The Modern Romanian Film Festival in Chisinau has been launched on Monday, June 25, in the evening with the screening of the “California Dreamin’” film (not finished), directed by the late Cristian Nemescu. “This evening we mark the beginning of a new initiative to organise a Romanian film festival in Chisinau. This artistic manifestation continues the tradition of film festivals that took place this year in Cluj and Sibiu. It is a symbiosis of the Romanian cities that binds what we call the Romanian culture”, said during the opening ceremony of the festival His Excellency Filip Teodorescu, the Ambassador of Romania in Moldova. Film critic Magda Mihailescu mentioned that the event in Chisinau coincides with a great moment for the Romanian cinematography: the Cannes 2007 Grand Prix “Un certain regard” for the film California Dreamin’, and the Palme d’Or for “4 luni, 3 saptamani si 2 zile”, by Cristian Mungiu. “It happens that this festival coincides with the astonishing success of the Romanian film festival. The Romanian cinematography has never been discussed so much at Cannes”, Magda Mihailescu underlined. During a press conference that preceded the opening ceremony of the Festival, the coordinator of the project, Liliana Iacob mentioned that the event is part of the cultural actions supported by the Bucharest Cultural Romanian Institute. “Every year we organise training courses for the Romanian language teachers in Moldova. At the same time, we support financially 6 magazines in the country. The initiative of having a Romanian film festival in Chisinau is one of the institute’s efforts of creating a culturally solid manifestation”, she said. The Romanian Film Festival is organised by the Romanian Cultural Institute, in cooperation with the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Romanian Embassy in Moldova. The event will run until July 1. During the festival there will be screened “Asfalt Tango” (directed by Nae Caranfil), “Cum mi-am petrecut sfarsitul lumii” (“How I Spent the End of the World” – directed by Catalin Mitulescu – the award “Un certain regard” for the best female performance at Cannes 2006), “Hartia va fi albastra” (“The Paper Will Be Blue” – director Radu Muntean; The award of the Sundance Festival , the special jury prize at the Namur Film Festival, the prize of the International Confederation of Art Cinemas), “A fost sau n-a fost” (also known as “12:08 East of Bucharest” – director Corneliu Porumboiu – the Camera d’Or Prize at Cannes 2006).