press kit - Self-Portrait of a Dutiful Daughter

SELF-PORTRAIT OF
A DUTIFUL DAUGHTER
A FILM BY ANA LUNGU
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CAST
Elena Popa (CRISTIANA), Emilian Oprea (DAN), Andrei Enache (ALEX), Iris Spiridon (MICHELLE)
Alexandru Lustig (EDI), Radu Iacoban (RADU), Dan & Magdalena Lungu (CRISTIANA’S PARENTS)
Veronica Grunau (VERA), Paul Ioan (THE PROFESSOR), Anca Puiu (DOG OWNER),
Fatma Mohamed (THE WIFE), Istvan Teglas (ISTVAN), Eugen Gyemant, Valentin Dragan, Florin Marin,
Bogdan Enache, Vlad Voinescu.
CREW
Cinematography Silviu Stavila Editing Dana Bunescu Art direction Vladimir Iuganu
Make up Andra Margina Sound design Vlad Voinescu, Filip Muresan Music Ada Milea, Rising Shadow,
Kasjakoo, Moritz Moszkowski, Johannes Brahms, Mihail Jora Piano Raluca Stirbat
Colourist Catalin Miloiu Postproduction superviser Radu Toader Cinelabs manager Cornelia Popa
Financial controller Bianca Sandulescu Production assistant Bogdan Zarnoianu 2nd AD Tudor Botezatu
1st AD & Still photographer Marius Olteanu UPM Vlad Simion Executive producer Raluca Paduraru
Producer Anca Puiu Writer and Director Ana Lungu
SELF-PORTRAIT OF
A DUTIFUL DAUGHTER
ROMANIA, 2015, 81 min, color
A Mandragora production with the participation of Papillon Film, Castel Film, Cinelabs Romania.
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ANA LUNGU
writer & director
Synopsis
Cristiana is a 30 year old woman, brought up in a “proper”, bourgeois middle-class family. Her time is split
between writing for her PhD in Earthquake Engineering, conversations with Alex and Michelle, her two close
friends and occasional, but eagerly awaited rendezvous’ with Dan, a married man with whom she is romantically
involved. After her parents move out of the family apartment into a new house, she decides to get a dog. It is
something that she wanted ever since she was a child and now that she lives on her own she can finally fulfill
this wish.
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Ana was born in 1978 in Bucharest. She
studied Psychology and Film Directing.
After graduation she worked as script
supervisor (“The Death of Mr. Lazarescu”,
2004) and assistant director for short
features, commercials and TV series. In
2010, together with Ana Szel she directed
“The Belly of the Whale”, selected in
Locarno “Filmmakers of the Present”
Competition and Vancouver IFF. In 2013 she
started shooting “Self-portrait of a Dutiful
Daughter”, her first long feature film.
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Director’s Statement
The film deals with Cristiana’s “coming of age”, her “leaving home” (in this case, not at all incidentally parents are
the ones going away, leaving her to live on her own in the apartment).
Her story is in many ways my story, the film is about my late coming of age. I started to write the script after my
parents moved and I was left to live alone in the 4 room apartment in Bucharest and decided to get a dog. Finally,
I didn’t get the dog, but I made this movie.
As a director, sometimes my approach was closer to documentary than to fiction: some scenes were completely
improvised and I asked friends and family members to play themselves in the movie. I like working with
nonprofessional actors because they don’t have the ability to control, so they expose themselves more, with all
the imperfections that makes them more humane. There’s a saying that states “We like people for their qualities,
but love them for their defects” and I think this applies to film characters, also.
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EMILIAN OPREA
ELENA POPA
Emilian was born in 1977 in Birlad, Romania.
He graduated “Universitatea de Arte G.
Enescu” in Iasi and he is an actor at Teatrul
“Maria Filotti” in Braila. His stage work
includes leading roles in over 15 productions,
collaborations with theater directors such as:
Radu Afrim, Lucian Sabados, Eugen Gyemant.
His 2015 film credits include some of the
most awaited Romanian productions (Tudor
Giurgiu’s “ De ce eu?”, Marian Crisan, Ana
Lungu’s “Self-portrait of a Dutiful Daughter”).
Elena was born in 1978 in Piatra Neamt,
Romania. She graduated Babes-Bolyai
University with a major in acting and she
has a full time job as an actress within
the Andrei Muresanu Theater Company in
Sfantu Gheorghe. Elena was nominated
twice for the UNITER (the Theate Union
of Romania) awards for Best Actress in
a Leading Role for playing Dora in “The
Sexual Neuroses of Our Parents” directed
by Radu Afrim and for Best Actress in a
Supporting Role for playing Grandma in
“Plasticine” directed by Radu Afrim.
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ANDREI ENACHE (ALEX) was born in 1977 in Bucharest. He graduated high school in the US, where he also started to
study Economics. Later, Andrei came back to Romania to study Film Directing. His student filmography includes shorts
selected in film festivals such as: Oberhausen, Sao Paolo , Cottbus, Tel Aviv, Potsdam Film Festival etc. In 2001 his short
„Promo“ was awarded Special Prize of the Jury in Taipei Film Festival. In 2003 he directed his first feature “The Tank”.
He currently works as a freelance director for TV and commercials.
IRIS SPIRIDON (MICHELLE) is a 29 years old theater director. Her work includes collaborations with The National
Theater in Bucharest (the Romanian premiere of Tennessee Williams’ “Play for two characters”), but also many indie
productions (“Trust Me If You Can”, “Wrecks by” Neil la Bute, “Les enfants terribles” by Jean Cocteau etc).
ALEXANDRU LUSTIG (EDI) is a Romanian theatre director born in 1986. He graduated in 2004 from the National
Theatre and Film University of Bucharest with Shakespeare’s play “The Tempest”, performed at the Bucharest Comedy
Theatre, which recieved the „best play” and „best actors” prizes in the Graduation Gala and was selected for the
National Theatre Festival. In 2008, he completed his PhD with a comparative study of Shakespeare and Chekhov.
RADU IACOBAN (RADU) is a famous young talent. He starred in Cristian Mungiu’s omnibus “Tales from the Golden
Age” and he is also credited in Romanian movies like “Portrait of a Fighter as a Young Man” or “Blind Detachment”,
and in international feature films like: Terry Gilliam’s “Zero Theorem” and “What about Love”, starring Sharon Stone
and Andy Garcia. Recently he was part of History Channel’s TV mini series “Sons of Liberty” and in the history drama
“Chosen”.
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SILVIU STAVILA
director of photography
DANA BUNESCU
editor
Silviu was born in 1973 and gratuated
The National Theater and Film Academy in
Bucharest. His filmography as cameraman
and director of photography includes
collaborations with the most important
Romanian film directors Lucian Pintilie
(“Next Stop Paradise”, “Niki and Flo”,
“Tertium non datur”) and Cristi Puiu
(“Stuff and Dough“). Silviu is a member of
Romanian Society of Cinematographers.
Dana was born in 1968 in Craiova. She
studied Physics and Film Editing. Her
filmography as editor and sound editor
includes “The Death of Mr. Lazarescu“
(Cristi Puiu, 2004), ”4 Months, 3 Weeks and
2 Days” (Cristian Mungiu, 2007),“California
Dreaming” (2007) and “The Autobiography
of Nicolae Ceausescu”(2010), “Child’s Pose”
(Calin Netzer, 2013).
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VLAD VOINESCU
sound design
VLADIMIR IUGANU
art direction
Born in 1985 in Bucharest, Vlad studied
film editing and sound at the National Film
School in Bucharest. Since then he has
been working as editor and sound mixer for
various films like “The World According to
Ion B.”, “A Month in Thailand”, “Adalbert’s
Dream”, “Where Are You Bucharest?”. He
is also a co-producer for short fiction films
and documentaries with his generation
colleagues.
Vladimir was born in 1976. He graduated
the National Theatre and Film University of
Bucharest in 2003. As set designer himself
or as collaborator of Dragos Buhagiar, he
takes part in constructing scenography for
theater directors such as: Silviu Purcarete
(“D’ale Carnavalului”, “Calatoriile lui
Gulliver”, “O furtuna”, ”Victor sau copiii
la putere”), Radu Afrim (Fetita din bolul
pestelui auriu, Andrei Serban ( “Lucia
di Lammermoor”), Alexandru Dabija
(“Platonov”, “Logodnicii din provincie”,
“Florenta sunt eu”).
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Production Company
Mandragora is one of the most
dynamic production companies in
Romania. Founded by Cristi Puiu,
Anca Puiu and Alex Munteanu in
2004, it shortly became a success
projects generator, starting with
its first production, “The Death of
Mr. Lazarescu”, considered the
first major film of the so-called
“Romanian New Wave” and the
spark that ignited a national film
renaissance that continues to
this day.
Since then, the company
produced several feature films:
“The Death of Mr. Lazarescu” by
Cristi Puiu – Un Certain Regard,
Cannes 2005; “Aurora” by Cristi
Puiu - Cannes 2010, “Morgen”
by Marian Crisan - Locarno 2010,
“Rocker” by Marian Crisan - San
Sebastian 2012 and “Viktoria”
by Maya Vitkova – Sundance
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2014. Short films such as
“Megatron” by Marian Crisan
– “Palme d’Or” for short film
Cannes 2008, “Thursday” by
Hadrian Marcu – Namur 2007
and
“Bricostory” 2006 by Andreea
Paduraru, “Adultery” 2010 by
Peter Kerek, “The Cement Mixer”
by Liviu Sandulescu – Clermont
Ferrand 2013, “Family Pictures”
by Andrei Cohn – Sarajevo 2013
and “Wonderland” by Peter Kerek
have been well-received by the
audience, participated all in
international competitions and
were also sold in more the 50
countries. The first documentary,
“TUB – TransUrbanBucuresti” by
Cristi Puiu, 2008, was followed by
“Metrobranding” by Ana Vlad and
Adi Voicu, released in 2010 and
selected by DocAlliance to the
Nyon, Warsaw, Copenhagen,
Jihlava and Leipizg Documentary
Film Festivals in 2010 and in 2012
to European Film Festival
and
to London Open City. The same
team of directors also sign the
latest Mandragora productions:
“Romanians in Ucraina” and
“Romanians in Serbia” which are in
postproduction. Eliza Zdru’s “Songs
for a museum” documentary is also
touring in European festivals. A
lot of debut features films are on
development and some short films,
animation films and documentaries
are in post production. Mandragora
is committed to the idea of making
movies that explore new ways
in the cinema discourse. It also
launches new talents, encouraging
personal, coherent approaches of
the young filmmakers.
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Mandragora
4 Gh. Bratianu St, Apt 2,
Bucharest, Romania
[email protected]
[email protected]
+40 212 220 558
+40 723 153 099
Catalin Anchidin
PR Manager
+40 746 499 941
[email protected]
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