2006 Montreal World Film Festival.

In typical fashion, the ToRo Arts Group will be hosting an Opening Party, scheduled to take place on Friday February 1st, following the opening screening, at Studio 204. Live musical entertainment will be provided by the Festival’s special guest DJ, Bogman. Video-art projections will also be on display.

NOTE: THIS IS AN ENGLISH EVENT! ALL MOVIES ARE IN ROMANIAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES.

For full program info, please visit http://www.toroartsgroup.com/events

February 1st
Opening Night Screening - 7 pm
Opening Night Reception - 11 pm

February 2nd
Shorts Program 1 - 3 pm
Documentary - 6 pm
Feature 1 - 9 pm

February 3rd
Shorts Program 2 - 1:30 pm
Feature 2 - 4:30 pm
Feature 3 - 7 pm

All screenings will be held at:
Innis Town Hall, 2 Sussex Ave.

Tickets per screening:
$15 – Adult
$10 – Student (with ID)
* for Day and Festival Passes pricing, please visit the UofT Tix Box Office

Tickets can be purchased in person at:
UofT Tix Box Office
7 Hart House Circle ( 416-978-8849 )
or
http://www.uofttix.ca/view.php?id=310

Official Website: http://www.toroartsgroup.com/events