Romanian film wins Silver Bear in Berlin

Romanian film If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle, by director Florin Serban, a runner-up in the Berlin International Film Festival, has been awarded two important accolades: the Silver Bear, which is the jury prize in the festival, as well as the Alfred Bauer award for artistic innovation. Serban’s feature-length debut is based on a theater play written by Andreea Valean. It is the story of a young man in a penitentiary who falls in love with a student and tries to escape several days before his release.

The main parts were however played by professional actors George Pistereanu and Ada Condeescu. Serban received the Silver Bear in Berlin from Hollywood actress Renée Zellweger, who was a member of the jury. The director was hoping, before the competition, that a prize would help him complete the projects he has started but says he did not expect to pick up such a trophy. His next feature-length project is called El Rumano (The Romanian).

Otilia Haraga