'Marie, Queen of Romania' wins public choice award at Les Films de Cannes a Bucarest #10

The film "Marie, Queen of Romania" by Alexis Sweet Cahill received the public choice award on Sunday, at the end of the tenth edition of the Les Films de Cannes a Bucarest festival, as part of a closing gala hosted by Cinema Pro in Bucharest, according to organisers. 

The award was handed to producer Gabi Antal, who announced that the film will open in theatres on November 8. 

The film ran in the section "Autumn previews" and the prize, worth 2,500 euros, was offered by the Romanian Cultural Institute. 

The winner of the section "One minute of life, one minute of cinema" - one-minute films made by high school students from five Bucharest high schools - is "Miss Amelia", directed by Ruxandra Nitescu of the Nicolae Tonitza High School of Fine Arts. The film team received a prize of 1,000 lei, offered by Unicredit Bank, and a one-year pass for the film library. 

The jury was made up of international filmmakers Christophe Barral, Beranger Lacoste and Kanon Fukuyama. 

The winning films of the public prize after the screening on Sunday at the Peasant Museum Cinema Hall, one for each high school were: "Crash", by Vlad Furtuna of the George Cosbuc Bilingual Collegiate High School; "Domnisoara Amelia" (Mrs Amelia) by Ruxandra Nitescu of the Nicolae Tonitza High School of Fine Arts; "Eu exist ?!" (Do I Exist?!) by Iasmina Coman and Maria Stana of the Central School Collegiate High School; "Western cu toaster" (A Western and a Toaster) by Toma Hurduc and Matei Preda of the Sfantul Sava Collegiate Hifhs School; "In pas cu lumea " (Stepping with the World) by Andreea Bargaoanu, Vlad Cocos, Matei Greceanu, Stefan Tudorache, and Alin Zlotea of the Spiru Haret Collegiate High School. Each winning team received a prize of 1,000 lei and a one-year pass for the film library. 

The Norwegian film "Life Goes On" by Henry Knorvalls, was selected the winner of the "Filmminute" competition. 

The award was given to Filmminute director John Catchum, who informed that October 31 is the deadline for the public prize vote on filmminute.com. 

The Filmminute jury that comprised Christophe Barral, Beranger Lacoste and Kanon Fukuyama. 

Alex Molico and Andrei Epure, the winners of the first edition of the "Write a screenplay for ..." screenwriting contest, organised by the Cinemascop Association, with support from HBO Europe, went on stage to receive their prizes. They were presented by HBO official Ioanina Pavel. 

The organizers announced the theme of the second edition of the contest "Write a screenplay for ...", with actor Vlad Ivanov as a protagonist. Information about the registration period will be made available soon on the filmedefestival.ro website. 

The winners of the fourth edition of the section "Works in Progress," where 22 films in post-production stage were discussed, are Ruxandra Ghitescu for her "Otto Barbarul" (Otto the Barbarian), which received 5,000 euros worth of post-production services offered by Multimedia Est, and Radu Ciorniciuc, with his "Acasa" (At Home), which received 10,000 euros worth of post-production services offered by Cinelab. 

Under the "Managing Talents" programme, four Romanian actors were shortlisted for a meeting with director Daniel Sandu to be cast in the film "Tata muta muntii" (Dad Moves Mountains) to be shot next year. They are Radu Mateuca, Ioan Paraschiv, Ana Covalciuc and Andreea Boboc. 

The evening gala ended with the premiere screening of Ira Sachs' "Frankie," starring Isabelle Huppert in the lead role. 

The tenth edition of Les Films de Cannes a Bucarest was organized by the Cinemascop and Voodoo Films Association and conducted in partnership with the French Embassy and the French Institute in Bucharest. The cultural project is funded by the Ministry of Culture and National Identity, the National Filmmaking Centre, carried out with the support of SACD - Societe des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques, and the Representation of the European Commission in Romania.