“Diplomacy” Opens Cinepolitica 2014! An Epic Historical Production with Adrien Brody, after the Closing Ceremony

The opening ceremony of Cinepolitica International Film Festival takes place on Tuesday, April 8th, at 8pm, at Studio Cinema, and brings one of the most popular films from the latest Berlin Film Festival for the first time on Romanian screens: Diplomatie / Diplomacy, directed by Volker Schlöndorff. At the closing ceremony, on April 13th, Cinepolitica will screen a superproduction directed by Feng Xiaogang – often called “the Chinese Spielberg”, submitted this year for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film: Back to 1942, starring Adrien Brody and Tim Robbins.
 

World premiered in Berlin 2014, Diplomacy pairs two exceptional actors, who play two political figures that have made history during the Second World War. On the night of August 24th, 1944, the Nazi general Dietrich von Choltitz (Niels Arestrup) is preparing, on Hitler’s orders, to blow up Paris before the army leaves the city. The Swedish consul Raoul Nordling (André Dussollier), appearing out of nowhere in the luxurious hotel with hidden pathways, will try to convince the general of the absurdity of the plan.

“The film is riddled with an abundance of psychological suspense, remarkably helmed by Volker Schlöndorff. He contrasts, with rare intensity, two men who constantly juggle with the tropes of diplomatic discourse, but never in a confusing or boring manner”, writes Le Parisien. (trailer)

Next to Werner Herzog and Wim Wenders, Volker Schlöndorff is one of the most celebrated German directors. With his adaptation of The Tin Drum (1979), the novel by Günter Grass, he won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival (award shared with Apocalypse Now, by Francis Ford Coppola) and an Academy Award.

Another spectacular film will be closing the third edition of the festival, on April 13th, at 8pm, at Studio Cinema: Yi jiu si er / Back to 1942. China’s entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2014, directed by the filmmaker also known as “the Spielberg of China”, Feng Xiaogang, the creator of blockbusters such as Aftershock, stars Adrien Brody and Tim Robbins, alongside Guoli Zhang, Hanyu Zhang and Wei Fan.
 

The historical production recounts a dark chapter from China’s past when, during the war against Japan, a terrible famine took its toll on the Henan province, causing millions of deaths. The film, accomplished with the aid of impressive human and technical resources, was a box office leader on its release weekend in China, grossing over 20 million dollars. Back to 1942 was the unexpected surprise-film of the Rome International Film Festival. (trailer)

Cinepolitica International Film Festival takes place between April 8th and 13th, at Cinema Studio, Elvira Popescu and Union in Bucharest, is organized by the Association for Culture and Image and 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).

Partners: Bucharest General Municipality, Romanian Cultural Institute, National School of Political Science and Public Administration (SNSPA), Faculty of History of the Bucharest University, British Council, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, French Institute Bucharest, Wallonie-Bruxelles Delegation, Austrian Cultural Forum, Polish Institute, Balassi Institute - Hungarian Institute in Bucharest, Embassy of the Republic of Armenia, Embassy of the Republic of Argentina, Czech Centre Bucharest, Cervantes Institute, Italian Institute for Culture "Vito Grasso", Romanian Filmmakers' Union, National Film Archive – Romanian Cinematheque.

Media partners: Radio Guerrilla, Observator Cultural, Ziarul Ring, Șapte Seri, Ziare.com, Hotnews.ro, CinemaRx.ro, Cinemagia.ro, Port.ro, Studentie.ro, Liternet.ro, Ziarul Metropolis, Getlokal.ro, Orasulm.eu, FilmReporter.ro, Casa Jurnalistului, Cooperativa Urbana, Societatesicultura.ro, KoolHunt.ro, CineFan.ro, BlogdeCinema.ro, PoliticALL, All about Romanian Cinema.