Gabriel Spahiu is one of the best known actors of the Romanian New Wave. In 1992 he graduated from the University of Bucharest, in Mathematics. Following his passion, he took up acting classes at the National Film School in Bucharest, graduating in 1996. He starred in more than eighty shorts as well as feature films, some of them awarded at international festivals, such as Cannes, Sundance, Berlin, Tampere, IndieLisboa: The Death of Mr Lazarescu (by Cristi Puiu, 2005), The Tube with A Hat (by Radu Jude, 2006), Marilena from P7 (by Cristian Nemescu, 2006), Home (by Paul Negoescu, 2007), California Dreamin’ (endless) (by Cristian Nemescu, 2007), A Film for Friends (by Radu Jude, 2011), Adalbert’s Dream (by Gabriel Achim, 2011), Everybody in Our Family (by Radu Jude, 2011).
Dorotheea Petre was born in 1981. She made her first appearance in Ryna, by Ruxandra Zenide, for which she received the Romanian Days Award for Best Debut at the Transilvania International Film Festival, followed by the Jury Prize at the Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film festival. In 2005 she is taking the leading role in The Way I Spent the End of the World, being awarded Best Actress at Cannes Film Festival, Un Certain Regard. She becomes “Best Actress of the Year in 2007″, according to the Film Critics Association and she receives the Gopo Award and The Romanian Filmmakers Union award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. At Dorotheea Petre’s acting school, students will find out about the secrets of how to become an actor from people who have achieved great performance as actors.
Alina Grigore graduated from the National Film School in Bucharest in 2007. She has worked on numerous dramatic productions, with Dragoş Galgoţiu or Mihai Bratilă, on several TV shows, as well as appearing in some important Romanian films, such as Best Intentions (by Adrian Sitaru), Aurora (by Cristi Puiu), Happy End (by Radu Potcoavă), and other foreign productions, including a Walt Disney film, A Bug’s Life, where she recorded a character’s voice. Alina Grigore is teaching acting classes at the InLight Creation Center, an American art school concept designed for personal development, for people of all ages and professional backgrounds.
Dorian Boguţă was born in 1971, in Chişinău. He graduated from the “Sota Rustaveli“ Faculty of Theater and Film in Tbilisi, Georgia. Up until the ‘80s he is an actor at the “Mihai Eminescu” National Theater from Chişinău. In 1999 he tries his chances in the Romanian capital city. He has appeared in numerous Romanian productions, among which Francesca, Kino Caravan, Lombarzilor 8, The Paper Will Be Blue, Death of Mr Lăzărescu, as well as in foreign productions, from Italy, USA, Russia and Georgia. In 2009, he directs his first short, 10, screened in several international film festivals, and later bought by HBO. In 2011, he directs a second short film, From now on, produced by Bell Film.
Dragoş Bucur was born in Bucharest, in 1977. He graduated from the National Film School in Bucharest and started his acting career with Stuff and Dough (by Cristi Puiu), selected at Cannes in 2001. He works with director Radu Muntean, starring in The Rage (2002), The Paper Will Be Blue (2006) and Boogie (2008). In 2009, Dragoş Bucur plays the leading role in Police, Adjective (by Corneliu Porumboiu), a film rewarded with Jury Prize and FIPRESCI Prize at Cannes in 2009, and the Romanian proposal for Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards. He is awarded Best Actor at the Romanian Gopo Awards in both 2009 and 2010. In 2010, he is selected for the “Shooting Stars” program in Berlin, as one of the best European actors.
Alexandru Papadopol was born in 1975, in Râmnicu Vâlcea, Romania. He graduated from the Faculty of Law, and then joined the National Film School in Bucharest, taking acting classes with Dem Rădulescu, one of the best known actors in Romania. He worked on dramatic productions, TV series, as well as starring in several important film productions, such as Stuff and Dough by Cristi Puiu and Occident by Cristian Mungiu.
Matthijs Wouter Knol is the program manager of the Berlinale Talent Campus since 2008. In 2001 he joined the renowned Pieter van Huystee Film in Amsterdam, becoming Head of Development in 2004. In 2007, he started working for the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), spreading his activity between the co-production and sales markets and the IDFAcademy training program. As producer for Foundation Arts&Ex (2001-2007), he organized several photography exhibitions, lectures, video-installations, and retrospectives – all closely related to cinema and in collaboration with the Netherlands Film Museum, Stedelijk Museum and FOAM FotografieMuseum (Amsterdam), Wexner Center for the Arts (Columbus, Ohio), Colette (Paris) and the Museum of Modern Art (New York).
Michel Klochendler started his career in the late seventies under the impulse of his sister, Suzanne Schiffman, who was a close collaborator of François Truffaut. He worked as a trainee editor on The Man Who Loved Women and The Green Room. Not sure about which career to choose, he also worked as second assistant to Maurice Pialat and Jacques Rivette. He decided on editing, which was not virtual at the time. Quite young, he started as sound editor on Youssef Chahine’s historical epic Adieu Bonaparte. His career took him to several collaborations with Claude Berri, André Téchiné and eventually, in 1998, he was awarded with a Cesar for Best Sound for Same Old Song by Alain Resnais.
Mike Ott received an MA in Film/Video studying with Thom Andersen at CalArts. His latest film, Littlerock, screened at over 20 festivals internationally, winning multiple awards, among which the Audience award at the 2010 AFI Fest. In 2011 he won the “Someone to Watch” Spirit Award. He recently won a SFFS/KRF filmmaking grant for his next film, Teenage Wasteland. Presently, Mike resides in Valencia, California where he teaches filmmaking at College of the Canyons. In addition, he runs his own record label, Sound Virus Records, where he releases CDs and vinyl for undiscovered and emerging bands.
Jean Charles Mille has created Premium Films in 1998. Based in Paris, Premium Films became one of the most important International short films distributors, with a catalogue of more than 800 International titles. Last year their first feature film was released in France, Oxygen (36 prints) and other titles will follow shortly.
After her first experiences with UGC International and the Toronto International Film Festival, Lucie Kalmar worked at Wild Bunch for seven years, until 2009. She coordinated acquisitions and was in charge of festivals and markets, working closely with programmers from major film festivals, producers and filmmakers on over 200 films. In 2005, she created MÔMERADE with Benjamin Mirguet, a film company based in Paris. She produces short films and offers consulting services to producers, film events and markets. She is an advisor at DOX:LAB this year, and she is currently developing Rey by Niles Atallah, a project participating in the TorinoFilmLab.
After an early career in theatre and television production, Simon Perry worked as an independent filmmaker (Knots, 1975; Eclipse, 1976), as a trade journalist for Variety, and as head of the National Film Development Fund. In 1982, he set up his own production company, Umbrella Films, which has produced or co-produced 10 feature films to date. Since 2000, Perry has worked at the International Filmschool in Cologne, as a film selection correspondent for the Cannes Film Festival. He is president of Ateliers du Cinéma Européen (ACE), a Paris-based initiative that provides advanced training for European producers. From 2006 until 2010 Perry was Chief Executive of the Irish Film Board. Perry holds the French honour of Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres and that of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).
Antoine Bagnaninchi is the co-founder and managing director of Independenta Film. Created in 1997, the company has been since then a key player for the distribution of independent and arthouse films in Romania with such titles as Trainspotting, Amélie, Black Cat, White Cat, Todo sobre mi madre, The Pianist, Mulholland Drive, A fost sau n-a fost, Le concert, Das weisse Band or the recent Melancholia and Le gamin au vélo.
Since 2008, Valentina Miu is the coordinator of MEDIA Desk Romania. She graduated from the Faculty of Economics and International Relations, Academy of Economic Studies, and has an MA in Intercultural Management from the Bucharest University. She has been a consultant for the Romanian Ministry of Culture and National Patrimony (2006-2007), first on Integration matters, as an expert in Community funds, and then on European Business Management. In 2007, Valentina was the coordinator of two national programs for the establishment of cultural institutions, contributing at the same time to the development of the required legislative environment.
Tudor Giurgiu is a member of the European Film Academy, founder and President of the Transilvania Int’l Film Festival, founder of the production company Libra Film and of the film distribution company Transilvania Film, co-founder of Cityplex – local exhibitor (11 screens) – and initiator of the Gopo Awards Gala. Tudor’s debut feature Love Sick was selected in Panorama section of 2006 Berlinale and awarded in several int’l festivals. Between 2005 and 2007, he served as General Director of Romanian National Television (TVR). In 2008, he directed for HBO the documentary Weddings, Music and Videotapes. Tudor was involved as main producer in Katalin Varga by Peter Strickland, awarded with a Silver Bear in 2009 Berlinale and with the European Discovery of the Year at EFA Awards. He is currently in postproduction with his 2nd feature as a director, Of Snails and Men, a coproduction with Agat Films (France), and a daring and vast project as a producer, Somewhere in Palilula, a film by world famous theatre and opera director Silviu Purcărete, as well as in preproduction with his 3rd feature as a director, Cristian.
