"Who We Are", by Dan Puric: The Ongoing Search for Authenticity

The artist Dan Puric published, at the beginning of 2008, the book titled Cine Suntem / Who We Are, which comes as a necessity for a large audience proven by its great demand and which aims at shedding light on the present Romanian character, or what has remained valuable of it, after so many years of political, social and, moreover, cultural turmoil, after "70 years of interrupted pathways", as he says.

Mr. Puric has been touring the country by holding not "conferences", as he does not accept to call them, but meetings in an "authenticity space", like the one in Bacau at the end of June, in order to raise awareness. The great exchange of positive, creative energy lasted for almost 3 hours for issues like Romanian identity, the terror of prolonged fear, dangers of ideology, the different types of values, etc.

Dan Puric has started an identity project which people have the need to connect to, as it bridges the gap between them and themselves. It is simply an exploration of "we are others" ...

Local Elections: "I am not ashamed to look in your eyes."

On the 15th of June, the second round of local elections finished. It marked the end of an aggressive period in which promises - empty or not, lies - white or 'black', hopes - for the best or not, and dreams - more or less realistic, all mixed up screamed on the streets and in mass media in a frenzy for persuasion. The apparent energetic optimism for the future contrasted heavily with low confrontations, mass manipulation, dubious project presentations, etc.
Being the witness of all these, I have recently come across a poster which vaguely (or not) reminded one of the intense election campaign a few days ago. The poster reads: "I am not ashamed to look in your eyes". Ironically, time has passed over it, leaving its mark and revealing the naked truth...
Is politics different in Romania or is it the same everywhere in all countries where there are financial interests?

"This is just the beginning...We will conquer the world!" : "The Rest Is Silence" / "Restul e tacere", by Nae Caranfil

The Rest Is Silence/ Restul e tacere is Nae Caranfil's latest film, which combines craftsmanship, remarkable talent (on the part of both actors and director) and huge inspiration for audiences... It is a film on "moving shadows", as well as on the subtle weaving of fiction and reality, past and present - all immersed into the tragic-comedy substance...

The film is based on the true story of the making of the first Romanian film (on the War of Independence) at the beginning of the 20th century (1911).

The mix of worlds is impressive - the change brought by the cinema reflects the change of the whole society, in fact.
Young Grigore Ursache, or Grig for short, is the main persona (played spectacularly by Marius Florea Vizante) who must struggle in a world which constantly rejects him and looks down on him, by imposing his views, shrewdly and incisively, and turning, thus, his own ideas into reality...

This film is more than a film on the by-gone Romanian society at the turn of the previous century (however, its reconstruction must have been more than a challenge for the director and his staff - after the too long washbrain process of the communist regime in the second half of the 20th century). It is a film on the present ongoing struggle and clash between not necessarily generations but between different value systems, on the importance of change which assures communities the opportunity to develop and move forward, ultimately on the freedom and power of the individual to impose themselves against a system, as long as their ideas are valuable and have the force to generate others in their own right.

Personally, by watching this film, I have a more acute sense of present rather than a sense of past and my mental frameworks work much more in relation to the present contemporary society - the Romanian one, in particular and the global one, in general - rather than the past one... It is simply a Grand Film!