Making Waves returns at the Jacob Burns Film Center from December 5-10, 2019 with the traditional panorama of the best new releases of the year, complementing this edition’s 30-year retrospective.

The most talked-about Romanian film of 2019 sets the mood for this year’s Making Waves. Screened at Cannes and New York Film Festival, The Whistlers (Corneliu Porumboiu) is a genre movie with a twist, a luscious and playful neo-noir that finds Romanian cinema at its most entertaining. Further forays into the genre film territory include two exciting love stories and a gripping social thriller: Tudor Giurgiu’s Parking charts the sparkling affair between two people who want a new beginning, whereas the couple in Marius Olteanu’s debut, Monsters., is at a crossroads in their personal life; on the other hand, Mo (Radu Dragomir) is truly a #MeToo manifesto and possibly the most provocative Romanian film recently made. An absolute novelty is Anca Damian’s bittersweet animation Marona, one of those rare family films that will appeal both to children and their parents. Fans of Making Waves know very well, though, that Romanian cinema wouldn’t be complete without exploring stories from the country’s past: Stere Gulea’s Moromete Family: On the Edge of Time reminds us of the very moment when Communism started its reign of terror, while Andrei Cohn takes a walk on the wild side with Arrest, a tense and claustrophobic chamber piece about the unseen face of the dictatorship. Read more about all films, schedule and purchase tickets.

The Whistlers

October 19, 2019

The only Romanian film selected for the New York Film Festival this year finds director Corneliu Porumboiu (12:08 East of Bucharest; Police, Adjective) at his most whimsical yet. The Whistlers plays like a flashy neo-noir shot in bright colors, complete with twists and turns, double-crosses, lots of smoke and cinephilia, a femme fatale called Gilda, a mattress full of money, and… an extra twist. It’s about a corrupt cop who travels to the Canary Island of La Gomera where he must learn an indigenous whistle language to help him communicate with the mobs while eluding police surveillance. This enjoyable caper was selected as Romania’s official Oscar entry. A Magnolia Pictures Release.

OPENING NIGHT | Actress Rodica Lazăr in person

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Moromete Family: On the Edge of Time

October 20, 2019

Stere Gulea follows up his 1987 The Moromete Family—about a peasant family whose highest value was to own land and work it—with this unexpected sensation. Gorgeously shot in evocative black and white, the film focuses on aspiring writer Niculae, the youngest son of the patriarch and the only member of the family to have gone to school. The film relates the family’s next chapter, with a particular emphasis on the way the village’s world order changed with the arrival of communism after World War II. Packed with top Romanian actors, this is a history lesson at its most entertaining and illuminating. New York Premiere

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Marona’s Fantastic Tale

October 19, 2019

Outstanding in its inventive use of various animation techniques, Marona tells the emotional story of the last puppy in a litter of nine—hence the first name she’s given, Nine—and her hopeful devotion to her various owners, not all of whom are devoted to her. Director Anca Damian takes a risk by beginning this vivid tale at the end of the dog’s life, after she’s been hit by a car, but the payoff is this bittersweet story of a pooch who advises dogs to “lick your human’s face every day as if it’s the last.” By the time she ends up with a stable home and the name of Marona, she knows the happiness of reliable shelter, a loving master, and a good bone. A GKIDS Release. New York Premiere

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Mo

October 19, 2019

Mo (short for Monica) and her best friend are caught cheating during an exam by the toughest professor in the university. After Mo asks for a second chance, the teacher invites the young women to his place. It’s all seemingly fun and games, until Mo’s illusions of control are shattered. Without spoiling its gut-wrenching climax, it’s safe to say that this debut feature is possibly the most daring film made in Romania recently. An edgy exercise in the abuse of power, Mo’s #MeToo narrative comes alive with two amazing performances: Dana Rogoz as the cocky yet vulnerable title character and veteran Răzvan Vasilescu’s unpredictable turn as the charming and cultured yet monstrous professor. U.S. Premiere

Director Radu Dragomir & actress Dana Rogoz in person

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Monsters.

October 19, 2019

Dana and Arthur have been married for a little over a decade and seem like a happy, loving couple. But when they are alone, it’s clear to both of them that their differing needs, beliefs, choices, and inner demons are destroying their bond—and they must decide whether letting go is the biggest proof of love. Presented in three chapters that cleverly play with the screen format, and directed with profound empathy by Marius Olteanu, this powerful Bergman-like study of a marriage underlines how we unintentionally hurt the ones we love. Best Debut at the Transilvania International Film Festival.

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Arrest

October 19, 2019

In August 1983, architect Dinu is spending a perfect summer’s day with his family on the Romanian coast, but the idyll is shattered by the sudden arrival of the police. For reasons unknown, Dinu is arrested and immediately hauled off to prison, where he finds himself sharing a cell with a small-time crook (an impressive Iulian Postelnicu) who proves to have a sinister agenda. In this tense and visceral two-hander that recalls the early works of Roman Polanski, director Andrei Cohn makes full use of the confined space of a squalid cell: Using inventive compositions, he delivers a chilling metaphor of the Romanian totalitarian regime, whose creative brutality bordered on absurd farce. U.S. Premiere

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Parking

October 19, 2019

Adrian is a Romanian immigrant working as a night watchman at a car dealership in Cordoba, Spain. A romantic soulwho left everything behind, all he wants is to write poetry and start a new life. But before he knows it, he’s over his head in a steamy love affair with a Spanish singer and a questionable money-making scheme, and must soon face the consequences. Directed by JBFC regular Tudor Giurgiu (Of Snails and Men, Why Me?) and founder of the Transilvania International Film Festival, Parking is a moody melodrama that is ultimately about a group of people, each facing their own midlife crises, not knowing how to cope with past failures but willing to dive head-on into the unknowns of the future. New York Premiere

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OUR SUPPORTERS

Presented with the support of the Trust for Mutual Understanding, Romanian Filmmakers Union, Dacin Sara, the Romanian National Film Center, Blue Heron Foundation, the JBFC Program Fund, and numerous individual donors.

CIRCLE OF DONORS
$5000+
Alexandre Almajeanu & Gentica Foundation, Adrian Ghenie, Șerban Savu, Mihai Pop & Galeria Plan B, Roman Tolici, Roxana Gamart & Mobius Gallery Bucharest
$1,000–$3,000
Ștefania Magidson & Blue Heron Foundation, Edward C. Blau, Andrew Solomon

FESTIVAL CLUB
$300-$999
Vlad Bogaciu, Andrei Both, Alex Bâcu, Adrian Coman & Arcus Foundation, Ana Cristea, Mihai Cucui, Andrei Gheorghe, Patrick Hagel, Marie-France Ionesco, Anda Onesa, Carmen Florina Paraschiv, Lucien Samaha, Alexandru Salcianu, Ada Solomon, Leslie and Margit Stener, Daiana Voiculescu
$100-$299
Bogdan Apetri, Oana Bogdan, Anca Damian, Cordula Hahn, Kyoko Hirano, Richard & Julie Jochum, Ramona Kochan, Ioan Tudor Leu, Jane Lombard, Lawrence Niculescu, Vlad Oancea, Tudor Saru, Eleanor Sebastian, Vladimir Tismăneanu & Mary Sladek, Carmen Vidu, Constantin Vulpescu
$10-$99
Mihai Badea, Nancy Dotlo, Ștefania Ferchedău, Mihai Lupeanu, Raluca Jiga, Mihai Lupeanu, Michelle Plauche, Rebecca Shepardson, Cătălina Stan, Laura Ștefănuț, Anamaria Terepka, Raluca Zelinschi
& Anonymous.

All screenings take place at:
Jacob Burns Film Center
364 Manville Road
Pleasantville, NY 10570
(easily reachable by Metro-North Harlem Line train)