SELF-PORTRAIT OFA DUTIFUL DAUGHTER

MANDRAGORA PRESENTS

A FILM BY ANA LUNGU

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CAST Elena Popa (CRISTIANA), Emilian Oprea (DAN), Andrei Enache (ALEX), Iris Spiridon (MICHELLE)Alexandru Lustig (EDI), Radu Iacoban (RADU), Dan & Magdalena Lungu (CRISTIANA’S PARENTS)Veronica Grunau (VERA), Paul Ioan (THE PROFESSOR), Anca Puiu (DOG OWNER), Fatma Mohamed (THE WIFE), Istvan Teglas (ISTVAN), Eugen Gyemant, Valentin Dragan, Florin Marin, Bogdan Enache, Vlad Voinescu.

CREWCinematography Silviu Stavila Editing Dana Bunescu Art direction Vladimir Iuganu Make up Andra Margina Sound design Vlad Voinescu, Filip Muresan Music Ada Milea, Rising Shadow, Kasjakoo, Moritz Moszkowski, Johannes Brahms, Mihail Jora Piano Raluca Stirbat Colourist Catalin Miloiu Postproduction superviser Radu Toader Cinelabs manager Cornelia PopaFinancial controller Bianca Sandulescu Production assistant Bogdan Zarnoianu 2nd AD Tudor Botezatu 1st AD & Still photographer Marius Olteanu UPM Vlad Simion Executive producer Raluca PaduraruProducer Anca Puiu Writer and Director Ana Lungu

A Mandragora production with the participation of Papillon Film, Castel Film, Cinelabs Romania.

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SELF-PORTRAIT OF A DUTIFUL DAUGHTER

ROMANIA, 2015, 81 MIN, cOlOR

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Cristiana is a 30 year old woman, brought up in a “proper”, bourgeois middle-class family. Her time is split between writing for her PhD in Earthquake Engineering, conversations with Alex and Michelle, her two close friends and occasional, but eagerly awaited rendezvous’ with Dan, a married man with whom she is romantically involved. After her parents move out of the family apartment into a new house, she decides to get a dog. It is something that she wanted ever since she was a child and now that she lives on her own she can finally fulfill this wish.

Synopsis

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ANA LUNGUwriter & directorAna was born in 1978 in Bucharest. She studied Psychology and Film Directing. After graduation she worked as script supervisor (“The Death of Mr. Lazarescu”, 2004) and assistant director for short features, commercials and TV series. In 2010, together with Ana Szel she directed “The Belly of the Whale”, selected in Locarno “Filmmakers of the Present” Competition and Vancouver IFF. In 2013 she started shooting “Self-portrait of a Dutiful Daughter”, her first long feature film.

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The film deals with Cristiana’s “coming of age”, her “leaving home” (in this case, not at all incidentally parents are the ones going away, leaving her to live on her own in the apartment).

Her story is in many ways my story, the film is about my late coming of age. I started to write the script after my parents moved and I was left to live alone in the 4 room apartment in Bucharest and decided to get a dog. Finally, I didn’t get the dog, but I made this movie.

As a director, sometimes my approach was closer to documentary than to fiction: some scenes were completely improvised and I asked friends and family members to play themselves in the movie. I like working with nonprofessional actors because they don’t have the ability to control, so they expose themselves more, with all the imperfections that makes them more humane. There’s a saying that states “We like people for their qualities, but love them for their defects” and I think this applies to film characters, also.

Director’s Statement

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EMILIAN OPREAEmilian was born in 1977 in Birlad, Romania. He graduated “Universitatea de Arte G. Enescu” in Iasi and he is an actor at Teatrul “Maria Filotti” in Braila. His stage work includes leading roles in over 15 productions, collaborations with theater directors such as: Radu Afrim, Lucian Sabados, Eugen Gyemant. His 2015 film credits include some of the most awaited Romanian productions (Tudor Giurgiu’s “ De ce eu?”, Marian Crisan, Ana Lungu’s “Self-portrait of a Dutiful Daughter”).

ELENA POPAElena was born in 1978 in Piatra Neamt, Romania. She graduated Babes-Bolyai University with a major in acting and she has a full time job as an actress within the Andrei Muresanu Theater Company in Sfantu Gheorghe. Elena was nominated twice for the UNITER (the Theater Union of Romania) awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role for playing Dora in “The Sexual Neuroses of Our Parents” directed by Radu Afrim and for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for playing Grandma in “Plasticine” directed by Radu Afrim.

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ANDREI ENACHE (ALEX) was born in 1977 in Bucharest. He graduated high school in the US, where he also started to study Economics. Later, Andrei came back to Romania to study Film Directing. His student filmography includes shorts selected in film festivals such as: Oberhausen, Sao Paolo , Cottbus, Tel Aviv, Potsdam Film Festival etc. In 2001 his short „Promo“ was awarded Special Prize of the Jury in Taipei Film Festival. In 2003 he directed his first feature “The Tank”. He currently works as a freelance director for TV and commercials. IRIS SPIRIDON (MICHELLE) is a 29 years old theater director. Her work includes collaborations with The National Theater in Bucharest (the Romanian premiere of Tennessee Williams’ “Play for two characters”), but also many indie productions (“Trust Me If You Can”, “Wrecks by” Neil la Bute, “Les enfants terribles” by Jean Cocteau etc). ALEXANDRU LUSTIG (EDI) is a Romanian theatre director born in 1986. He graduated in 2004 from the National Theater and Film University of Bucharest with Shakespeare’s play “The Tempest”, performed at the Bucharest Comedy Theater, which received the „best play” and „best actors” prizes in the Graduation Gala and was selected for the National Theater Festival. In 2008, he completed his PhD with a comparative study of Shakespeare and Chekhov.

RADU IACOBAN (RADU) is a famous young talent. He starred in Cristian Mungiu’s omnibus “Tales from the Golden Age” and he is also credited in Romanian movies like “Portrait of a Fighter as a Young Man” or “Blind Detachment”, and in international feature films like: Terry Gilliam’s “Zero Theorem” and “What about Love”, starring Sharon Stone and Andy Garcia. Recently he was part of History Channel’s TV mini series “Sons of Liberty” and in the history drama “Chosen”.

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SILVIU STAVILAdirector of photographySilviu was born in 1973 and gratuated The National Theater and Film Academy in Bucharest. His filmography as cameraman and director of photography includes collaborations with the most important Romanian film directors Lucian Pintilie (“Next Stop Paradise”, “Niki and Flo”, “Tertium non datur”) and Cristi Puiu (“Stuff and Dough“). Silviu is a member of Romanian Society of Cinematographers.

DANA BUNESCUeditorDana was born in 1968 in Craiova. She studied Physics and Film Editing. Her filmography as editor and sound editor includes “The Death of Mr. Lazarescu“ (Cristi Puiu, 2004), ”4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” (Cristian Mungiu, 2007),“California Dreaming” (2007) and “The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceausescu”(2010), “Child’s Pose” (Calin Netzer, 2013).

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VLAD VOINESCUsound designBorn in 1985 in Bucharest, Vlad studied film editing and sound at the National Film School in Bucharest. Since then he has been working as editor and sound mixer for various films like “The World According to Ion B.”, “A Month in Thailand”, “Adalbert’s Dream”, “Where Are You Bucharest?”. He is also a co-producer for short fiction films and documentaries with his generation colleagues.

VLADIMIR IUGANU art directionVladimir was born in 1976. He graduated the National Theatre and Film University of Bucharest in 2003. As set designer himself or as collaborator of Dragos Buhagiar, he takes part in constructing scenography for theater directors such as: Silviu Purcarete (“D’ale Carnavalului”, “Calatoriile lui Gulliver”, “O furtuna”, ”Victor sau copiii la putere”), Radu Afrim (Fetita din bolul pestelui auriu, Andrei Serban ( “Lucia di Lammermoor”), Alexandru Dabija (“Platonov”, “Logodnicii din provincie”, “Florenta sunt eu”).

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Mandragora is one of the most dynamic production companies in Romania. Founded by Cristi Puiu, Anca Puiu and Alex Munteanu in 2004, it shortly became a success projects generator, starting with its first production, “The Death of Mr. Lazarescu”, considered the first major film of the so-called “Romanian New Wave” and the spark that ignited a national film renaissance that continues to this day. Since then, the company produced several feature films: “The Death of Mr. Lazarescu” by Cristi Puiu – Un Certain Regard, Cannes 2005; “Aurora” by Cristi Puiu - Cannes 2010, “Morgen” by Marian Crisan - Locarno 2010, “Rocker” by Marian Crisan - San Sebastian 2012 and “Viktoria” by Maya Vitkova – Sundance

2014. Short films such as “Megatron” by Marian Crisan – “Palme d’Or” for short film Cannes 2008, “Thursday” by Hadrian Marcu – Namur 2007 and “Bricostory” 2006 by Andreea Paduraru, “Adultery” 2010 by Peter Kerek, “The Cement Mixer” by Liviu Sandulescu – Clermont Ferrand 2013, “Family Pictures” by Andrei Cohn – Sarajevo 2013 and “Wonderland” by Peter Kerek have been well-received by the audience, participated all in international competitions and were also sold in more the 50 countries. The first documentary, “TUB – TransUrbanBucuresti” by Cristi Puiu, 2008, was followed by “Metrobranding” by Ana Vlad and Adi Voicu, released in 2010 and selected by DocAlliance to the

Nyon, Warsaw, Copenhagen, Jihlava and Leipizg Documentary Film Festivals in 2010 and in 2012 to European Film Festival and to London Open City. The same team of directors also sign the latest Mandragora productions: “Romanians in Ucraina” and “Romanians in Serbia” which are in postproduction. Eliza Zdru’s “Songs for a museum” documentary is also touring in European festivals. A lot of debut features films are on development and some short films, animation films and documentaries are in post production. Mandragora is committed to the idea of making movies that explore new ways in the cinema discourse. It also launches new talents, encouraging personal, coherent approaches of the young filmmakers.

Production Company

Mandragora4 Gh. Bratianu St, Apt 2,Bucharest, Romaniaoffice@mandragora.roanitzalungu@yahoo.com+40 212 220 558+40 723 153 099

Catalin AnchidinPR Manager

+40 746 499 941catalin.anchidin@gmail.comfacebook.com/autoportretul