Romanian director Alexandra Gulea to make her début at Rotterdam International Film Festival

Newsroom 30/01/2013 | 11:19

On the 42nd edition of the Rotterdam International Film Festival, Romanian director Alexandra Gulea will make her debut with her fiction movie “Matei Child Miner”. The movie is selected in the “Big Screen Award” category.

“Matei Child Miner” is a Romanian – German – French co-production made by Europolis Fils, Luthje-Schneider-Horl, Ciulei Films, HFF München and 40°Grad, with the support of U.E. Media program, the National Center of the Cinematography, FFF Bayern, Fondation GAN pour la Cinema and SRTV.

The fiction debut of documentary maker Alexandra Gulea is about an 11-year-old boy, Matei, who has been living with his grandfather because his parents have gone to work in Italy. The boy is dismissed from school following a mix-up, and his normally understanding grandfather responds in an unexpectedly violent way.

Matei runs away to Isidor, a shepherd in the hills. His life is changed by a visit to the Natural History Museum in Bucharest, but when he arrives back home, he faces more changes than he could possibly have wished for. When his mother arrives to take him away, he refuses to go. Matei thinks his future lies in Romania. He will now have to grow up quickly.

Oana Vasiliu