The Documentary Film “The Square” – at Cinepolitica, Right from the Oscars

The film The Square, nominated this year for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Film, can be seen for the first time in Romania in Competition at the third edition of Cinepolitica International Film Festival. The festival takes place between April 8th and 13th, at Cinema Studio, Elivra Popescu and Union in Bucharest.
 

Jehane Noujaim’s (Control Room) documentary depicts the changes in Egypt’s society in recent years, with the help of the moving personal stories of a few protesters from the Tahrir Square. One of them is actor Khalid Abdalla, protagonist in films such as The Kite Runner, United 93 and Green Zone who, inspired by his father’s activism – imprisoned in Egypt during the 70s and then sent into exile, later returning from London to join the Revolution. Acclaimed for its visual style and emotional strength, The Square won the Audience Award in both Sundance and Toronto, and was named Best Documentary of 2013 by the International Documentary Association, whose trophy was handed to Jehana Noujaim with a standing ovation. The film is one of the few crowdfunded films to ever be nominated for an Academy Award. (trailer)
 

Another film from the Cinepolitica Competition which has garnered extremely favourable reviews is Neighbouring Sounds / O Som ao Redor, a Brazilian drama directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho and submitted for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film this year. This provocative film explores recent societal changes in Brazil, in the context of recent relative political stability and strong economic growth. Day to day life in a middle-class neighbourhood in Recife takes an unexpected turn after the arrival of an independent security company. While the presence of the guards gives the residents some sense of safety, it causes them more anxiety, in a culture still based on fear. “A remarkable, breathtaking film,” the Los Angeles Times wrote about Neighbouring Sounds, which has already won over 10 awards in festivals. (trailer)

Among the 8 films competing in Cinepolitica 2014 there is also a documentary about the abuses committed by large pharmaceutical companies, Fire in the Blood, directed by Dylan Mohan Gray and narrated by William Hurt, and Occupation: the 27th Picture, by Croatian director Pavo Marinković.

Organized by the Association for Culture and Image, Cinepolitica International Film Festival is endorsed by the National University of Theatre and Film “I.L. Caragiale” (UNATC) and the National University of Arts (UNArte). The event is organized with the support of the National Cinema Centre (CNC).